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Costa Rica is said to have such a high rate of passport theft that the government and other institutions will accept a photocopy of your passport (the photograph and signature page) and the page where the Immigration officer stamps your visa in lieu of the original. Visitors here have been advised to make copies of those two pages at a local copy center and keep the original passport somewhere very safe. So visitors have made a trip to a copy center an early priority in their stay.
Our current guests in our guest house have gone one better. Before leaving Canada, they photocopied the signature pages of their passports. Then, when the Immigration officer stamped the visa page, they also got him or her to stamp the photocopy they’d made in Canada.
Davidcmurray, do you know if banks are now accepting the copies in lieu of the original passport? I’ve grown accustomed to carrying the copies of those pages of my passport since mine was stolen in ’82 and it was a hassle to get temporary papers right before my trip back. The copies are accepted in most places, including the police road check in Limon. However, as of this past July, banks still wouldn’t make any money exchanges/transactions unless I could show them my original passport…
I tried to use a photocopy at BN last year and they would not accept it. For most banking and other “official” business, your passport is required, not the copy. Now that I have my cedula, I carry that and NOT my passport for banking transactions.
That makes a lot of sense when you have a cedula (official id card for residents or citizens). I guess if you’re a tourist you still have to bring that passport to the bank–maybe they’ll revise that like they did with the other instances davidcmurray mentioned. Thanx Maravilla…
Maravilla and Rebargon: Before I got my CR Cedula, I used to use a Notarized copy of the passport. That was accepted at BN and Banco Cuscatlan. You have to have your attorney notarize the copy and put some timbres (stamps) on it. That is official and acceptable at banks and government offices. I still keep this handy in my wallet just in case. It is easy to get a copy notarized and gives you peace of mind.
Thanks Mediatica, no one at the banks ever suggested that when I asked and it’s well worth the extra time it would take to notarize the copies rather than take the chance of having to replace a passport. Pura Vida!
No one at the banks ever mentioned that to me either. It’s actually my attorney that informed me! To make things easier, you can always scan and email a copy to your CR attorney and have him or her send it to you via DHL or similar or you can pick it up at their office (which is what I did). I don’t see an expiration date on the notarized copy either. I assume it’s good for as long as your passport is good. Buena suerte.
Edited on Nov 09, 2007 05:46
Photocopies in Costa Rica, by themself, are not 100 acceptable. Been a country were “laws and regulations” are daily “bread”, I sugget to get them certified by a CR notary. This should “validate” such photocopies and will provide who ever request those some additional comfort (althouht a certified copy is prove that is a true copy of the original, and should be accepted by everybody, the fact is that some entities like banks will not accept those). Almost every lawyer in CR is a Notary, and if you present your original passport, they should be able to certified the copies at a low cost.
Hi, Terry here…last year when I was there for 3 months Bank of Socia sp? would take a photo copy…this year when I was there for 3 months they would no longer take a copy…so I guess things change on this as every thing…
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