Electricity, Telephone, and Cell Phone

Electricity, Telephone, and Cell Phone

These three utility services are aptly part of one discussion as all three of them are obtained from the ICE, which is the government controlled monopoly. It is my understanding that the recently passed CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement) will have no effect on these three utilities for years to come, if at all. The local nomenclature for CAFTA is TLC, and while the legislation has been passed by all of Central America and the United States, there are still many questions in abeyance, particularly with our pending elections in the States and the transitional legalities here in Costa Rica.

Anyway, the practical matters of getting and using the utilities are more important than the political issues. If an expat buys an existing home and that house already has electrical and phone service, it is not an uncommon practice that the new owner just continues to pay the bills in the previous owner’s name. This is quite unheard of in the States, but again, very common here in Costa Rica to leave the utilities in the previous owner’s name. As a matter of expediency in buying land, home, and property, we recommend the formation of a corporation (costing around $325), and this will also provide a level of liability protection. More relevant to our discussion, a corporation is what allows an expat to request all three services of the ICE without any problem.

There could be a wait for a land line telephone, depending on where you live and how many lines currently exist. We got ours the next day, but I have friends in different areas who are still waiting after 3 years. Cell phone numbers are sometimes in shortage and can take weeks or months, but again, we got ours the same day. Electricity, once again, from the same government monopoly of ICE, is usually fairly quick. I have not heard of stories of weeks or months to obtain power, but that is not to say it has never happened.

The real moral of this story is to apply for the corporation as quickly as you have decided to move to Costa Rica. It takes about a month for the corporation to pass through the government channels of approval, so the formation of a corporation should be done in a trip prior to your move so you do not find yourself waiting for approval of the corporation. It is also a place to hold your property, house, manzana (1.73 acres of land), or whatever, again for liability protection. Since you will invariably buy a home, lot, or land, why not get the corporation as quickly as possible? It will smooth out the acquisition of electricity, your land line, and your cell phones. Easy enough, so just plan for it!

At CostaRicaLandToday.Com, we can take you to an attorney who speaks English to help you in the formation of the corporation, and we will gladly take you to the ICE and help you with their process as well. We pride ourselves on providing information and relocation assistance, not just property sales. If you have any questions, please call. Until then, Pura Vida! (The Good Life)