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Any opinion or observation in the post above is purely presented for entertainment purposes and does not promote "sexual tourism" or "human trafficking". The laws of Costa Rica apply to all activities in Costa Rica. No warranty is expressed or implied. Void where prohibited by law. Your experience, observations or perspective may be different.

In exile in pu*sy prison

Hadn't been in CR since 2016 but came back last month with my novia for a 10 day roving vacation. Arrived United from IAH around 1ish took 1hr 45 min to clear and i had to get in line just to get to the ropes in the main arrival hall (the line was literally down the hallway just to get into the main hall) Not a great start but once I got my rental car all was good and still made Jaco by sunset.

I arrived yesterday (Feb 14) at 1pm and it took 2.5 hours to get through immigration. Longest it’s ever taken for me. Then it took an hour to get to La Amistad due to traffic. I was in the immigration line as long as I was on my flight!

What is the cause of the delays? Just too many tourists and not enough immigration personnel?

Are the delays the same at other times of the day? How about flights arriving in the evenings?

As I finally made it close to the front I noticed there were only 3 stations open on the visitors side. I’m guessing that’s the problem along with possibly lots of planes arriving at similar times.

I've flown into SJO between Noon and 2pm twice. Both times 90 minutes plus! Orange Taxistas told me 11am to 3pm is peak time.
Learned my lesson and only take flights that land after 7pm. Longest I've waited has been 30 minutes. Last 3 trips, only waited 15 or less.

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If you see me at the bottom, please bring me my running shoes!

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If you let the devil ride, he's gonna want to drive

Oh crap! Never thought the math thru!

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If you see me at the bottom, please bring me my running shoes!

I have always arrived before 7 A.M. and two weeks ago I arrived at 8:30 P.M. Took only 15 minutes to get through immigration. Looks like they have problems dealing with flights arriving between 11 and 3 P.M.

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Softbob

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

EZ Solution to SJO Immigration! Upon reading the horror stories about immigration and traffic it was enough for me to cancel my trip. There is no way on Gods green earth that I am ever waiting 3 plus hours in any country's immigration line. That is ridiculous. Instead I will go to Panama where the lines there are usually about 20 minutes and the commute costs $20 and is only 15-20 minutes. Oh and did I mention the ladies in PTY are gorgeous? This is my third time trying to go to CR but every time I book I read about something that just is unacceptable. We shall see if I am ever going to try for a fourth time but for now, PTY it is.

In the past 13 months I have been to San Jose 8 times. I have never spent more than 30 minutes in the immigration line. For my trip in December, I was the first person in line. This January, the wait was 10 minutes. Since they completed the work on the bridge leading to downtown, the travel time has been less than 45 minutes. You need to remember that San Jose is a major city with close to 2 million people, so you should expect heavy traffic.

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If you let the devil ride, he's gonna want to drive

Longest waits are always in the good old USA. That's why I avoid it whenever I can.

I have arrived around 9:00 PM the last few trips and it is just potluck if there are more than 2 or 3 airplanes unloading at the same time. Longest I have had has been 60 minutes but usually about 30 minutes.

I flew in on February 13th at 1:30pm and waited 45 minutes.

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* These are the "Good Ole Days". Enjoy Them.

* RENT but, "Don't Buy a Home in Costa Rica" until you have lived here for THREE years.