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Got a unique question I am hoping a brother has some experience with.

I am booked on a Round trip flight from ORD-SJO, I also have a flight booked from SJO-MDE and back in between.

Question is this, my departure from ord-sjo arrives in SJO at 1:50 PM and my departure to MDE is at 3:10. I know I will have plenty of time regardless, but these are booked on SEPARATE tickets and I am wondering if I will have to clear immigration and re enter the airport to make my SJO-MDE leg or can I just stay in the secure area and board my flight to MDE ?

Thanks for any info on this...

ES
Have done this several times and this has been mentioned on CRT a few times. No problem. No leaving secured area. At ORD, they will check your luggage to MDE. Make sure you check in at SJO asap, because there is some tweak that they need to do to follow up on your luggage. On the way home, you will need a few more minutes at the COPA desk (I assume you are using COPA and CO) to manipulate the baggage, which is really the only twist in this flight.

Ciaociao

If the tickets are with the same airline, you should have no problems checking baggage to your final destination. If the tickets are with different airlines, you will need to clear CR immigration & customs and then check in again out front. In the second case, you are exempted from the departure tax, but will need to get a certificate before checking in with your connecting airline. I've done this twice... flying into SJO on USAIR and departing on COPA for MDE.

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Blue Devil

Pura Vida...enjoying life to the fullest...

Thanks Ciao and BD

I will NOT be checking in any bags, and I am on different airlines. AA to SJO then Copa/Aerorepublic to MDE, Looks like i will have to clear immigration, check in with Copa and come back through security to board SJO-MDE. Kinda sucks, but with status on AA and Star Alliance, and the new immigration (20 lanes).. I should be fine with 1:20... ( I hope )

An hour and twenty is doable if AA arrives on time. The COPA counter is pretty flexible and will work with you if you are running late. Don't forget to get your Departure Tax exemption before getting into the COPA line.

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Blue Devil

Pura Vida...enjoying life to the fullest...

Thanks for the info BD, How do I go about this, do I need to go to the line for the departure stamp and show them my inbound, outbound tickets ??

Yes, Have my Yellow Fever documentation in order

When I got my departure tax exemption certificate, the booth was to the left and just before the initial passport check as you enter the security scan area. Explain to the official that you would like an exemption to the departure tax because you are a passenger in transit. Show your boarding passes and your entry stamp. It's been almost 2 years since I've been in SJO, and the booth may have moved. So ask, if it isn't where I said it is.

Yes, don't forget your international shot card with the yellow fever certification. I get asked for that everytime I returned from Colombia by way of SJO.

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Blue Devil

Pura Vida...enjoying life to the fullest...

Something to think about, since it is a separate ticket and airline, you will have to have your bags checked into the second airline 60 minutes before departure. This is a rule and they stick to it, I have been burned by it and had to wait for the next flight. So you should do carry on and check in online, otherwise you run a very real risk of them not letting you on the plane since your bags are not checked in 60 minutes before dept. I speak from first hand experience.

CRSurf,





thanks, will check with a Copa agent before I hit immigration in SJO. But based on Blue Devil's post above, I doubt it.. Probably gonna have to clear immigration, check in with Copa and get back through Security. Flying first class and being in front of the plane and first off, I should not have an issue (I hope)

I wouldn't do it that way.....

Last year I tried the same issue, after having visited SJO many, many times. Had a 3 1/2 hour layover in SJO before hopping on a Copa flight to PTY. My novia was waiting for me outside.

Well, for the first time ever, an hour and a half outside IAH the plane turns around & returns to IAH for maintenance. Okay, finally arrive & park on the tarmac. Have to wait for the f****** bus. More stress. Rush through to immigration where I had never had a problem. I was too honest & put 0 nights on the form. "NO LEGAL!" was the response. My novia was waiting for me outside & after 40 minutes of dickering & begging the jefe, he finally relented. Caught the flight but the stress was more than I deserved.... BTW - anticipated nights in CR was taken off the forms a few months later.

Now I simply visit a few days then head out. Returning 2/19, will leave on 2/21 for Ecuador & Colombia. Return to SJO on 3/1 and head home on 3/7. Fortunately I have the time to do this. When I arrived in SJO for my PTY trip I was told I HAD to check in with Copa on the outside.

Bottom line - it's certainly do-able 75% of the time or more but have your back-up plans in place before you ever leave the states. Good luck.

/dddick

non-US citizens must pass through immigration, which belong to the Commonwealth or areas outside the United States. If you are already inside the United States legally, so they can travel freely between countries, regions and republics of the need. When you leave the country and return, you need a new passport.

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toshiba codes

The problem in my case was that Copa couldn't check you in on the gate-side of the terminal, so you had to go downstairs, which means through customs.

/dddick

Thought I would give a synopsis of my experience on this.

Printed my boarding passes online at the Copa website (you can not print these on the Continental site where they were purchased) for the SJO-MDE route approximately 24 hrs before the flight. Boarded my normal flight ORD-MIA-SJO...

Arrived on SJO a little early hit Duty Free, met my wingman at the gate for the flight out of SJO, handed the gate agent my boarding pass and got on the plane.

There was no need to do the immigration/customs thing or leave the secure area of SJO between the flights.