Discovering Costa Rica

Page 12

you just met or whom you have just been introduced to recently, because it is only used with

very close friends in a very informal manner. Instead, use the formal second person pronoun

“usted.” You may use the word “vos” and call a person by their first name only when the person

requests you to. Similarly, you shouldn’t address a person by his or her first name alone. You

should always use a person's courtesy title: “Don or Doña” followed by the first name, or “Señor

or Señora” followed by the last name.

Professionals with a title are usually named by their title (e.g. “Licenciado” for lawyer). Their last

name is preceded by the title. Titles are also used in business cards, and formal documents. In

the case of Costa Rica, it always precedes the person’s full name.

Social Protocol

Costa Rican social protocol dictates who pays the check: if a person invites you to a restaurant,

that person will pay the bill, and you should not try to pay the check yourself. You can return the

courtesy by inviting the person next time and paying for the tab yourself. Restaurants, by law,

include gratuity automatically; this amount is 10% of the total. Sales tax is always included as

well, and represents 13% of the total tab. It is at the discretion of whomever is paying, whether

or not the service was good enough for an extra tip.

If you are the only person invited, the main topic of the conversation will likely be business-

related (usually for lunch). If you are invited with your spouse, it usually does not involve any

business conversation, but will be more of a social gathering (typically for dinner). In neither

situation (lunch nor dinner) should you initiate a conversation about business-related topics.

Helpful Hint:

Constantly declining someone’s invitations is not well-received,

especially if they are given without a reasonable excuse. An important skill to learn is

how to decline an invitation to lunch or dinner with a credible excuse.

Business Etiquette

Punctuality:

Although punctuality is very important in every meeting, punctuality in

Costa Rica does admit certain flexibility

Coordinate:

To set up an appointment with someone, the telephone remains the best

tool even though some other means like fax and email are also accepted

Duration:

Business meetings or presentations should not take too long, unless the two

parties disagree on the topic. Don’t be surprised if a meeting is postponed. Breaks

during meetings are more common in Costa Rica than in other countries

Trust:

The relationship between Costa Rican businesspeople places a high value on

trust, and they often know each on a personal level as well. Do not be surprised if some

personal questions arise the first time you have a business conversation with someone

Values:

Costa Ricans have their own principles and values that are very traditional and

old fashioned. Specifically, they still place a lot of importance on trust and honesty

Deadlines:

Punctuality in a meeting, agreed-upon deadlines, and compliance of

obligations (such as payments) may be delayed on certain occasions