www.CostaRicaTicas.com

If that is the case, which makes some sense, then what you're suggesting is that if they never asked for your ticket it is just because they already had the information. AND if that is so, then it remains an open question what they would do if their computer read out does not show you return. So we're back to where we started.

I have to say though, that although I have no doubt about the efficiency of Big Brother in the US, I'm not so sure how proficient the CR bureaucracy is about pulling together that sort of information in a way they can use it on the spot (the right hand knowing what the left is doing) or how frequently people can slip between the cracks.

Pro;
Over some 40 trips into Costa Rica, no one at immigration has ever asked me anything about a return ticket.
LVSteve

_________________
Just an old horney, fat gambler.

LV-I'm glad to hear that. I blew off my Sept 8 return to Fla. and booked a round trip starting in CR. last week. It never occurred to me that I needed an exit flight when I return in 2 weeks. There are so many other possibilities such as a bus to Nicaland or Panama or boats to Cocos Islands or ????????

_________________
Why Chicas Come to CostaRica:

"Predators gather where prey abounds"

LV,
Try to keep up. Cygnus presented the possibility that the reason they've never asked you or him to show your return ticket was because the fact that you had one was already reflected on their computer screen. So my original question remains. It is not whether or not the airline insisted you purchase a return ticket or even whether or not the immigration asked you for your ticket.



Now maybe I'm wrong but ScubaBum's comment that he just booked a r/t ticket ORIGINATING in CR suggests to me that at least he must have arrived in CR originally w/o that exit flight booked. OR maybe he did have an exit flight booked and simply cancelled the original return flight before booking this new r/t ticket. Perhaps he could clarify which it was. If it was the former than we can FINALLY put this whole issue to bed and conclude that despite the official rules CR Immigration is not that strict. OTOH, if it was the latter than, at least in my mind, the issue is really still open and maybe he has something to still wonder about.

Pro;
I am confused. I don't understand exactly what it is that you want but I know this:
If you buy a ticket in Costa Rica going anywhere, when you check in for the return, the airline (acting on Costa Rica's behalf) must insure that you have in your possession an onward ticket showing that you will be exiting Costa Rica within 90 days of your arrival in Costa Rica. Further, most airlines do not enforce or know about this requirement. Further, American does know about it and does enforce it.
Further, upon arrival in Costa Rica, immigration does not ask if you have an onward ticket probably because they think the airline has performend thier responsibilities.

Note to Scubabum: A lot of guys keep an open bus ticket in their possession all the time - it cost about 10 bucks.

I too am tired of this discussion and cannot come up with any more ways to describe the situation than I allready have.
LVSteve

_________________
Just an old horney, fat gambler.

Ditto for me. For the umpteenth time, have you actually ever arrived in CR w/o an onward ticket? A simple YES or NO is all that I'm asking for. I DON'T CARE what the airline asked of you. I DON'T EVEN CARE what the immigration asked or didn't ask of you IF you had an onward ticket in your possession that could have showed up on their computer terminal. ALL I need is a "YES, I've actually passed through w/o a ticket" or "NO, every time I passed through I had a paid onward ticket with me whether they asked to see it or not". If the former, it would also be nice to know if it was just one isolated instance or something that could safely be relied on as a regular occurance. But I would still be more than happy with just the YES or NO. Pick one response or the other and we can all go home.

Yes, many times.
LVSteve

_________________
Just an old horney, fat gambler.

Thank you, Steve. Now that wasn't so hard, was it. Case closed. We can now all travel in peace, ticketed or not.

UPDATE:
There's a letter in todays Tico Times from a reader who was forced to buy an expensive ticket (on American) in Baltimore when attempting to check in for his return trip to Costa Rica. This guy even had a bus ticket to Managua but was told that he must possess an onward AIRLINE ticket exiting CR within 90 days.

The answer quoted the Minister of Imigration in thier reply to the letter:

"Costa Rica's return-ticket requirement is the source of some confusion, as we discovered when we looked into the matter. All non-resident foreigners coming to Costa Rica must possess a ticket out of the country at the moment of arrival and must show it at passport control if asked, Imigration official Irene Cordero told the The Tico Times.
Airline personnel at check-in in another country must verify that passengers boarding thier planes have sufficient documentation to travel abroad, regardless of citizenship. Carriers risk heavy fines from the destination country if they transport undocumented or under-documented travelers, in addition to the expense of putting them on a plane back home. Hence, the question you recevied in Baltimore about your ticket out of Costa Rica and the refusal to let you board unless you purchased such a ticket.
Corlero said your bus ticket to Nicaragua should have been sufficinet evidence of your planned departure, but American Airlines presented a different version of hte requirements. Martha Pantin, Manager of Corporate Cummunications for the airline in Miami, produced a copy of the response she received from Marco Badilla, FORMER director of Costa Rican Immigration, about the matter. Badilla cited articles 23 and 24 of Costa Rica's Law 7033 of Imigration stating that "presentation of an airline ticket out of the country" is a requirement for nonresident foreigners to enter. Pantin daid this requirement appears on the screen of the American Airlines agent in a foreign airport who checks in a passenger for a flight to Costa Rica.
The Tico Times contacted Delta, another US airline that flys here and they concured."

Well, I guess I'm going to have to always have an onward ticket in my possession whenever I fly north - Unless I want to buy a ticket on the spot in order to board my return flight to CR.
The guy in the article had to buy a one way ticket from San Jose to Miami for $850.00. Since it was totally refundable, he went to an American Airlines office here in San Jose and cashed it in. I guess thats another option if the old credit card limit permits.

Hope the above clears up the matter once and for all.

LVSteve
PS: Don't ask me a lot of questions, Pro, just read the article for yourself in today's Tico Times (its on page 17)

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Just an old horney, fat gambler.

LV.... I was traveling out of and returning to CR to renew my tourist stamp every three months last year. I booked my trips at the travel agency on the ground floor a building just on the west side of Parque Morazan. Can't remember the name but there is only one there.

Anyway, the chica there would make me a fake ongoing airline ticket to show the airline desk or CR customs when I was returning to CR. Usually it was from San José to Miami on American and it was her idea to do this. Once, coming back from Cartegena, Colombia I did have to show it to get on the plane. And another time I was asked by CR immigration. It worked fine.

There is always someway to get stuff done in CR. ¡Viva la corrupcíon!

Chuck (ex-mexpat)

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There ain't no romance without finance. ¡Se trata de la PLATA! (It's all about the MONEY!)

My new ebook, "Living La Vida Loca in Costa Rica", is available at http://costaricamongering.com/

Chuck;
That sounds great! I know the place you are talking about (my favorite art store is next door). Do you remember the chicas name?
LVSteve

_________________
Just an old horney, fat gambler.

LV....I think her name is Karina or something close. She sat a the second desk in from the front window. She's mid 20ish, a little plump and about a 4 on my scale but very pleasant and helpful.

Chuck

_________________
There ain't no romance without finance. ¡Se trata de la PLATA! (It's all about the MONEY!)

My new ebook, "Living La Vida Loca in Costa Rica", is available at http://costaricamongering.com/

Chuck/Mexpat/Charlie;
Muchas Gracias, Amigo.
LV

_________________
Just an old horney, fat gambler.

You can't even buy a bus ticket to Managua by phone, though you can make a reservation.