What are the total one time only costs of moving to Mexico, including legal, visa and immigration issues?
Juan Eufracio Marquez Flores - LM&A Immigration and Legal Services
The total one time cost for temporary residency for moving to Mexico is between $30 to $40 once you get your temporary residence at the Mexican consulate. When you get here you have to have 3,365 pesos (US $184) for a year plus the $30 that will be the immigration fee. And then if you want a person like me to hire to do this when the person arrives to Mexico, it’s between 1,000 to 1,500 pesos (US$ 55 to $82) on top of the immigration fee.
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The total one time cost for temporary residency for moving to Mexico is between $30 to $40 once you get your temporary residence at the Mexican consulate. When you get here you have to have 3,365 pesos (US $184) for a year plus the $30 that will be the immigration fee. And then if you want a person like me to hire to do this when the person arrives to Mexico, it’s between 1,000 to 1,500 pesos (US$ 55 to $82) on top of the immigration fee.
Basically, in order to come and live in Mexico, every foreigner has to go to a Mexican consulate. In the Mexican consulate, the person can ask directly for a Permanente or for a Temporary. My advice is to try to get a Permanente. If the Mexican consulate approves the Permanente then that person is already a Permanente and only when they arrive to Mexico, their card will be issued in Mexico.
If they want a Temporary, it’s just basically the same. They have to go to a Mexican consulate and fulfill the income requirements, which is the same thing they would have to do for the Permanente.
(The Plaza de la Constitución, Mexico City, Mexico, pictured.)
Do I have to file my Canadian taxes if I retire, work or live abroad?
ROSALIND MCCOY - PANAMA SIGNATURE REALTY
But bear in mind, if you own any property on the soil of Canada, when you sell it, you have to submit 25% of the sale to the Canadian government. If you want to avoid that hefty tax, you may consider to sell off your property before moving overseas, or just leave the property untouched until you move back.
But bear in mind, if you own any property on the soil of Canada, when you sell it, you have to submit 25% of the sale to the Canadian government. If you want to avoid that hefty tax, you may consider to sell off your property before moving overseas, or just leave the property untouched until you move back.
Raising children in Portugal is wonderful. There is no violence here. It’s very secure so the children have lots of freedom and they can have lots of activities after school.
Here in Portugal, you will see children the age of 12 going to school by themselves by getting on to public transports. By the age of 15, they go to the cafes or the cinemas without adult supervision. Most cafes in Portugal don’t close until 1 AM. They go on their own. Parents don’t need...
Raising children in Portugal is wonderful. There is no violence here. It’s very secure so the children have lots of freedom and they can have lots of activities after school.
Here in Portugal, you will see children the age of 12 going to school by themselves by getting on to public transports. By the age of 15, they go to the cafes or the cinemas without adult supervision. Most cafes in Portugal don’t close until 1 AM. They go on their own. Parents don’t need to always guard their children here.
Raising children in Portugal is totally different from raising children in England. I raised my daughter in England and at age 6, she couldn’t go to the sweets shop by herself. Here in Portugal, you would see children ages 5 to 7 who go to the sweets shop on their own or they go to the small stores to buy bread, etc. You will see 12 to 15 year olds at the beach without their parents. You can let your children go on their own here in Portugal but you can’t do the same in England because England has more crimes; it’s unbelievable. In England, you’ll hear of children who got raped at the age of 6 or 7. You never hear of that in Portugal. Children get abducted in England and here in Portugal, that doesn’t happen. It’s safe here in Portugal.
There’s a special law for pensioners and retirees who want to relocate to Nicaragua. The benefits include bringing a whole container of household items with tax exemptions and bringing in vehicles with certain fiscal incentives as well.
I don’t think there is any preferential treatment aside from the incentives for the relocating process.
You can bring a car in, sell the car and buy another one and still have a...
There’s a special law for pensioners and retirees who want to relocate to Nicaragua. The benefits include bringing a whole container of household items with tax exemptions and bringing in vehicles with certain fiscal incentives as well.
I don’t think there is any preferential treatment aside from the incentives for the relocating process.
You can bring a car in, sell the car and buy another one and still have a certain exemption but it is linked to the law and fiscal incentives.
How's the adventure travel and activities in and around Ambergris Caye?
Rachel Jensen - Grand Baymen
There is a ton of adventure travel in and around Ambergris Caye, but there’s also a lot of adventure travel on the mainland of Belize, where they have lots of day trips. You can get to the mainland of Belize from Ambergris Caye by water taxi. It’s not too far but if you take the water taxi, then it would be a whole day for a half-day tour.
When you go to the inland of Belize, there are a lot of Mayan...
There is a ton of adventure travel in and around Ambergris Caye, but there’s also a lot of adventure travel on the mainland of Belize, where they have lots of day trips. You can get to the mainland of Belize from Ambergris Caye by water taxi. It’s not too far but if you take the water taxi, then it would be a whole day for a half-day tour.
When you go to the inland of Belize, there are a lot of Mayan ruins that you can visit. There are also some Mayan ruins down on Ambergris Caye just south of the main town of San Pedro.
On the island of Ambergris Caye itself, you can go snorkeling, diving, paragliding, wind surfing, and many other activities. Or, you can even explore the island by yourself. You can also get tour guide and go to the nature preserve. There is a lagoon up north that has crystal clear waters. If you go snorkeling or scuba diving, you will see some beautiful coral and fish.
(Pictured: wind surfing off Ambergris Caye, Belize.)
What's the crime rate against Americans and other expats in Panama?
Iván Eskildsen - Cubitá Group
Panama is considered a very safe country. It is the safest country in the region and there’s definitely is no issue with foreigners being unsafe here. Panamanians are really very welcoming and have a positive attitude towards foreigners, especially considering that we had the Americans here in the country for almost 100 years when the Panama Canal was under American jurisdiction. We are used to having a lot of foreigners, especially Americans, here.
Chitré, where I...
Panama is considered a very safe country. It is the safest country in the region and there’s definitely is no issue with foreigners being unsafe here. Panamanians are really very welcoming and have a positive attitude towards foreigners, especially considering that we had the Americans here in the country for almost 100 years when the Panama Canal was under American jurisdiction. We are used to having a lot of foreigners, especially Americans, here.
Chitré, where I live, is considered by many people as the best place to live in Panama. There is a health research institute in Chitré called Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud, which conducted a study a few years ago wherein Chitré was selected as the best place in Panama to live based on statistics. The statistics used for this study were crime rate, life expectancy, cost of living, and in general, the accommodations that Chitré have. Chitré has the comfort and quality of life of the countryside but it also has the comfort of a city in the sense that it has most bank branches, malls, supermarkets, hospitals, etc. So in a way, Chitré is the best-kept secret of Panama because it provides this very interesting quality of life.
We had loved our six weeks in the little coastal village of La Ventana, in Baja California Sur, on the Sea of Cortez. Now, as our tour continued, we would have the opportunity to experience another little village, Lo de Marcos, in Nayarit, about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta, on the Pacific Ocean. While Baja was majestic, with mostly barren, expansive landscape, harder edges, and gorgeous contrasts, Lo de Marcos was vivid, infused and saturated with color. In Lo de...
Given that our planned drive from Puebla to Orizaba was only a little more than three hours, that our combination Puebla hotel / restaurant / fraccionamiento was so pleasant, and that the restaurant had an all you can eat Mexican buffet breakfast, we saw no compelling reason to refuse the beautifully arranged food we found so temptingly arranged before us. Even in this upscale restaurant with impeccable service and sophisticated ambiance, they allowed us to dine...
I DO feel proud of building a house in Guatemala. I'm not going to get into the doing here, but lay the groundwork for WHY I did it. This is one of our views of the house and one of what we see out the windows.
First, why I came to Guatemala, then how the construction happened. Everyone asks, so here is the quick answer I’m tired of giving (because we have had many so guests in our bed and breakfast business who always ask). I...
The total one time cost for temporary residency for moving to Mexico is between $30 to $40 once you get your temporary residence at the Mexican consulate. When you get here you have to have 3,365 pesos (US $184) for a year plus the $30 that will be the immigration fee. And then if you want a person like me to hire to do this when the person arrives to Mexico, it’s between 1,000 to 1,500 pesos (US$ 55 to $82) on top of the immigration fee. 
Raising children in Portugal is wonderful. There is no violence here. It’s very secure so the children have lots of freedom and they can have lots of activities after school.
There is a ton of adventure travel in and around Ambergris Caye, but there’s also a lot of adventure travel on the mainland of Belize, where they have lots of day trips. You can get to the mainland of Belize from Ambergris Caye by water taxi. It’s not too far but if you take the water taxi, then it would be a whole day for a half-day tour. 
Panama is considered a very safe country. It is the safest country in the region and there’s definitely is no issue with foreigners being unsafe here. Panamanians are really very welcoming and have a positive attitude towards foreigners, especially considering that we had the Americans here in the country for almost 100 years when the Panama Canal was under American jurisdiction. We are used to having a lot of foreigners, especially Americans, here.
We had loved our six weeks in the little coastal village of La Ventana, in Baja California Sur, on the Sea of Cortez. Now, as our tour continued, we would have the opportunity to experience another little village, Lo de Marcos, in Nayarit, about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta, on the Pacific Ocean. While Baja was majestic, with mostly barren, expansive landscape, harder edges, and gorgeous contrasts, Lo de Marcos was vivid, infused and saturated with color. In Lo de....jpg)
Given that our planned drive from Puebla to Orizaba was only a little more than three hours, that our combination Puebla hotel / restaurant / fraccionamiento was so pleasant, and that the restaurant had an all you can eat Mexican buffet breakfast, we saw no compelling reason to refuse the beautifully arranged food we found so temptingly arranged before us. Even in this upscale restaurant with impeccable service and sophisticated ambiance, they allowed us to dine...
