How to move to Puerto Viejo Costa Rica step by step — the practical version that covers the actual sequence of things to do, not the aspirational version that leaves out everything complicated. This guide walks through each phase of the move in the order it actually happens, with the specific actions required at each stage. 📦
Step 1: Decide and Research — Before You Do Anything Else
Before booking flights or researching rentals, do the foundational research. Read the Ultimate Guide to Puerto Viejo end to end. Run your budget through the monthly budget breakdown. Read the common mistakes guide. If your budget math works and the lifestyle trade-offs make sense for you, proceed. If it is unclear, a one-month trial visit (see Step 5) resolves most doubts more efficiently than more research. 🔍
Step 2: Visa and Legal — Know Your Status
Determine your legal status before you go. If you plan to stay on tourist renewals: research the border run process (Sixaola border to Panama, 45km from Puerto Viejo), understand that tourist status limits banking options, and accept that you will need to leave the country every 90 days or pay a renewal fee through immigration. If you plan to apply for the Digital Nomad Visa: gather your documentation now — proof of income, employment letter, clean criminal record certificate (apostilled), health insurance — and start the application process. It takes 2–4 months. Full details: visa options for Costa Rica. For US citizens, the US Embassy Costa Rica has useful country-specific guidance on documentation and legal requirements. 🛂
Step 3: Find Your Rental — Before You Land
The best outcome is arriving with a rental already secured rather than hunting for one from a hotel. For your first long-term stay, identify your neighbourhood priorities (social vs quiet, beach access vs town center, budget ceiling) and start searching 4–8 weeks before your arrival date. Cocles and Punta Uva are the most in-demand areas — good properties go within days of listing. The worst thing you can do is arrive without a plan and pay tourist-rate short-term accommodation while competing for long-term rentals at a disadvantage. See finding a place to live in Puerto Viejo and best areas for long-term rentals. 🏠
Step 4: Pack and What to Bring
Pack less than you think you need. Puerto Viejo's furnished rental market means the basics are covered. What to bring: every electronic device you depend on (high import duties make electronics expensive here). Any prescription medications that may be unavailable or require different documentation in Costa Rica. A portable battery pack and a Kolbi SIM plan (buy on arrival) for internet backup. Good waterproof sandals and a light rain jacket — two items that are used constantly. See the full list at what to pack for moving to Puerto Viejo. For those shipping belongings: shipping belongings to Costa Rica. 🧳
Step 5: Land and Set Up — The First 48 Hours
Fly into San José (SJO) — there are no direct international flights to Limón. From San José airport, take a taxi or shuttle to the Gran Terminal del Caribe bus terminal (about 20 minutes) and take the Caribeños bus to Puerto Viejo (3.5–4 hours, $10–12). Buy a Kolbi SIM card in San José at the airport or any pharmacy — you want local connectivity from the moment you arrive. 🚌
On arrival: get to your accommodation, get connected to the local WiFi, buy basic groceries from the nearest supermarket. Do not try to do administrative tasks or make major decisions in the first 48 hours. Let the decompression happen. The Saturday market is the best early-days introduction to the community — go in your first week.
Step 6: The First Month — Building Your Life
The first month is for establishing routines and making connections — not for figuring out everything about life in Puerto Viejo. Find your café. Find your soda. Get into the community WhatsApp groups through your rental host or neighbours. Get your bike. Make your first Saturday market run. Do the Jaguar Rescue Center, a beach day at Punta Uva, a night at Hot Rocks. Let the place show you what it is before you decide what your life here will look like. The common mistakes people make in the first month — moving too fast, isolating, over-comparing to home — are all in the common mistakes guide.
If you're imagining yourself here already, you're not alone. Dive into our Ultimate Guide to Puerto Viejo Costa Rica to see what it's really like to spend more time on the Caribbean coast.