Costa Rica Networking

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Entry Requirements
All visitors to Costa Rica require a valid passport. No exceptions! As in most of the countries, the passport must be valid during the following 6 months from the entry date to Costa Rica. All visitors are also required to have a round trip tick as an entry requirement. Drivers licenses and birth certificates are no longer valid for entry.

Visa Regulations Costa Rica
US, Canadian and European nationals may visit Costa Rica for up to 90 days, all other countries for only 30 days. The list of countries that require a visa from a Costa Rican embassy or consulate before traveling is short. A current and complete list is published by the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (Costa Rican immigration service)

Staying longer is possible by making an application to the immigration service. Many prefer to leave the country and return, refreshing the visa, becoming a perpetual tourist, which is frowned upon by immigration officials.

Departure Tax
Departure tax is $26, can be paid in US Dollars, colones or with a credit cards. Hotels, as a convenience for their customers, can collect the departure tax, however, be prepared to pay service fee. The air tax replaces the 3% tax on hotel rooms.

Air Tax (new in 2009)
All visitors to Costa Rica entering by air must pay a us$15 air tax which is the responsibilty of the airline to collect the tax when selling you a ticket.

Airlines serving the Juan Santamaria International Airport (San José)	Airlines serving the Daniel Oduber International Airport (Liberia) Guanacaste
American Airlines Continental Airlines Delta Airlines TACA US Airways Spirit Airlines Frontier Airlines IBERIA Condor Air Comet Air Caraibes Air Canada Mexicana Air Transat Copa Airlines Cubana San José Airport Flights & Schedules	American Airlines Continental Airlines Delta Airlines Northwest Airlines US Airways United Airlines First Choice Air Canada Sunwing Airlines Air Transat

Entering Costa Rica With A Pet
Dogs and cats entering Costa Rica must have a health certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian, endorsed by a veterinarian service (VS) veterinarian. The examination for the certificate must be conducted within the two weeks prior to traveling to Costa Rica. The required vaccinations are: distemper, hepatitis, lestospirosis, parvovirus and rabies (for animals 4 months or older.

Traveling Alone With Minors
If traveling with a minor child without BOTH parents traveling as well, it is recommended to have a notarized document from the non travelling parent authorizing the minor's travel to and from Costa Rica.

The Airport Process (San Jose and Liberia)
Once you land the first step is a visit to the immigration counter where you will be asked to present your passport and the completed immigration form. The process can be in less than 10 minutes, except in San Jose if there are several flights arriving at the same time. Arrivals in San Jose between 11am and 1pm and 7pm and 9pm are heavy traffic times and the immigration process can take up to an hour or more.

Once you have cleared immigration, you will process to the baggage area to collect your baggage and proceed to a customs inspection area, where you will be asked for the completed customs form and questioned on what you are carrying.

More than two bags will guarantee a customs inspection.

Once you have cleared customs, you will proceed to the airport terminal exit.

Arriving By Land
The process of arriving by land at either the Penas Blancas (Nicaragua) or Paso Canoas (Panama) border, can be confusing to visitors to Latin countries. The process seems disorganized and there are people everywhere, hustling something or other.

The process itself is quite straightforward. Once you enter the border point, you first stop is at immigration to check-in and then a customs inspection. The entire process can be completed in less than 10 minutes, except during holiday travel periods like Christmas and Easter and the arrival of buses full of passengers.

If driving through the border, the vehicle's documents are required to be presented to customs agents, who will inspect the vehicle and approve its entry. You will be required to purchase an insurance certificate valid for the duration of the vehicle's stay.

Only the person entering the vehicle can drive it in Costa Rica. If you want a second driver, her or she must me named on the entry certificate. Allowing a person not named on the certificate may result in the vehicle being confiscated by traffic officials>

The vehicle must leave Costa Rica by the date set out in the customs certificate or it must be legally imported - import tax paid - or be subject to confiscation.

Leaving Costa Rica
Leaving Costa Rica is quite simple. If leaving by air at either the Juan Santamaria (San Jose) or Daniel Oduber (Liberia) airport you will have to pay the us$26 departure tax. There is not tax paid leaving at the land border points of Penas Blancas or Paso Canoas.

The departure tax can be paid in cash or by credit card at the airport, or for a slightly higher fee, some hotels will also collect the tax.

At the airport: once you have paid the tax you proceed to the airline counter, check in, pass immigration controls and proceed to the gate. Your passport is not stamped with an exit stamp.

You will not be allowed to board you flight less than 1 hour before scheduled take off. This time is allowed for Costa Rican immigration officials to review the passenger list before the flight is allowed to take off.

At the land border: The process is quite simple and fast. Simply present your passport to the immigration officials, who will check your name on their database and then stamp your passport with an exit stamp.

Before leaving the Costa Rican border you may be stopped by police who will check to ensure it is your passport you are carrying, customs officials (rare, but it happens) and possibly the drug enforcement police.