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MAKING THE MOVE TO COSTA RICA
Destination content © Erin Van Rheenen, used from Living Abroad in Costa Rica, 1st Edition.
Maps © Avalon Publishing Group, Inc.
Overview
"Costa Rica is making a real effort to streamline its immigration process, and everyone agrees it’s high time for a change. Even with all the flux, the categories of residency are fairly straightforward, and not apt to change significantly anytime soon. What may change is where you apply for residency and how quickly your papers are processed."
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Making the Move Visas and Immigration Types of Residency The Application Process Moving with Children Moving with Pets What to Take


Tourist Visas

Immigration policy in Costa Rica is a moving target, but the good news is that North Americans are for the most part given a warm welcome. A Nicaraguan day laborer will be treated differently from, say, a retired couple from Vermont who just invested in a seaside bed-and-breakfast. North American and European visitors, in most cases, have a fairly easy time of it immigration-wise; the most that a law-abiding visitor will have to deal with are bureaucratic headaches.
  The agency that enforces immigration law is the Department of Immigration (Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería), which in turn is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Security (Ministerio de Seguridad Pública). There is also a National Immigration Council (Consejo Nacional de Migración y Extranjería), charged with review of residency petitions.
  Though the processes may seem arbitrary, there are official policies in place, replete with stamps, seals, and much waiting in line. Still, even seasoned expat organizations like the ARCR (Association of Residents of Costa Rica) warn that immigration laws are hard to fathom and even harder to keep up with. But one thing is for sure: In August 2002, the Department of Immigration issued a statement saying residency applications should be made in the applicant’s country of origin rather than here in Costa Rica. It is much easier, with these new regulations, to begin the residency process in your home country. It’s not impossible to do it from Costa Rica, but you would need to confer power of attorney on someone back home and have him or her act on your behalf. It’s much easier to start before you move here.
  Still, policy is anything but crystal clear. Regulations and laws are one thing; enforcement (especially consistent enforcement) is quite another. Students of Costa Rican policy will find many contradictory statutes; it’s often up to the individual official to play judge and jury, choosing which of the many laws he or she will enforce on any given day. An editorial in the February 2003 Tico Times, entitled “Fix the Immigration Mess,” takes on the government’s first attempt since the 1980s to overhaul immigration policy. “The current system,” writes the editor, “in which processes are at the whim of the transitory official holding positions of power, needs to be reformed to one in which, from the start, applicants know what the requirements are and when they need to comply with them.”
  Lest you dismiss the situation as hopelessly third world, remember that at least two U.S. agencies—the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) and the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service)—have been shown to operate in a similarly heavy-handed and arbitrary fashion. Big government means lots of laws; some are bound to contradict others. And then, “public servants” around the world are often anything but, wielding their tiny swords with surprisingly lethal effect. When confronted with such officials, make nice. Count to ten, then grit your teeth into a smile. For the moment, they have the power and you don’t. Save your rage and dreams of revenge for later, over a drink with friends. Then order another round.
  But I digress. Costa Rica is making a real effort to streamline its immigration process, and everyone agrees it’s high time for a change. Even with all the flux, the categories of residency are fairly straightforward, and not apt to change significantly anytime soon. What may change is where you apply for residency and how quickly your papers are processed. The ARCR is a good source of up-to-date information.
  One more thing you should know is that if you gain any type of residency or even citizenship in Costa Rica, your U.S. or Canadian citizenship is not affected. And there’s no problem on the Costa Rican end of things, either. Since 1996 this country has recognized dual citizenship. The change in policy came about when Dr. Franklin Chang, Costa Rican–born scientist and NASA astronaut, became a U.S. citizen and was consequently stripped of his Costa Rican citizenship. There was a public outcry—the country didn’t want to lose such an illustrious Tico to the United States—and in response the policy was changed.

Tourist Visas
No paperwork, no job, no muss, no fuss—nice work if you can get it. And it can be that easy, though recent crackdowns have put the fear of expulsion in the hearts of long-term expats who’ve never bothered about renewing visas or getting residency. A side note: It used to be that people from Canada, the United States, and Panama could enter and exit Costa Rica without a passport, though they did need some form of identification, like a driver’s license. As of April 30, 2003, however, all visitors to Costa Rica must travel with valid passports.
  Here’s how the perpetual-tourist thing works. Visitors from Canada, the United States, and most of Europe don’t need to apply for visas in their home countries but instead receive, upon arrival in Costa Rica, a stamp on their passport authorizing a 90-day stay. When that 90 days is almost up, you leave the country for at least 72 hours—maybe you’ve always wanted to visit the colonial city of Granada in southern Nicaragua, or snorkel at one of the Bocas del Toro islands in northern Panama. After your three-day vacation, you cross back into Costa Rica and get another 90-day stamp on your passport. This category of visa is called the B1, or tourist visa.
  Some people do this for years, but it’s not an ideal solution. Although not strictly illegal (you’re not overstaying your visa), the practice is considered a little shady by Costa Rican officials—a way of getting around the law. What you’re doing and how often is visible in full color—soon your passport will be a riot of blue, red, and purple stamps and seals that mark you as a come-and-goer. And who knows when the government will decide to crack down on this category of tourist?
  If you have anything to lose in Costa Rica—a house, a business, a family—this gray-area existence is apt to make you a little bit anxious. Not to mention that leaving the country every three months gets to be tiresome and expensive. There are shady ways to skip the trip, but they are truly back-alley and indisputably illegal. A guy knows a guy who can take care of it—and suddenly your money and passport are long gone. On the open market, U.S. and Canadian passports are said to fetch around US$5,000.
  Even if you don’t have anything to lose in Costa Rica, there are reasons to apply for residency. “I’m not sure why I was so into getting those papers,” says Peggy Windle, who in 2002 took early retirement from her teaching job in Arizona and moved to Costa Rica. “I want to belong somewhere, I guess. To not be 100 percent vagabond.”
  If you’re not planning to stay more than four months in Costa Rica, there are a few ways to legally extend your 90-day visa that don’t involve a trip out of the country. You must be sure, however, to start these processes well before your visa has expired. These solutions only give you 30 additional days, are often more trouble than they’re worth, and probably will not work more than once. One way is to apply at the immigration office (Migración) opposite Hospital Mexico in the La Uruca section of San José. The office is open 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. You may also be asked to obtain an affidavit, in which you swear that you have no dependents in Costa Rica, from the Justice Tribunal (Calle 17, Avenidas 6/8, tel. 506/223-7555, ext. 240 or 276, fax 506/221-2066). The results of a blood test to see whether you have AIDS or HIV may also be required. To apply for the extension you’ll need three passport-sized photos, a plane ticket out of the country, and funds judged sufficient to see you through your proposed stay. This procedure also involves multiple forms, stamps, line waiting, and fees. Another possibility is to see if a travel agent can get you an extension. This way is usually easier but is not something you can keep doing every 30 days.
  What happens if you skulk around Costa Rica with an expired 90-day visa? It depends just how expired it is. If you’re a few days or weeks in arrears, you’ll probably get off with some smooth talking and the payment of a fine. If you arrived in 1985 and haven’t thought about visas since, you’re still okay—until someone checks your passport. Then you’ll most likely get a free trip home, a.k.a. deportation. If you’re deported, you can’t legally return to Costa Rica for ten years.
  One more thing—when you enter Costa Rica (each time), you could be asked to prove that you have sufficient funds to support yourself for the time you intend to be here. They may also ask you to show a return or onward plane or bus ticket. In practice, this rarely happens.

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