¡BIENVENIDOS! WELCOME to Puerto Rico!
If you have recently moved to Puerto Rico, or are considering doing so, please see the tips and links below. We share these because we know that any transition, like moving to Puerto Rico, presents many challenges, and we want to help you enjoy the journey! We'll be here for you as you experience it. Contact us if you have any questions.
Shortly after you found out you were coming to Puerto Rico, or contemplated it, you probably searched the internet and found images of sunny beaches with palm trees and happy, relaxed people. These pictures are not made up! Puerto Rico is a beautiful tropical island that many people seek out for a relaxing vacation. Many people come here to work and live for years. Just as any other relocation, there are aspects for which a quick web search cannot prepare you. We hope you find the following information helpful.
Emergency Information
If you have an emergency situation (fire, medical, police), call 9-1-1. Please be aware that bilingual operators are not always available; knowing some Spanish will help. Also dial this service from a local area code if possible. Emergency response times are generally much slower here and in case of an emergency you should know where the closest hospital is to you as it may be faster than waiting for help to arrive.
For hospital stays, be prepared to wait longer for information and manage your own care. Most likely you will need to bring your own pillows, extra blankets (they are super cold), snacks, bottled water, etc. Don’t be afraid to ask someone from the church to help you and your family with a meal, comfort item or support during a hospital stay.
It’s also a good idea to take a first aid and CPR class. Many beaches do not have lifeguards and emergency personnel may take too long to arrive and/or may not be adequately trained.
Hurricane season is from June 1st through November 30th. Check www.ready.gov, make a plan, and consider how you would implement it.
community
Life is much more meaninful and enjoyable with community! Trinity Church would love to help you with this! Please check out the Connect portion of our website. We also encourage you to make connections with your new neighbors and interest groups (for instance, you may already have, or develop, an interest in surfing or soccer and find friends that way).
Visit Trinity Church and get connected to our small groups.
housing
There are several great cities in and around the San Juan metropolitan area to consider living including Bayamon, Condado, Dorado, Guaynabo, Miramar, Old San Juan, among others. You can find housing at: www.clasificadosonline.com
Considerations:
Keep in mind, if you are planning to rent, some rentals in PR are available fully furnished, so it is good to know what will be available in your new home before packing your furniture for the move.
• If you are able, one of the best things you can do to get an idea of different neighborhoods is to visit Puerto Rico a couple of months before your move. It is very difficult to find a home solely online, and spending some time here can allow you to avoid costly mistakes.
• Working with a realtor can be very helpful, particularly if you are not fluent in Spanish.
• Many gated communities with security and controlled access also feature pools, fitness centers, and other amenities. Some apartments and condominiums also offer 24-hour security and controlled access parking for your vehicle.
• Utilities, in general, are not as reliable as they are in the continental United States. Many buildings/houses have back-up generators and cisterns to mitigate those interruptions.
• If you are not comfortable with the Spanish language, having someone who is bilingual can be of tremendous help with housing options and all aspects of moving and settling in.
• Having a Spanish-speaking attorney available to look over your lease and make recommendations can be an excellent resource during this process.
• Electric bills can be quite high, so know what is included in the rent; if you plan to cool your house via open windows, inspect the screens (to protect you from mosquitoes) and security features carefully.
Mail can be sent here with US postage. Parcel rates can be higher and shipping times are longer. Many people find that the free shipping with Amazon Prime makes it worth the membership fee. Be sure to send the USPS change of address form at least a week before you lose access to your old mailbox. Consider switching important business statements to paperless.
Schools
Most families moving to the island choose to put their children in private school, DoD schools (Federal Employees), or homeschool. A list of the top private schools can be found at: http://livinginpuertorico.com/best-private-schools/
For those planning to homeschool, Puerto Rico has no reporting regulations for homeschoolers. There are some community-based groups that meet that are bilingual or Spanish-speaking. Many can be found via a FaceBook search.
Vehicles
The Hacienda (Puerto Rico’s Internal Revenue Service) charges taxes on vehicles shipped to PR. The tax is quite high and can be thousands of dollars, based on the age and value of the vehicle. If you have a company or association with such resources, check with them for help with paperwork and tax issues for shipping a vehicle. If there is a title lien on the vehicle, check with the lienholder as soon as possible about any restrictions on shipping the vehicle to PR. Once your vehicle arrives on island, you will need to bring your registration and “Marbete” sticker (ACAA) to pick it up. You may be asked to bring your social security card as well.
Vehicles registered in PR must have a “Marbete” sticker which proves insurance and expires annually.
Many families decide to buy an “island car” to use during their time here, with the intention of selling it before they leave. If the vehicle you decide to purchase is already registered in PR, you will not need to pay taxes; however, you should contact your legal advisor about the peculiarities of buying and selling a vehicle in PR if you are considering doing so. For instance, you should get proof that the seller has paid any fines (otherwise you will have to pay the fines before you can register the vehicle). For this reason, part of buying a car usually involves the buyer and seller going together to the Hacienda to get the statement.
Hacienda
For any trip to the Hacienda, arrive early and be prepared to spend several hours there. Bring a smile and patience; a “please help me” look might be beneficial as well. When asking for help, even if you feel a sense of urgency and frustration, it will likely help to begin with ‘good morning, how are you’ before getting down to business. Before you get in a line, ask what the line is for. When you get to the front of the line the person there may not be able to take care of everything; you may get a stamp and be directed to a different line, where you get a different stamp and come back to the first line.
Recreation
There is no shortage of things to do on the island and for the most part everything is within a few hours drive. A few sites we have found helpful are: www.puertoricodaytrips.com, Trip Advisor, and Alltrails.
Beach Safety
Although there are many places where you can just drive up to a roadside beach and enjoy it for free, there are advantages to paying a few dollars to park at a balneario (including life guards, restrooms, showers, and water quality testing)
Many PR beaches have rip currents combined with rocky places and surf; this combination can be very dangerous. The flat water located between breaking waves, which appears to be safe water for children, may actually be a rip current. In case a swimmer is caught in a rip current, it is essential to know beforehand how to recognize this situation and what to do. See www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov
Driving
The culture of driving in PR is different than in most places on the mainland. Try to keep a positive and relaxed attitude and keep in mind the following:
Drive defensively at all times, look around, and understand that people are going to pull out in front of you.
Do not expect to see turn signals, and watch out for vehicles with one or more lights not working.
Prepare to see people driving in a variety of places other than the travel lanes…like emergency lanes and medians. Consider that, like elsewhere, some drivers will be more focused on texting than driving.
Watch out for scooters and motorcycles since they will weave between cars and lanes.
Informal Rules of the Road are somewhat different, as well - one-lane exit ramps become at least 2 lanes (sometimes 3) when traffic slows or is at a standstill.
From the hours of 12:00-5:00AM, after stopping at a red light you may drive through it.
Potholes are common and it’s normal for cars to swerve or drift into your lane to avoid the potholes in their lane.
Be extra cautious during rainstorms since roads tend to flood easily, which can cause manhole covers to be displaced, leaving a hole.
Many exits and roads are not well marked. Use GPS and plan on missing your road or exit regularly.
You may only use HANDS-FREE cell phones while driving.
Emergency vehicles often have flashing lights on continuously. However you do not need to pull over unless they turn on the siren.