www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I just spent a fruitful twenty minutes talking with my nearest Costa Rican consulate.

I was concerned, because I'm traveling to Costa Rica in late August on a U.S. Passport that will expire next February. In other words, I'll land in C.R. five months before the passport expires.

To my relief, I was given the following information:

U.S. citizens must enter Costa Rica with a U.S. passport which will not expire for thirty days after entering the country. Thus, I could travel as late as January 7, 2007 on this passport, which expires February 6.

The passport must be in good condition and must have at least one blank page for affixing the entry stamp at Costa Rican Immigration in the airport.

I double checked this with the Chicago and Atlanta consular offices of the Costa Rican Embassy.

Hope this helps.

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Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

Good info EC, thanks.

Question, maybe you know this. If you renew a passport early (lets say a 12 months before it expires), do they extend your expiration date for 10 more years from the date that you renew or from the original expiration date?

The new expiration date is ten years from the date your renewal application is processed. Thus, if you renew six months before the passport expires, you "lose" six months from the 20 year total. Not a big deal for me; my face has changed so much in ten years that I figure a new passport is due anyway. I'm surprised that the valid period isn't a lot shorter, say four years versus ten.

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Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.