www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Does anyone know why they use 6 months before expiry date ?
Why not 1 month or 3 months ? After all most people do not stay more than a month.
Also most visas are for not more than 3 months anyway.

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Softbob

There is nothing either good or bad
but thinking makes it so.
HAMLET

There is no set international agreement on it. This varies by the country. Costa Rica would have let me and the baby enter even if there was one day left on the passport (US). For Morocco, they wanted six months and that is where the issue started. I went by what is needed for the US passports and applied that knowledge globally and I was wrong.

did you get anything?

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its easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled- mark twain

Quite Frankly...

Because they can do whatever the hell they want to do.

When you choose to leave the country of your citizenship, and visit another country, you are subject to their rules. If they say that you have to hop on one foot and chant "I Love Chocolate" for 2 minutes, then that is their prerogative. You have nothing to say about it, and neither does your home country's government. As soon as you get on an airplane that will land in another country -- your rights, as you know them -- are tossed out the window. You are nobody. You have no rights. Other than an international agreement that you will be treated fairly, your ambassador or consul in the country that you enter has exactly as much authority as a mouse-shit.

With that said, 6 months of validity and 2 blank pages is pretty much the standard. Bucking that standard is about as smart as... well... being a dumbass.

It never ceases to amaze me how people from the USA imagine that their little world applies to other countries.

So you think it is just an arbitrary rule ? No rational reason ? Maybe but it may also be because the US has the same requirement or even more stringent requirements for foreign visitors.
Very often other countries copy the same restrictions imposed by the US.
Still does not explain why countries choose 6 months.

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Softbob

There is nothing either good or bad
but thinking makes it so.
HAMLET

Because there are many visas that last 6 months, student, tourist work.... They want to make sure you have a valid passport for the length of your stay or maximum extended stay. It is for the Customs agents ease of review.

What you say makes sense, and I'm sure you are correct - but even if my passport has 6 months remaining, and I want to do a one week stay - I'm on vacation, not planning to work or study, or stay a long time - and I can "prove" it by showing a return ticket - this rule does not make sense.

Its like saying on the very off chance that you might stay longer than what you are stating - never mind you have a return ticket, we still are not going to allow entry - just seems not to make sense.

All that said - Costa Rica has some of the most liberal laws in this regard - I mean, how many other countries allow "perpetual tourism" (and Jazz, if you respond with a link of the countries who do - our friendship is over )

And I'd like to compliment the OP for stepping up and taking responsibility - in his first posts, not so much - but he did and I thank him for acknowledging its his responsibility to know and comply.

What I guess I did not understand is - if she is your wife, and you are a US citizen - ah - never mind - too long and complicated to get into

BTW....the USA has some of the most restrictive immigration rules of any country - not saying we should not, but its a fact - I used to smile when guys would bitch about Costa Rica's - especially those who lived here but chose to be perpetual tourists

Scuba - No I don't mind you asking that. We are here to share information, exchange ideas and other useful information. So to answer your question, I was married four years ago and my wife a legal alien in USA, is going through the process of getting her US citizenship (awaiting her test and interview). Meanwhile, I and the baby hold US passports.

Needless to say, I have learnt a lot in the teaching process:

What is the bill of rights?
Name two rights as a US citizen. (Man's right to cheat, right to bear arms... just kidding)
Who wrote the constitution? (primary author)
What do the words, we the people mean....

Love knowing all of this, correctly this time The baby in the meantime has turned three and runs mommy in circles when it comes to vocab and accent (dialect). Too much kiddie YouTube, I think.

In one respect, it is arbitrary. No one can tell another country what to do, and a citizen outside of his own borders enjoys no legal protection whatsoever.

However, with that said, all countries have to live on the same planet with each other. They make agreements and usually abide by certain standards. Most countries want 6 months of validity and 2 blank pages on the passport upon entry. I don't think Costa Rica cares about the blank pages. The 6 months is just a buffer that most countries have adopted. You might get hospitalized, or you might decide to extend your stay. There might be a strike at the airport.

Even if your passport expires, you can still obtain another one. The 6 months just makes that very unlikely.