www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Couple or three intersting things last week - Thing 1: the immigration lady at the San Jose airport gave me a hard time over the fact that my passport had only three months left before it expired. According to her they don't normally let you in unless your passport has at least six months left. Anyway after some discussion she grudgingly let me through.

Thing 2: While standing at the baggage carousel a customs guy handed me a printed slip of paper advising me that, because of the danger of passport theft, you should have copy made of the id page and entry stamp page and carry those in lieu of a passport (where have we heard that before).

Thing 3: While in the baggage line at customs two customs guys took an interest in which hotel I was staying at. No big thing but one asked the other where I was staying and the first one showed him the form with the hotel on it. Second one nodded and walked away.

Have been through the airport several times over the years and none of
these things happened before. FWIW

From the United States State Department Consular information sheet:



Don't know why they wanted your passport to be valid for 6 months but I have heard that was a requirement but have never been able to find it written any where. Consular sheet says 30 days which does not make a lot of sense since they are giving you a 90 day tourist visa.

They have been passing out that sheet about a photo copy of your passport for awhile now.

Maybe the customs guy thought you were cute and wanted to hook up (just joking dude)

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Maybe she was trying to get your attention because she wanted a date with you.

Dam the guy hasn't gotten out of the airport and he has a ménage à trois
going. Now thats a monger

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

ID,
My attorney (in SJO) told me the same thing about the passport being valid for at least 6 months. I didn't understand why, but I have also heard it said numerous times over the years. It it's true, shouldn't it be in writing somewhere? At the very least, I would think that it should be written in the U.S. State Dept Consular Info Sheet. If not there, then where?
Mikey-B

_________________
You ALWAYS have an option ....... "NEXT" !!!

I normally carry a few copies of my passport. I put a copy in each of my bags. The hotel will make a copy for you with the entry stamp to carry around while in country.

Your post made me take a second look at my passport....I still have two years left.

I always thought it was 3 months since the entry stamp is for 90 days, but after reseraching a little and getting misled by the US State Dept travel website, I'm now convinced it's technically 6 months. It is not often enforced/noticed, but if they notice it they may not let you on the plane in the US. The carrier is hit with a fine when you get to CR if they let you board with an "insufficient" passport.

I travelled in February with 5 months left on my passport. Luckily, they didn't notice. I renewed before my trip last week, so I had no problems.

For 500¢ (less than $1), you can have a credit card sized, two-sided, laminated, color copy of your passport (picture page and entry stamp page) made at the copy shop near the Presidente. As soon as you cross the street toward avenida central it's the second or third shop on the right from the corner. It says COPIAS above the door.

What convinced you that the US State Department has it wrong? What is the basis for your being convinced it is 6 months and what does technically mean?

From the Costa Rican Embassy Web site

A passport valid for at least 30 days (expiration date has to be 30 days or more after arrival date)...
A pre-paid airline ticket to exit Costa Rica (either to return to your country or to go to another country)
source: http://www.costarica-embassy.org/consul ... o_visa.htm

From US State Department Web Site

ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS: For entry into Costa Rica, U.S. citizens must present valid passports that will not expire for at least thirty days after arrival, and a roundtrip/outbound ticket. Passports should be in good condition; Costa Rican immigration will deny entry if the passport is damaged in any way. Costa Rican authorities generally permit U.S. citizens to stay up to ninety days; to stay beyond the period granted, travelers must submit an application for an extension to the Office of Temporary Permits in the Costa Rican Department of Immigration. Tourist visas are usually not extended except under special circumstances, and extension requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. There is a departure tax for short-term visitors. Tourists who stay over ninety days may experience a delay at the airport when departing. Persons who overstayed previously may be denied entry to Costa Rica.

source:http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1093.html

From Delta Airlines Web Site

COSTA RICA (CR)



Passport (must be valid at least 30 days after date of entry)
required.

Visa not required for a max. stay of:
- 90 days (excluding those residing in the Northern Mariana
Islands); or
- 30 days, for those residing in the Northern Mariana Islands.
Extension of stay can be arranged on arrival.

Minors: up to/incl. 17 years old must hold their own passport,
unless included in passport (which must contain photo of the
minor) of parent(s) accompanying minor.

Visitor must hold:
- return or onward ticket; and

- all documents required for next destination; and

- sufficient funds.


From the Travel Troubleshooter and American Airlines

Passport expiration CR

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

Your Passport is No Good ---

Gate agent's mistake leads to a canceled vacation.

By Christopher Elliott, Travel Columnist --- Tribune Media Services --- 19
Apr 07

Q: My husband and I recently purchased a package trip for two from
Minneapolis to Costa Rica. We paid $3,791, which included tickets on
American Airlines and accommodations.

When we arrived at the ticket counter, an American Airlines agent told us
that she would not issue us boarding passes because one of the two travelers
had a passport that expired in less than six months.

We decided to call off our vacation. We immediately advised our travel
agency about our change of plans. We later learned that Costa Rica has no
such passport rule - it merely requires that passports not expire less than
30 days after arrival in the country.

I wrote a letter to the airline and to our travel agency, requesting
reimbursement for the cost of our package. Our agency is doing its best to
help, but American Airlines has gone into radio silence. Can you help us get
through to someone?

- Nancy Dreher, Edina Minn.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx

A: It's unusual for a major airline to go into radio silence. Often, it just
takes time for it to answer your letter. But there are notable exceptions,
which faithful readers of this column will probably remember. Fortunately,
this isn't one of them.

When your ticket agent checked the entry requirements for Costa Rica, the
first paragraph applied only to passports for residents of the Northern
Mariana Islands, which "must have six months validity." Below that
paragraph, it indicates that all other U.S. passports only require 30 days
validity. The ticket agent read the first paragraph and believed that it
applied to you, when in fact it didn't.

"Our agent was incorrect to deny boarding," airline spokesman Tim Wagner
told me.

American is changing the reference material so that future errors won't be
made, moving the information on U.S. citizens higher in the document so that
there is less chance an agent will be confused.

So what of the apparent radio silence? It can take anywhere from six to
eight weeks to get a meaningful response from a travel company, and longer
if it is over a holiday. Your query happened to coincide with a major
holiday. (In a perfect world, it would take far less time for a company to
reply to a customer query, of course.)

I've been getting many reader questions about passport and visa rules
lately, and there seems to be a lot of confusion about what is required and
what isn't. My advice is to visit the U.S. State Department's Web site
before your international trip and read the foreign entry requirements for
your country.

Then make a printout. Yes, a printout. If you run into trouble, have it
ready.

American Airlines apologized and offered you the opportunity to rebook your
trip at no additional charge. Your travel agent also helped you make a claim
with your travel insurance company, which reimbursed you for your lost
vacation.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine