"Gobierno Digital" Opens Portal
We have been hearing about the "Gobierno Digital", the government's plan to offer a number of services online, as well as information on government institutions and resources, where you can even apply for a drivers license and a passport.

That reality is coming true with the first step, with the announcement yesterday by second vice-president, Kevin Casas, of the government portal (website): http://www.gobiernofacil.go.cr/.

The portal offers information on government service and links to government websites, including the immigration website, information, forms and applications for residency, passport, extension of tourist visas and a list of Costa Rican consulates around the world, can be found.

The portal is complete, however, not all the functions and links are fully working as yet.

The project is costing the government some us$2 million dollars, an amount that is not really high, according to VP Casas, because some of the institutions already are online and institutions like the Banco de Costa Rica are paying for advertising.

The plan is that Costa Ricans and visitors can access government services online, from their own home, office or internet café and do not have to be in Costa Rica. VP Casas said that the project to allow citizens the right to have multiple access to government services.

The objective of the government website is to unite all the government agencies, institutions and services in one place where users can obtain a passport or a drivers license, or find that important government agency phone number and contact, pay they utility bills, obtain information on tourism, tax and customs information, weather conditions, investment, government bids and tenders, housing, labour issues, health and nutrition, education, culture and much more.

Most of the government agencies and institutions already have websites, however, the Gobierno Digital portal brings them all together in one place and no need to have to search the internet for a specific institution, which sometimes may be difficult to find.

The including of the Banco de Costa Rica (BCR) in the project is very important, according to government officials, because users having a BCR account can now pay for many of the services online without having to visit the bank.

The Ministra de Obras Públicas y Transportes, Karla González, emphasized that the inclusion of the drivers license process in the system is very important in reducing lines at the licensing offices as well as reducing corruption.

According to figures by the Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas y Censos (INEC), the percentage of internet users in the country is now at 20.3% of the population.

Facing the fact that 80% of the population does not have access to the internet, VP Casas indicated that the government is working on plans for people to purchase lower priced computers with financing options and hinted at lower internet rates.