www.CostaRicaTicas.com

NO DO NOT CARRY. Double even triple lock wrap it up inside your room safe. http://www.corporatetravelsafety.com has some great products I swear by and no I don't work for them. Now no matter where I go first thing I do in hotel is get a full copy including entry stamp. Gonna figure out a way soon to make it myself as sometimes takes awhile at the desk. They proly sell some type of micro copier.

Brother Jester--Micro-copiers are easy to find ( I may have posted on this)--micro COLOR copiers aren't here yet, at least not at anything like an affordable price.

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

Myself and wingman had been to TinJo restaurant and brought food back to some of friends (bartenders). When we arrived back we were stopped at the door and not allowed to enter. They asked for no I'd or anything. We attempted to get the food to the girls but, the officer refused. Security came and spoke to the officer still no luck, then the floor manager came still no luck, and finally Gabriella came the gen. manager she spoke to the officers for 10 minutes finally got a Sgt. to okay us coming in. As we are officers in Atl. we spoke to the officer at the door with our limited Spanglish we found out is was a raid looking for a male individual wanted for multiple murders in San Jose and as another poster stated 1 illegal female and 3 males taken in on drug charges. They checked quite a few local and gringos I'ds outside but, let all go I saw. Story of wanted subject may have been ruse for immigration raid who really knows. Officer did state they were hitting another bar close by for the same guy. Spoke to Gabriella next day and she stated the same information the officer gave me. I believe more of these raids are coming, wonder if owners will try and fight back. Lot of money lost and jobs for the locals if the new prez pushes this and stops alot of the visitors. Anyway sorry for the long post still had a blast for 5 days needed it bad. Pura Vida!!!!

I think the story of wanted subject may have been true, who really knows? HOWEVER, if that were the case and they were looking for a local, or at least presumably hispanic, "male individual" alleged murder suspect, then why were they checking FEMALE ID's? Was this "male individual" alleged murder suspect a cross-dressing transvestite or something? And, for that matter, why were they bothering to check GRINGO guys who obviously could not have fit the physical description they must have had on this alleged murder suspect? I smell incredible bullshit here, or at least rampant opportunism using unrelated local crimes as yet another excuse to harass what they consider to be an undesirable business establishment and its undesirable patrons.

Pro, Like I said I being a officer I can smell bullshit and this felt more like a immigration raid. Just a ruse but, who knows police in CR do things alot different. My biggest question was if this was a true manhunt why have immigration police along?????? Anyway I expect more of this I have been going down to CR since 1997 usually 3-4 trips a year and I saw more police in and around the gulch my last 2 trips since Chinchilla came into office than any of my prior trips combined. Still alot of fun. Hope to meet some of you quys someday just retired and thinking of coming down and staying a coupla months see if I would like living there.

I know somebody has an answer, but here goes with maybe a dumb question. In this day and age where they barcode and swipe passports. Why is a stolen passport so valuable to somebody? Do they place their own picture in it? Do they claim my name and travel? Wouldn't my reporting it stolen ruin the thief's/purchaser's plan the first time it was swiped? (i.e. being caught! "Step aside and this way, Sir.") I understand in the old days when they just looked at the passport, wrote down your info and stamped it, that a passport could be valuable (i.e. no computers, but research by humans poring and reading over voluminous info and voluminous typed and handwritten documents). But now today?

in a word “communication”. you’d think there would be a seamless - expeditious transfer of information. not true. once reported stolen it can take upwards of 48 hours for the department of state codify the information. try that with american express,,, the account is cancelled in real time - within a nano second.

I live in costa rica, and I would absolutely recommend just taking a copy of your passport and the page with your entry stamp with you.

In fact, at least 3 months ago, when you entered costa rica at the airport, there were signs advising you to only carry a copy of your passport with you.

I have been stopped numerous times by the police in my 10 years in costa rica, and i have never had a problem with showing them a photocopy of either my passport + stamp, or currently my residency card. I get some asking about the original, and I simply state that I'm worried about thieves so i never carry the original with me.

Two handy phrases:

"No tengo mi pasaporte original, solo tengo una copia, por que estoy preocupado sobre de los ladrones."

I don't have my original passport, only a copy, because i'm worried about thieves.

"En el aeropuerto, en migracion, hay rotulos que dicen sola lleva una copia de su pasaporte cuando una salga en la calle."

(note that lleva is pronounced yeva, and calle is prounced ca-yay)

In the airport, in immigration, there are signs saying that one should only carry a copy of their passport when you go out into the street.

my spelling is a little off, but you also might want to write down those phrases on your copy of your passport to show to the police and they will understand what you mean.

cheers

Have you ever had to do an emergency replacement for a lost or stolen passport on a foreign trip? I have and its not quite as simple as you make it sound. Beyond the added expense, its really a pain in the ass and certainly not the way I'd most want to spend my limited time while on vacation.

Maybe YOU wouldn't walk around with a photocopy of my passport in any other country apart from Costa Rica, but the US State Department doesn't recommend doing exactly that for every other country and, recognizing the problem of stolen US passports, CR has, at least until now, allowed US visitors to only carry a photocopy. THAT'S why you would expect to do it in CR. So why not take advantage of that. I don't remember exactly where I've seen this statistic or the exact figure, but according to the US State Dept. CR actually has the highest (or at least among the highest) number of incidents of lost or stolen passports of any country in the world, hence the reason for their recommendation about only carrying around a photocopy there. And very often those incidents involved being robbed or pickpocketed of the passport along with other valuables while out and about (tourists don't always report such crimes to ineffective local police but they at least have to report it to the local embassy when their passports are stolen).

And what does the absurd (and obviously facetious) suggestion about carrying photocopies of cash and credit cards have to do with anything? Unlike with passports, where carrying a photocopy is a recommended and accepted practice, obviously no merchant is going to accept a photocopy of cash or cc's. OTOH, no one ever said that means you should carry around your original SS card and ALL your credit cards either. So you're laying one absurdity on top of another. The one cc that I take with me on a trip goes with my passport right into the safe when I arrive in CR and is only taken out when I know I will have to use it (e.g. sometimes for paying the hotel bill or dining at a nicer restaurant or else paying for a tour). I certainly don't carry around any credit card on the street if I don't have to or, for that matter, any more cash than I expect I will need on that outing. And even if I did carry my cc and it got lost or stolen, at least I would have the security of knowing I also had a photocopy of that to use to call the cc company to notify them of my loss and, as Srilm said, to limit my exposure to zero.

You just don't seem to get it or else seem to be confused. Robbery IS the REAL PROBLEM. But that means robbery of ANY valuable you have on your person. You MIGHT go broke IF you were foolish enough to carry ALL of your cash and cc's on your person, but what makes you think any guy who was cautious enough to only carry a photocopy of his passport would EVER carry around ALL his cash. Those guys who are cautious enough to lock up their passport are nearly always cautious enough to lock up all their extra cash and cc's with it. TRYING to avoid becoming a victim of robbery is certainly a sensible thing to do. But recognizing that you STILL might become the victim of a robbery despite your best efforts to avoid it is a sensible thing too. And, in that case, minimizing the possible consequences of that happening means, not just carrying a minimal amount of cash and cc's, but also not carrying around a highly prized and fenceable US passport if one doesn't have to as well.

It's been a while since my last trip to Costa Rica, but back then I also carried my passport with me. Pro's logic of carrying a photocopy makes a lot of sense to me, and if it's still allowed when I am next able to travel there, I'll do that.

Does anyone know if photocopies are allowed for other countries like Colombia and the Dominican Republic?

I disagree with Pro on not carrying a credit card. I always have one credit card with me at all times when traveling. This card is one that has the smallest fee for international purchases, and I make sure it has a low credit limit. I also have another one or two cards in the hotel room safe that are purely for backup in case of emergency. I only use a credit card internationally in an establishment that appears trustworthy, and then I always check later on to make sure the charges are accurate. If stolen and then reported promptly, there's no problem.

The biggest risk in carrying any kind of money card (credit card, debit card, ATM card) is getting kidnapped and forced to pull out money. If you are drugged to the point of pulling out money 'voluntarily', then having your cards in your hotel room safe won't help.

Srlim: How do you keep your old passports? I thought the old ones had to be sent to the government when renewing.

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"All them women gonna make me,
teach 'em what they don't know how..." TMIB

I have to totally agree with everything Proligo said and more. I live here and have 15 years experience in Costa Rica. I have been to the embassy here and know it is not the most fun I have ever had. It usually takes a day and over a hundred dollars to get a replacement passport to say nothing of the lost time going there and waiting for your # to be called. My question is "Why do something that is not necessary, not required, and puts you in the position of possibly having to spend money unnecessarily and loosing vacation (fun) time"? The "It's my right to do what I want the way I want" mentality just does not 'fly' in the face of 'stupidity'!! Hell, Since I lost my wallet to pick pockets on the bus a few years ago, I have not even owned a wallet. I NEVER leave the house with more cash than what I expect to spend while out (and you do not need the money to pay a chica unless you are going to a MP); I NEVER carry a credit card nor debit card unless I know I am going to need it; I NEVER carry my drivers license, nor SS card; I NEVER carry anything of value. The ONLY things you need while on the streets here are; 1: a color copy of the main page of your passport and the current entry stamp; 2: The amount of money you expect to spend on dranks, taxi, food, MP, etc. while out (and no more); and this time of the year, an umbrella! You DO NOT need an expensive watch (get a $5 cheapy), rings or other expensive jewelry, nor anything else that will draw unnecessary attention to you! Who are you trying to impress? People who you do not know and who have much less than you, and are of the opinion that you have 'too much' so why should you not share it (willingly or not) Yes, I know "You are a gringo so you are going to stand out no matter what you do", but there is no since in doing things that make you even more of a standout! Dressing in shorts, loud shirts, flip flops, and crazy hats (I am a gringo so I can do and dress like I want" is absurd) only draws attention to you even more. You are not in the USA; You expect foriegners to "live" by your customs while in the USA; why should you expect them to expect any less of you while you are in THEIR country?????? Being on the streets drunk is an instant attention getter and is just asking to be robbed! A 50-60-70 yo man walking down the street dressed like described above and arm in arm with his latest hotty 20 yo puta is the absolute worst thing for drawing the attention of the 'ladrons' and also the attention of the "Chinchilla lovers/ monger haters"!

Forget about how "important" you think you are, forget about trying to impress anyone, forget how superior you think you are to these poor people; They do not like you, they do not want to be your friend, they (the chicas) do not "love' you, they do not care what happens to you, they do not have sympathy for your "problems"!!! They only want your money-some legally, many illegally, ALL- anyway they can get it!! Why add to the risk and danger unnecessarily???? Why carry a passport that has a lot of value when it is just not necessary!! Yes, crime is a problem here; just as it is an almost any large city anywhere in the world, and, yes, you can get robbed even if you follow all the 'rules', but why do things that draw unnecessary attention to you, or that will possibly cost you extra money and time????? And, no I do not hate it here (nor do I think CR 'sucks') --I actually like it very much (or I would not be living here, like some who live here and "hate" it)!!!!!

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!

Kickstand, My question to you is "WHY"??? Why ALWAYS have a CC card with you? As you stated there are very few places here that can be trusted enough to use it. And these places are mostly your hotel, resturants (usually very close to or even in your hotel, and tour companies (often located in your hotel or at least paid for there) Why the risk of carrying it other wise? And as for as someone using it or going to the trouble of drugging you to get you to use it, The ladrons here have contacts in many retail stores (especially Hi-end shoe stores like NIKE or NEW Balance) where employes work with the ladron for a cut. They have no problem draining your card in 30 minutes or less. Yes you do not loose the $$$$ if reported, but the ladron still got what he wanted and will do it again and again and again!! Why help him? And everytime ladrons are able to use a stolen card, it cost the CC company money which they pass on to you and the rest of their customers, so IT DOES COST YOU!!! And again, if they have such easy access to your card because you are carrying it and they can easily use it, why would they need to drug you and make you use it? Why go to that much trouble when there are hundreds of 'tourists' who either do not know, or think like you, and are carring their card and it is very easy to pick their pocket or rob them at knife or gun point!! Yes, drugging does happen, but very seldom because it is much easier to steal the card from people like you!!!

OH, they buy the NIKES with your card, and that afternoon they are on central AVE. selling them for half price! Not a bad deal if they can buy $3000-4000 worth of NIKEs (with your card) and sell them for $1500-2000 that afternoon. Damn good living here. When I got pick pocketed, they emptied my checking account (debit card with a password) in 30 minutes in 2 shoe stores. And my card had my very 'gringo' name and my picture on it and they still had no trouble using it very quickly!!
JMHO!!

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!

THANK YOU BB57!!!! Those are exactly my thoughts as well and I completely agree with everything you just added to what I said earlier. Listen, I'll take some chances on the street in terms of walking times and places that most other guys probably wouldn't. I've been able to get away with it so far only because I also take other precautions, which cut my odds of misfortune way down to what I feel are acceptable levels of risk, including all the ones you just mentioned about avoiding things that make me stand out any more than I already do as an attractive possible target for the ladrones. But ALL of us also need to recognize that we could STILL fall victim to being robbed despite whatever best efforts we take to minimize our risk, so the other half of any strategy is to also minimize the consequences if (or when) we do eventually get robbed. This means a) not showing our wealth or appearing as one who might have it (and easily be parted with it) to attract the crooks in the first place and b) not carrying any more wealth than we absolutely need for that outing for them to find if they do try to rob us, no matter how well we might think we have it hidden.

I can understand the feeling of back-up security from having a cc on you while you're back in the states. Personally, I never like to get BELOW $20 in my wallet while at home and always carry at least one cc, but I normally don't walk around in potentially dangerous areas in the US either. In CR, which is known to have a crime problem, particularly crimes targeting relatively wealthy foreigners like myself and particularly in the Gulch area, it is an entirely different story and I rarely carry MORE than $20 and ONLY have more than that and/or a cc when I know I'll absolutely need it. For example if you're walking (or even taking a cab) from the SL to the HDR/BM for the evening and you're not planning to buy any meals with your cc or pay any chicas with it, then it doesn't need to be taken out of your safe. Nor do you even need to have that cc for any unforeseen (and really very rare) emergencies since you could always either walk or take a $2 cab back to the SL to get your card if you found out you absolutely needed to have it. Let's face it, when we go out in SJ, rarely are we ever so inconveniently far from our hotel room safe that we couldn't fairly easily pop back there to reload in the event we run out of cash on hand. After all how much does one typically spend in the evening (after stopping back at your hotel after dinner)? Your chica money should stay in your safe until you're ready to "pay her to leave", so its really probably just whatever you would spend on drinks which shouldn't be more than $20 max for most of us. And I don't know about you but I'd feel a LOT less bad about having only $20 and my wallet stolen than also losing more cash than that, even 1 of my cc's and possibly my orginal passport. In summary, regularly carrying around even 1 cc in CR just does not make any sense.

I'm sorry Srilm, but I still don't buy it. At how many of the places that you go to when out and about in CR would you use your cc (in other words, other than your hotel, tours that you probably book from your hotel and the occasional restaurant)? Would your cc be a reasonable option when you are settling your bar bill at the BM or KL (which should probably be paid-as-you-go with cash anyway rather than running up a tab)? How about when you go to any of your favorite MP's or nightclubs? And how often do you eat at a fancier restaurant where your bill would be sufficiently high that you'd rather hand them your card to charge it rather than simply paying cash? I don't know about you but I generally eat at soda type places for lunch and sometimes even dinner and they generally frown on taking cc's (with their merchant fees) in leiu of cash. Since you're gonna need to carry around at least a modest supply of cash for all these things anyway, why do you really need to carry around a cc on top of that too? However low the risk of financial loss on a stolen cc, I'd still rather lose an extra $5-10 if even that than have to go through the whole process of reporting a stolen card, waiting for its replacement and possibly having to contact all the various companies one may have set up for auto-billing on that account number. That may not be as big of a hassle as replacing a stolen passport, but it is still a bother.
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We cross posted here and I see where you now admit that there are plenty of times where you wouldn't carry your cc. But let's even take your example of Tin Jo. I don't know about you but I usually stop into my hotel room to freshen up before going out for dinner and the rest of the evening (particularly as one can work up a bit of a sweat while out and about in SJ during the afternoon). So even if you bring cash to settle your restaurant bill, the only really serious risk of having a large sum of cash stolen is on the cab ride from your hotel to Tin Jo itself. Even if you decide to walk there (which shouldn't be that dangerous in the early evening) what are we talking about, maybe an extra $20 or so that you'd spend on dinner? Once you've paid that meal tab with cash, your only risk is whatever cash money you would have brought for the rest of the evening anyway. OTOH, if you brought your cc to pay that tab you'd still have it with you until you returned to your hotel room later that night, possibly into the much more dangerous hours and in much more snagerous places (unless, of course, you also planned to return directly to your hotel after dinner).

I agree with you guys 100%, but I will carry my passport me with me this weekend. I know it's a risk, but don't want to have to deal with a bs cop. Will keep it tucked in a front pocket. I will leave the bank card in the hotel, but will carry my credit card in case I want to use at the SL, which I trust. I won't get drunk like in the old days and be careless. I cringe sometimes when I look back. Walking from the Del Rey to the Johnson, stumbling drunk at 3 in the morning. Will be sure to take taxis pretty much from door to door, when I am not driving myself.