Quite frankly, I don't think they'll usually catch you if you do overstay. I've watched all the cycles every time:
The tax people only copy info from the picture page of your passport.
The counter guard makes sure you have your exit tax paid & checks your entered data, which does not include your entry date.
The gate agent only looks at the picture page & keeps your tax payment voucher.
The immigration officer only looks at your picture page & boarding pass (and your face).
Maybe once this year (out of 12 times) did the immigration officer scan through the pages of the passport & he only scanned them, not reading anything.
Damned if I know how they'd ever know you overstayed......
/dddick
That was in the past. Guess you missed this post earlier in this thread. CR immigration is now checking for expired tourist visas according to the article in the Tico Times.
Costa Rican Authorities Start Checking for Departing Visitors’ Entry Stamps
Posted: Tuesday, September 28, 2010 - By Chrissie Long
Immigration authorities have begun checking the entry stamps in tourists’ passports at the country’s international airports to ensure that they have not overstayed their visas. Under the new Immigration Law, tourists are required to pay $100 for every month they stay beyond their 90-day limit. If they fail to pay, they must stay out of the country for a period of three times the time for which they were in Costa Rica illegally.
However, according to Immigration Department spokeswoman Heidi Bonilla, tourists who have overstayed their visa won’t be required to pay a fine until the Immigration Law takes full effect, which could be anytime between now and Dec. 13. “The truth is that authorities are not yet applying the fine,†she said. Although the law went into effect on March 1, immigration officials have dragged their feet in drafting the law’s regulations, which are the rules that will interpret the law and govern how it will be administered. Bonilla said that Dec. 13 is the deadline for the regulations to be published. According to one traveler, the point where authorities review the entry stamp is right before the security check for travelers, after tourists have already paid their exit fee and checked in with their respective airlines.
Here's the link:
http://www.ticotimes.net/News/Daily-New ... er-28-2010
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