Keeping Your Passport Secure
Costa Rican authorities used to require foreigners to carry their
original passports on them at all times.
Because of the large number of thefts of foreign passports in Costa
Rica, however, the Costa Rican immigration authority (Dirección General
de Migración y Extranjería) now permits foreign tourists to carry just a
copy of their passports on their persons as they tour Costa Rica,
allowing them to leave the original passports in a secure location
(e.g., a hotel safe).
Embassies recommends that tourists carry with them a clear, legible
photocopy of the biographic-data page of the passport, and of the page
showing the Costa Rican entry stamp, when they are touring.
The original passport must be easily accessible to the tourist, however,
if Costa Rican officials request to see it.
Returning a found U.S. passports, at no cost to you:
In order to simplify the return to the U.S. Embassy of U.S. passports
found in Costa Rica, the U.S. Embassy and DHL have initiated a new
program. Started in January of this year, any person who finds a U.S.
passport can return it to the Embassy in San José via DHL express mail
service.
This is a free service. DHL facilities throughout Costa Rica will pack,
address and send the document to the Embassy. This means that the only
thing that the person who finds the passport will have to do is take it
to DHL. The company will take care of the rest of the process. DHL’s
offices in Costa Rica are as follows:
DHL Offices in Costa Rica
Please note that a photocopy of a passport may not be used to enter or
exit Costa Rica, as the original passport must be presented to Costa
Rican immigration officers upon entry or exit.
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