Costa Rica: new changes to visa regulations

On 1st March 2010, Costa Rica introduced a new immigration law which changes significantly the visa regulations for foreigners.  There are new social security registration requirements pertaining to work and residence permits.  There are also increased penalties for foreigners who overstay their visas, and increased fees for visas generally.

Before applying for a residence or work permit, foreign nationals must first register with the Costa Rican Social Security Administration otherwise their applications will be denied.

Foreign nationals who overstay their visas will, from now, be subject to a fine of US$100 per month of overstay.  Failure to pay the fine will result in a ban from re-entering the country for a period equal to three times the period of the initial overstay.
New fees have also been introduced…an initial residence application is now US$250 (previously US$30)  and a renewal US$123 (previously US$58).

These changes have not yet been physically implemented, but foreign nationals need to be aware of the proposed changes.