A Costa Rica passport is issued by the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME) to Costa Rican citizens, whether by birth or naturalization. The current document is biometric, holds an embedded chip with your facial data, fingerprints, and personal details, and is valid for ten years if you are an adult or five years if you are a minor. You can apply in person at a DGME office, at an authorized Correos de Costa Rica service window, at a participating Banco de Costa Rica branch, or at a Costa Rican consulate if you live abroad.
Who Qualifies
You need to be a Costa Rican citizen. Naturalized citizens have the same passport rights as those born in the country, with no separate category or restriction.
Costa Rica recognizes dual citizenship, so holding another country’s passport does not disqualify you. Immigration authorities expect dual nationals to enter and exit Costa Rica on their Costa Rican passport.
Documents for a First-Time Application
Adults
An adult applying for the first time needs a valid, non-expired cédula de identidad, which DGME uses as the primary identity document. You also bring a recent birth certificate from the Civil Registry confirming your citizenship, and a biometric-standard passport photo. Most application locations take the photo on-site during your appointment.
The fee is roughly US$75, plus a small administrative charge of around 250 colones. Confirm the current amount before your appointment because DGME adjusts fees periodically.
Minors
For a child’s passport, both parents must appear in person and sign the application. If one parent cannot attend, the absent parent must provide officially authorized consent, typically notarized or authenticated through a consulate. A single parent with sole custody should bring the court order granting that custody.
The identity document depends on age. Children between 12 and 17 present their Tarjeta de Identificación de Menores (TIM), issued by the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones. Children under 12 do not have a TIM and instead present a recent Civil Registry birth certificate.
One boundary worth knowing before you travel: even after a minor has a valid passport, Costa Rica requires both parents to sign an exit permit at DGME before the child can leave the country.
Where to Apply
Inside Costa Rica you have three practical channels.
- DGME offices. You book an appointment through the DGME website at migracion.go.cr. Walk-ins are generally not accepted for passport services.
- Correos de Costa Rica VES windows. The national postal service runs 25 authorized service windows where staff capture your fingerprints, photo, signature, and documents and transmit them digitally to DGME. The finished passport is delivered to the Correos branch you selected or to your home. This is useful if you live outside the San José metropolitan area.
- Banco de Costa Rica. Select branches of the national bank also act as appointment facilitators, on the same model as Correos.
Citizens abroad apply at their nearest Costa Rican consulate. The document requirements are the same, but processing takes longer because everything is transmitted back to DGME in Costa Rica for production.
Fees and Processing Times
Both first-time applications and renewals cost approximately US$75, plus the small administrative surcharge. Applying through Correos adds a modest service fee for the postal handling.
DGME’s standard processing target has historically been 15 calendar days, though a resolution temporarily extended that window to 30 calendar days to manage demand. Correos VES applications carry a posted delivery timeframe of about 12 business days from your appointment. You pick up the passport in person and must present your cédula.
There is no paid expedite option comparable to what some other countries offer. If you have a firm travel date, apply well in advance.
Renewing Your Passport
Renewal is simpler than a first application because DGME already has your biometric records. You bring your valid cédula and the passport you are replacing, whether expired or still current. The fee matches a first-time application, and the new document carries a fresh ten-year validity, or five years for a minor.
You can renew even if the old passport is damaged or already expired, provided your cédula is current, because DGME verifies identity through the national ID records. The same channels apply: DGME offices, Correos VES windows, Banco de Costa Rica, or a consulate.
If your legal name changed since your last passport through marriage, divorce, or a court order, bring the supporting Civil Registry documentation, such as a marriage certificate or divorce decree.
Lost or Stolen Passport
A replacement application requires one extra step: documentation of the loss. You either file a police report or complete a sworn declaration (declaración jurada) describing the circumstances. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs identifies the required item as “el reporte de la denuncia a la policía o formulario de declaración de robo, extravío o retención.” This applies whether the passport was lost inside Costa Rica or abroad, and whether the holder is an adult or a minor.
With that in hand, the process mirrors a standard application. You bring your cédula, the police report or sworn statement, and the fee to DGME, a Correos VES window, or a consulate. The replacement carries a full new validity period.
Emergency Travel Home: The Salvoconducto
If you need to travel urgently and cannot wait for a replacement, Costa Rican consulates can issue a salvoconducto, a temporary emergency travel document. You still need the sworn statement or police report about the loss or theft, plus standard identity documents. The salvoconducto is designed for one-way return travel to Costa Rica, not for continued international trips. Consulates issue them for adults and minors, with the minor version requiring the same parental consent as a regular passport.
Where a Costa Rican Passport Gets You
A Costa Rican passport provides access to roughly 152 destinations without a pre-arranged visa: about 120 fully visa-free and another 32 that grant a visa on arrival. Covered destinations include the European Union’s Schengen Area, the United Kingdom, most of South America, and a significant number of countries across Asia. The count shifts as bilateral agreements change, so check the entry rules for your specific destination before booking.
That mobility places the document in the upper tier of Latin American passports. Advance visas are still required for a handful of major destinations, including the United States, Canada, and Australia.