NOTE: If you plan on coming back to Costa Rica, Costa Rica now REQUIRES that those that do NOT have a cedula/residency in Costa Rica show PROOF that you are LEAVING Costa Rica within 90 days (or whatever it is depending on your countries agreement with Costa Rica).
IMPORTANT NOTE!!!
SOME people are ONLY receiving a 30 Day Visa Stamp. "WHY???" you ask?? Well, one of the reasons I've found (from people actually willing to own up to messing up or trying to beat the system - or just didn't do enough of their OWN research) has been from people presenting to Migracion an "Open-Ended Ticket".
An "Open-Ended Ticket" is good for 365 days (ish). So, is an Open-ended ticket - withOUT a departure date on it - PROOF you are LEAVING Costa Rica within 90 days??? NO!!!!!!!!!!!
Do NOT take a chance!!!!!!!!!!! Purchase a ticket WITH A DATE ON IT indicating you're leaving within 90 days (I personally get mine for 89 days - just to be safe as things can happen!!)
Also, do NOT NOT NOT be an IDIOT and make up/doctor an old ticket/making a BOGUS ticket and blowing it for others. Do NOT NOT NOT MAKE A FAKE TICKET!!!!!!!! (what do you think will happen if you're caught doing that??? Some I've talked to were NOT allowed to enter Costa Rica.
Learn more to help ensure you getting a 90 Day Visa Stamp at:
People, Costa Rica asks SOOOO LITTLE of us - ESPECIALLY compared to how it would be for them extending their stay in the U.S. HONOR what they want us to
do!!!!!!!
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BUYING A TICKET FROM A SATELLITE OFFICE (NOT from their major Terminals):
On July 24, 2014 - Leonardo - an employee on the online) said that they CAN print you up a ticket WITH a date on it so INSIST that they do!!!!!!
With that said, I've had numerous people say they were told they were NOT able to get a dated ticket - ESPECIALLY at the Costa Rica Peñas Blancas TicaBus kiosk so . . .
(ahhh - life in Costa Rica - the life of the IN-Consistent!!!)
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I accumulated these details on the Procedure•Tips for Buying a TicaBus Bus Ticket Online from their website AND an Online Chat with a TicaBus rep:
1. Send an email to lbrenes@TicaBus.com with the Photo Page of your passport (make sure it is CLEAR) of ALL passengers needing a ticket. Add on that page your desired route, time and date of travel
(SCHEDULE for TicaBus' REGULAR SERVICE:
San Jose to Managua buses depart DAILY at 6am, 7:30am and 12:30pm.
Managua to SJ - 6am, 7am, 12pm/noon.
NOTE they have an EJECUTIVO•EXECUTIVE BUS that is MUCH FASTER [saves 1-2 hours as it goes on Ruta 27/Pista del Sol] & includes one Casado meal, use of a pillow & blanket & only stops for a few minutes along the way to pick up the food [vs the regular bus that stops to eat for about 20 minutes). It's just $11-$12.70 more!!
SCHEDULE for TicaBus' EJECUTIVO•EXECUTIVE BUS:
SJ-Managua - 3A.M. Managua-SJ - 1pm)
2. Once they receive the email they will forward the information to their Credit Department. They will email you a "Credit Card Authorization Form."
3. You Print, Complete, sign the form and scan it into a photo format (if you don't have a scanner, you can take a picture of the document) then email it back to lbrenes@TicaBus.com
4. The Credit Department will charge your credit card $27.30 (one-way - San Jose to Managua. Managua to SJ = $29. RoundTrip - $____) and send the ticket(S) back to you via email.
5. The Credit Department hours are Monday – Friday from 7am-4pm. Processing of credit cards will happen during that schedule (IF it were ME, I'd ONLY DO this process during those hours. It's too easy for things to get lost. After I've emailed everything back, I'd then follow it up with an ONLINE CHAT to make sure they received it as it IS Modern Technology!).
6. IMPORTANT – TICKETS ARE NON REFUNDABLE & NON-TRANSFERABLE* (though SOMETIMES they make exceptions) - BUT - the ARE CHANGEABLE (no additional fee if you change it within 24 hours BEFORE you travel. $5 if it's after your intial travel date (NOTE that they can be VERY HARD to reach on the phone - so I find it best to go online to their ONLINE CHAT ONLY Monday-Friday from 7am-7pm and THEN - make a PDF and/or ScreenShot of the conversation and BRING IT WITH YOU - just in case!! Whatever you do - based on EXTENSIVE experience - do NOT wait till the last minute. Also, if you're dealing with one of their outlets - cross your fingers as I had made a change on my ticket in Matagalpa, Nicaragua 2 times and they had CALLED in to the Managua office to make the changes and when I went to get my new ticket - they "claimed" they had no record of any of my conversations [even though I even gave them the names of the people and hours I spoke with them]) and it's VALID•GOOD FOR UP TO 1•ONE YEAR.
REACHING SOMEONE LIVE WHEN CALLING IN:
If you want to call TicaBus to make a change or with other questions, the San Jose and Managua terminals are open 24/7 (fyi - I know SJ has WiFi!) BUT as mentioned above, they're NOT easy to get through usually. I find it best to NOT call within an hour before a bus leaves. I personally say calling in the middle of the night or at least LATE at night or EARLY a.m. before the cows get up is best:
2-291-1218 / 2-291-1176 / 2-221-0006
(NOTE: The text above is in part from their website, conversations online with them & my experiences/expansions of text - hopefully for more clarity])
EVERY time I've called (for me or others) I've been able to reach an English-speaking person.
(NOTE: The text above is in part from their website, conversations online with them & my experiences/expansions of text - hopefully for more clarity])
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ARE TICABUS TICKETS TRANSFERABLE?
LivingLifeInCostaRica.blogspot.com/2015/05/AreTicaBusTicketsTransferable.html
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ENGLISH-SPEAKING ONLINE CHAT CONTACT:
I've found Leonardo to be the most helpful person I've "chatted" with on their Online Chat. If you get Leonardo - please let him know that Vicki Skinner with the Living Life in Costa Rica blog Connected you.
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WHERE DOES TICABUS TRAVEL TO?
TicaBus travels from Panama to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico.
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TICA BUS
Need more questions answered (like where all to get a ticket, etc.), go to their website at:
(note you MUST add the www. first because whomever set their web page up didn't code it properly so if you don't add the www. it shows it as a bad address)
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