ABOUT THE LIVING LIFE IN COSTA RICA BLOG

I (Vicki Skinner - aka "THE Sarong Goddess") created this blog in 2007 to share DETAILED Finds•Lists•Info•Events•Experiences to help bring more EASE to people living in, visiting or thinking of moving to Costa Rica since DETAILS are NOT easy to find!
I’m NOT an expert (an "expert" 2 ME knows 101%-NOT me). I believe in sharin info•helping where I can! And with over 2,200 entries, so some things might be out of date, so if you find old info PLEASE help each other by getting the updated info & sharing it with me to revise. At least you have some basic info to get you started.
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Sunday, April 21, 2013

OVERSTAYED YOUR VISA? What's up with the new $100 for each month you're over fine laws for people that have OVERSTAYED their Visa for Costa Rica?

What's up with the new law for foreigners that have OVERSTAYED their Tourist Visa for Costa Rica?

WHAT IS THE NEW LAW ABOUT?
For EACH MONTH a
Non-Residents
OVERSTAYS their Visa, you WILL BE FINED $100
(if you're even 1 day over your Tourist Visa, you WILL be fined $100!!)

OR
if you can NOT afford to pay it you

MUST STAY OUT OF COSTA RICA for
3 Months for every 1 Month you're over!!


WHAT'S UP WITH IMPLEMENTING THIS NEW LAW?

T
he LATEST NEWS on this on again-off again law is . . .
it's on
HOLD - AGAIN!!!!


TILL WHEN??

to AT LEAST

September or October 2013


The reason given in DiarioExtra.com/Dnew/noticiaDetalle/6156 is they have not yet developed the internal controls for collecting the fine plus they are still finishing their latest amnesty program (hmmm - I saw that they were once again opening up registration to the Seasonal Migrant workers [like coffee pickers, etc.] to register till September 17, 2013 so who knows when it will be in effect!! 
I believe this is the 4th new time period as it was "supposed" to be implemented September 2012, then December 2012 and the latest April 2013)


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Do you know anyone that is still over their Visa?  PLEASE send them this link IMMEDIATELY
so they can get in INTEGRITY with Migracion before this new policy is in effect and they're charged the fees or  refused re-entry (or if caught on the streets IN Costa Rica - risk being put in Immigration•Migracion jail [luckily it's not as bad as the regular jails in Costa Rica - I've visited•helped a few people there] and kicked out of Costa Rica for up to 5 years)!!

(FYI - I've known•talked to a few people that were quite a few months or even years over their visa and they did not blink an eye or scold them so DO IT NOW!!!!!  BUT, laws or no laws, you could get someone having a bad day - or you remind them of the girl their boyfriend ran off with or whatever and they MAY give you a less than 90 days stamp so
MAKE SURE TO READ WHAT I WROTE ON 'WHY SOME PEOPLE ARE NOT GETTING 90 DAYS STAMPS!")


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WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE GETTING LESS THAN 90 DAY VISA STAMPS?THIS IS CRUCIAL!!  READ THIS EVERYONE!!!
(or don't go crying "victim" if/when it happens to you!!)
If you do not want to POTENTIALLY be given just a 30 day Stamp (if you're from a country that gets 90 day Stamps) - OR - do not want to get a 2 Day Transit Stamp - OR -
do not want to be refused re-entry into Costa Rica  - 
as well as to learn how long your country "normally" should receive a stamp for (not a lot of countries are entitled to a 90-day stamp)
READ my article
on "WHY some people are not getting a 90-Day Visa Stamp" as there are some things you NEED to have when entering Costa Rica
LivingLifeInCostaRica.blogspot.com/2011/12/people-not-getting-90-day-visa-stamps.html)


People, PLEASE do NOT SCREW with•blow this!!  It is a PRIVILEGE that we get to stay/Live in Costa Rica as long as we get to (especially for those that do not fall into a category TO GET residency.  Think about it - how easy is it for "tourist" Tico's living in the U.S. to get to stay??)


They're giv
ing you one more chance to get in
IN
TEGRITY!!
So LEAVE NOW or SOON when you have a better chance of them being more forgiving!!  I doubt very well they'll just let slide through since this law is now active.

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CRUCIAL TO READ!!!
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PROOF (A TICKET) THAT YOU ARE LEAVING COSTA RICA WITHIN 90 DAYS

When you are going across the border,
make sure you have PROOF that you are leaving Costa Rica within 90 days with a Ticket with a DATE on it (see the link above for more details on why some people that tell you they did everything correctly - might not have) - or you risk whatEVER!!
(one of which is if you are caught having overstayed your visa and get sent to Immigration Jail, you COULD risk being kicked out of the country [I BELIEVE it's for 5 years but I'm trying to get CURRENT verification on that as well])
BUT - be REAL CAREFUL using an Open-Ended Ticket as IS that REALLY "PROOF" that you are LEAVING CR within 90 DAYS???   A few people with an Open-Ended ticket have only getting 30 Day Stamps (and others are not - as with EVERYTHING in CR - the only consistency is the IN-consistency)!!

and if someone does NOT have that return ticket proof - NOW they're issuing a 2 Day Transit Stamp - basically - you can go stay the night in San Jose but get the HELL out of CR! 
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WHAT BORDER IS BEST•EASIEST?
I find the Peñas Blancas border into Nicaragua to be one of the easiest (sometimes at the Panama border they ask for you to prove you that you are leaving PANAMA within 90 days also - meaning you're going to need 4 tickets - not 3 like you need in Nicaragua)
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HOW LONG MUST I BE OUT OF COSTA RICA ON A VISA RUN?
C
ontrary to what many share on various message boards or people with something to gain - there is NOTHING in the current (or past) law that states how long you must be OUT of Costa Rica - meaning NO WHERE it mentions 72 hours.  The ONLY mention of 72 hours is in the Aduana•Customs form!!
NOTE though that Nicaragua DOES REQUIRE you stay IN Nicaragua for at LEAST 3 HOURS (with that said, you will find plenty of people there that are happy to help you "expedite it".  A few people that have shared their experiences with me say that usually runs about $60 on average (split amongst 2-3 people) - BUT - note that it IS "Illegal" so only you can decide what works for you.
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WHAT HOURS IS THE BORDER OPEN FOR ME TO GET MY PASSPORT STAMPED??
Last I checked it was from Monday-Saturday - 6am-10pm and Sunday - 6am-8pm.
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IF I DRIVE TO THE BORDER - IS THERE A PLACE I CAN LEAVE MY CAR?
There IS a parking lot AT the border - at the Aduana/Customs office -
and Peñas Blancas - Costa Rica - where you can pay to park your car if you don't want to go through the hassle to get  (last I checked about a year ago it was $10/day).  Check with them to see what hours they area open though.
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WHAT HAPPENS IF I CAN'T MAKE IT OUT OF COSTA RICA BY MONDAY THE DEADLINE -
WHERE DO I PAY THE FINES, ETC.?

I'm still trying to find out where, how, when you would pay the fines and will report back my findings here when I do
(does anyone have a HIGH UP contact within Migracion [that speaks GOOD English] that is willing to email me the FACTS here.  There ar
e LOTS of people (including lawyers and associations) giving their take or referring to old information or assumptions - I want to share FACTS!!!
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THINKING OF STAYING LONGER?
(hey - why put your body through all that long 6-7 hour ride?!?!  Stay longer and visit the sweet village of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua or Isla Ometepe, NI
WHERE TO GO??
I JUST got back a couple weeks ago from spending 6 weeks in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua - a SWEET Seaside Village that's just 6 blocks by 7 blocks.  I haven't had a chance to update my info but I've started a new Facebook page -
facebook.com/SanJuanDelSurNI

And I
've started a couple sites on it Nicaragua
or check my old site (though it has some info that's still current) -

SanJuanDelSurNI.com
Need a MEGA CHEAP option?  This last time I stayed part time at
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HOW DO I DO THE BORDER CROSSING BETWEEN PENAS BLANCAS COSTA RICA AND THE FRONTERA, NICARAGUA?
I need to update the info but much of it's the same that you find under
CRNIBorderCrossing.com combined with info on the buses at SJDSNI.com site
SanJuanDelSurNI.com/GETTING_THERE.html

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