By Laura Gutierrez of Immigration Help Costa Rica

In response to many emails from concerned clients wrestling with travel plans, I would like to address how the most recent adjustment to travel into Costa Rica impacts anything to do with residency.

The best summary of the new program can be found in English on the Costa Rica Embassy Washington D.C. website here: http://costarica-embassy.org/index.php?q=node/150

Get comfortable. Read it slowly for full digestion.

I want to assure everyone that there are behind-the-scenes initiatives underway to produce a more accessible travel policy as well as less mobility restrictions within Costa Rica. So please be patient. We are navigating through uncharted waters in a ship controlled by politicians and bureaucrats. Intelligent minds from the private business sectors here will prevail.

I seem to share a certainty with many others, that no matter the outcome of the U.S. election in November, once it is over, the impact of the pandemic on lockdowns and travel logistics will shrink substantially. Planning and booking travel may prove easier beyond that event.

Concerning all things having to do with residency, here is a review.

All states in the U.S. are still processing requests for required documentation. The same goes for Canada and most EU countries and the U.K. Some documents expire six months after they are issued. But if those expiry dates arrive during any future Department of Immigration shutdowns, extensions will be granted. It is far less likely such closures will occur beyond November.

The Department of Immigration remains closed to the public until September 18. However, the Department of Immigration Center in Uruca (San Jose) is still fully staffed and continues to process backlogged applications. I continue to receive approvals each week. They have ranged in times from seven months to twenty-four months from submission to approval. Overall, there appears to be progress in clearing the backlog.

The Dactiloscopia (Fingerprinting Center) in San Pedro will also remain closed until September 18th. They are currently not accepting any requests for appointments.

With regard to the September 18th “opening” of the Department Of Immigration: There will, in all likelihood, be a new appointment system put in place to avoid chaos and jostling at the main gate. There are a large number of applications waiting to be submitted. So it will take patience and flexible planning to get through them all over the two months following the opening date. That is why some extensions have been granted out to November 18th. Common sense will prevail. Please do not despair or panic.

You are not likely to have to change plans for those of you who recently began your document chase in preparation for submissions in the upcoming months since many of you had scheduled the submissions out past November. Others of you who had hoped for an earlier submission date will need to adjust your plans accordingly.

For those of you who will receive approval Resolucións in the upcoming weeks, you will be able to complete the final steps right after. CAJA is still open for sign-ups. Your final steps can be completed at either a participating BCR or Correo de Costa Rica (Post Office) if you are a Pensionado or Vinculo.

If you are Rentista or Inversionista, you will have to wait until September 18th and beyond to complete the final post-approval requirements based on the last conversation I had with the Immigration call center.

Renewals of existing residency cards (DIMEX) can still be done by appointment at a participating BCR and Correo de Costa Rica location if they are Pensionado. All others (Rentistas, Inversionistas, Vinculo) must be done by appointment at the Department Of Immigration after opening September 18th.

If your residency card expired after December 18th, 2019, and you have not renewed it yet, it will be extended to September 30th, 2020.

If you hold a Permanent Residency card with an expiry date beyond December 2019, it stays valid up to September 30th, 2020, with no past-due fines. If you had an expiry date before December 2019, you will be fined $100/month for the months between the expiry date and December 2019. From December 2019 to September 2020, you get a pass.

Please be sure to mark the calendar for that September 2020 date to renew to avoid future fines.

If you entered Costa Rica after December 17th, 2019 and “got stuck” here, your visa gets an automatic extension to November 18th, 2020.

The north and south borders (Nicaragua and Panama) will stay closed indefinitely due to those countries’ conditions. So please forget about border-runs. They are a thing of the past.

Usually, foreign driver’s licenses were only valid for the 90 days visa granted upon entry into Costa Rica. If you entered Costa Rica after December 17th, 2019, your foreign driver’s license validity is extended to November 18th, 2020.

It is crucial for all ex-pats and travelers that you stay registered with your respective embassies here in Costa Rica and receive timely updates and relevant notifications. Things can change on a dime.

Hang in there, everyone. We’re all pulling for you.