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We have been dutifully fullfilling our exit requirements every 3 months. The darn thing is, is that some of our friends have ignored the 72 hours, paid an immigration offical off ($40.00 – big deal compared to the $500.00 price tag for hotels, meals etc for 3 plus days)at the Penas Blancas Border and been stamped in and out. The stamp does reference in and out on the same day and we are not sure if anyone has recorded this entry on the computerized system……wait is there a computerized system?
Anyway, the question is……our Notary has told us that the 72 hours requirement is NOT a Costa Rican requirement. They simply need you to leave and come back.
Please help if anyone as any first hand LEGAL knowledge of this rule.
Thanks
I know exactly what you are talking about. I have been doing the same thing too and I have heard the same stories as you. I was even told that I can pay “someone” $50 and they’ll get my passport stamped. I don’t want to put my residency in jeopardy, so I am doing the right thing too. I have posted to this sight basically the same question as you and the only answers that I went by are – “Legally you must take the 72 hr trip”. I have talked to some people that pay $50 to $200 for a stamp – but in my mind, they are taking a chance that I don’t want to take. I just finished applying for residency and hopefully I won’t have to take the 72 hrs trip again – BUT – I honestly must say that I have enjoyed the trips.
My only suggestion is – “Do the right thing” You and I are here because we chose to enjoy this wonderful country, so why not follow the rules. Yes, there are probably more that are trying to cheat the Costar Rica rules, by working for cash, paying for stamps to the passport and god knows what else. I sleep well at night and don’t look over my shoulder during the day! Life is Beautiful – in Cost Rica….
Good Luck….You can cheat on your taxes and get away with it unless an audit catches it. Same thing here. In this case, I would tend to agree with others on this site that if your goal is to gain residency, anticipate an “audit”. I can only imagine that if they look at your passport and see that the exit and entrance stamp has the same date, it will cause problems.
The 72 hour requirement is not part of the Ley General de Migración y Extranjería. It is a regulation created by the Consejo de Migración which is tasked with implementing the law. In other words, it’s not a law, but an administrative requirement.
It’s like the IRS. They’re tasked with collecting taxes according to federal law, but they decide, many times on a daily basis, what is permissible and what isn’t.
Whether the requirement is part of the law or an administrative requirement, the attorney who handled our residency application and who does this pretty much full-time recently told me that you’d better comply. He had just returned from a meeting with the Minister of Immigration who said that violation of the ninety-day/seventy-two hour rule would result in your being denied re-entry for five years. You’ll learn of your own personal denial when you try to re-enter, so take your valuables with you.
What’s more, if your passport reflects continuous entries and exits without any evidence of an application for residency, they’ll bar your re-entry for a year.
David,
That flies in the face of what the regs say (if that’s what they say, I haven’t found them yet). If you leave for 72 hours avery 3 months, you should be fully compliant with them. Now this guy says that’s not right? What gives?
Has anyone found the source language for this rule? I’ll keep looking.
Gringo, I don’t write this stuff, I just report it.
I’m willing to bet (although I have no definitive knowledge) that the law makes no provision for perpetual tourists and that it gives the Ministry of Immigration some latitude in the issuance of visas. Certainly the intent of the law is that those who live here for a substantial part of the year become residents. Otherwise, why even offer residency status?
My understanding that the new CR president is very much into enforcing the new Immigration laws and tackeling the purpetural tourist issue.
So beware and do the right thing!
Don’t take evantage of the Ticos please!
Since the new laws went into effect and the rentista form of temporary residency is currently $120,000.00 for a couple, I am guessing there might be more folks doing the 90day/72 hour routine. Until folks have their pensionado ($600.00 per mo) available to them (age 62 if social sec) this 72 hour leave is not a bad way to go. Not all can afford the $120,000.00! I wonder how this will eventually work itself out? I’m being told the Consulates are in total confusion about the residency issues. Is anyone hearing anything to the contrary?
GG, You are right about everyone being confussed about the residency issues. If you call the Costa Rican Consulet in Washington DC you can talk to Jose there. He will tell you that at this point they are enforcing the new regulations on the new applicants and they have put all the processing on hold.
Regarding the purpetural tourism, my understanding from Jose and some other folks they are going to start at the boarders and at the airport looking for people that have multiple entries in a one year time frame. If it looks like they are purpetural tourist they will bar them from entry.
I called them last week because I was concerned for my situation with my wifes family. Jose said in our case it is different because we have prof of Costa Rican family matters which do not prevent us from multiple entries.
If this is true and in the near future they start clamping down on illegal tourist you will see many people in a bind.
So my suggestion is to become legal and follow the CR law.
A lot of laws are selectively enforced. A lot are enforced against those that the CR gov’t knows are working illegally in the country.
If you have money, plenty of money, I, for one, wouldn’t sweat it, because they want your money spent in CR. You are taking a chance, but I doubt the odds are against you. If CR is very important to you, follow the law/reg. If you could live in Panama or another country should CR deny you, move when they do. CR isn’t the be-all of end-all to everyone.
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