Costa Rica’s immigration agency, the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME), said in response to a question from LaMochiladeKike that it expects passport applications to rise 40% in 2024 compared with previous periods.
The agency confirmed this after saying that wait times to receive the document would get longer.
The DGME said that starting in January 2024, it will take 20 days to deliver requested passports.
“On top of the passport booklets the institution already has, we are acquiring more than 700,000 passport booklets for 2024,” officials explained.
The agency confirmed that the longer delivery times will be temporary, but it didn’t say how long they’ll last.
Keep in mind that appointments to process this document aren’t available any time soon, and the agency is asking people to start the process early.
According to the information provided, Correos de Costa Rica alone, with 100 service windows, handles a total of 2,000 applications a day.
The agency is also urging people to pick up the more than 600 passports sitting in immigration offices.
If you need to apply for a passport, the current cost is $75 plus 250 colones, and you have to pay it in advance to get an appointment.
Adults must bring their national ID card in good condition and proof of payment.
Keep in mind that if your appointment is at Correos or Banco de Costa Rica, you pay at the time of the appointment, not beforehand.
So if you want to apply for a passport in Costa Rica, these are the details from the immigration agency you need to know.
