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Recently Answered Questions

If I buy a house in Mexico, do I need to hire an attorney?

Iona Chamberlin - Hacienda San Pedro Nohpat

Iona Chamberlain next to the original caretaker's home on her property at Hacienda Nohpat San Pedro, near Merida, Mexico – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

You need to hire an attorney when buying a house in Mexico because you want to make sure that all the papers are done properly and that the sellers do own the land they’re selling. Attorney charges here are cheaper, though. Depending on the price of the house and how much work had to be done, an attorney here might charge about $1,000, if everything is on the level.

In Mexico, there’s a central registry office where the Mexicans can check to...

How much is car insurance in Nicaragua?

John-Marc Gallagher - GPS Real Estate

When I bought a new car here in Nicaragua, it was financed through the bank so the bank demanded I have car insurance with full coverage. That costs about US $600 per year. I maintained full coverage up until last year when I opted to just take just liability as my car is now 8 years old. Liability cost $65 per year. It is not a million-dollar policy because nobody sues for a million dollars here in Nicaragua.

The terms of car insurance in Nicaragua is...

The terms of car insurance in Nicaragua is different than it is in the States. In case of an accident, of course, the police will be involved but they will not take it to court. The district attorney will not sue you, and the state will not sue you, either. What the state does, is to make sure that the person at fault pays damages to the person or the car that was hit. So for example, if I hit another car, that owner will have an idea of how much it will cost to repair his car and my insurance will pay for that repair. There is no whiplash and no massage-therapy involved at all.

If I kill someone in a car crash, the government will not send me to jail for 25 years for involuntary manslaughter. Instead, I will have to pay a restitution to the person’s family. If I kill someone in a traffic accident, I will go to jail immediately but I only go to jail long enough for the two private parties involved to come to an agreement as to what that person’s life was worth. So as long as the family of the person is in agreement with what I pay them using my insurance partly and maybe partly out of my pocket which can be around $5,000 to $10,000, the courts will not put me in jail for involuntary manslaughter. The court is more interested that both parties are taken care of as opposed to the state being compensated for the involuntary manslaughter. I am not trying to cover myself with a hundred million dollars worth of car insurance in case I kill someone in a traffic accident.

I think I have a $110,000 or $120,000 rider on my liability. If you need to pay for the hospital expenses of the person you hit, it will not cost $10,000 per day; it is only around $100 per day. A person will not consume $100,000 in medical expenses. Rather he will consume only about $1,000, and for that amount, you would rather pay out of pocket. Therefore, for me, having a liability rider on your car insurance is more cost efficient compared to paying $600 per month for full coverage of car insurance.

Is El Valle de Anton, Panama safe?

Adam Brunner - abc realty panama

two men walking in the streets of El_Valle_de_Anton Panama – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

El Valle de Anton is pretty safe. It is a Third World country and nothing’s ever completely safe, but compared to the rest of the world, I feel safe here. In the United States, there is more police presence. In Panama, it’s a little bit different. You and your neighbors look out for one another, which is something that does not happen in the States, as much as it does here.

I was mugged once in the United States and thrice in Panama City. I have never been mugged in...

What's the crime rate against Americans and other expats in Corozal?

Mark Leonard

I have lived in Cayo, Ambergis Caye, Corozal Town and now Cerros Sands. The worst crime rate in all of these by far was Ambergris Caye. In Corozal Town you would see some petty theft, like garden hoses left out may be taken. If a thief is released from jail, its not long before he goes back.

But, as Jenny mentioned in an answer here, expats bring most it on themselves. Cerros Sands on the Cerros Peninsula has one road in and of course...

How are the rules of etiquette or customs different in Portugal?

Carol Bartlett Ribeiro - Carol Bartlett Ribeiro, Property Consultant

1836 sketches of women of Portugal – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

The Portuguese language is a very formal language, but like everything else in the world today it’s becoming more and more relaxed.

There is a generation of Portuguese who are “old school” who would stand up when elder people come in to a room, and that, in Portuguese would never refer to their mother or father using the informal of “you”, “tu.” Today, in general, young children today will be less formal but in certain levels in Portugal there are still very strict rules of who you are, where you are, where you’ve been, and how you live.

On average now it’s a lot easier going than it used to be. I was talking to a friend of mine today about the time when girls would go out there would always have to be chaperone because the parents wouldn’t let it be any other way. These days if you told a 12 year old they needed to have a chaperone, they would say, “Are you crazy?”

In America, even if you’re the president of the company, people would say to you, “Hi, Bob,” whereas here in Portugal it would always be “senior doctor” or “senior professor” or “mister engineer.” You would never use the more informal way of speaking; until you became friendly with them, there’s always that formality. So you would never say, for example, “Senior Bob” you would say “Senior Johnson,” you wouldn’t say the first name. So there are small things like that that would be a faux pas.

The Portuguese are really, really impatient when they get behind the wheel of a car. They drive like lunatics on the motorways and you wouldn’t think it was the same race of people that gets behind the wheels of their cars and they sit on your bumper or don’t let you in. For them, it’s “me first, me first,” which is odd, because they’re not like that we’re they’re chatting to you, but behind the wheels of their cars, you do have to be careful, or, alternatively, you just do what they do.

(1836 sketches of women of Portugal, pictured.)

Can I receive my Social Security checks or benefits abroad, as an expat, outside the US and if so, how?

Lola Braxton - Services Toby

There are banks in Panama that will accept direct deposit from the US, including B.A.C, Banco General, Banco Nacional of Panama, Banco Uno, Banesco, Banistmo, Banvivienda, BBVA, Cacechi, Caja de Ahorros, Credicorp, Global, MultiCredit, Stanford, and Towerbank. Yes, there is a small fee charged for having your direct deposit account, but its worth it.

Recently Posted Expat Stories

Retired but not Retiring in a Guatemalan Village - some Background

I grew up in the United States, most recently from Northern California, but now in my 70’s I live in a village in Guatemala, five miles away from Antigua, a popular tourist destination and NOT typical of Guatemalan life. One of the things I believe has dramatically changed quality of life for this very poor country is plastic. Another, similar, is disposable diapers. And thirdly, cell phones. Here is why:

Before plastic bags and food containers people...

Phil McGuigan and Other Heroes in Panama and Beyond

Phil McGuigan has some stories to tell. In this interview, he recounts to Jet Metier about his ties to the man who eradicated malaria in the Canal Zone and about the time he wrestled the richest man in Belize. McGuigan bought land and a house in Panama almost as quickly as he now buys hundreds of pounds of dog food for animal rescue in Boquete. Ask McGuigan about an event, and he probably knows someone involved directly. There is a story about how friends...

Panamá Canal Expansion and its Global Impact

Panamá has always been on a global path, “pro mundi beneficio” (for the benefit of the world).

Since the 15th century, Panamá was the main route for gold from South America to Europe, mainly Spain. This is one of the reasons why Panamá was always the center of attacks by the pirates at that time seeking wealth, and the city of Panamá was ultimately burned, leaving only the famous ruins of “Panamá la Vieja” (Old Panamá). We also have other ruins of...