In this guide, I’ll take you through the entire process of crossing the border from Costa Rica to Nicaragua, Penas Blancas border by foot. You will find everything you need to know about exiting Costa Rica, entering Nicaragua, exiting Nicaragua and entering Costa Rica at the Penas Blancas border.
Costa Rica Nicaragua Penas Blancas Border Crossing Guide
Click on the section to skip to it.
- What You Need (Required documents, taxes, etc.)
- Getting to the Border
- Leaving Costa Rica
- Entering Nicaragua
- Leaving Nicaragua
- Entering Costa Rica
- Fees
- Safety Tips
What You Need for Crossing the Border Between Costa Rica and Nicaragua
- A valid passport that is not within 6 months of expiring (Nicaragua is strict about this)
- Costa Rica Exit Tax Receipt (if you are leaving Costa Rica)
- You must not have overstayed your tourist visa for either Costa Rica and Nicaragua
- Check if you need a visa to enter Nicaragua. (USA and Canada does not)
- A printed plane ticket out of Costa Rica if you are entering Costa Rica
- Small USD bills. All taxes are paid in USD.
How to get to the Penas Blancas Border Crossing in Costa Rica
- Car – You can drive your car to the border but that is as far as you can go as Costa Rican rental cars are not allowed to cross land borders. In this case, you will need to leave it at the house in the front. The family that lives there will watch it for you for a ~$5 USD a day. Do not leave any valuables inside! You’ll start seeing a huge line of trucks when you get close to the border. Don’t stay in this line. Keep going and you’ll be able to cross the over and park by the Costa Rica exit office.
- Private shuttle or taxi – You can book a private shuttle in Costa Rica to take you to the border. Depending on where you are traveling from, this private transfer (~$180 USD from the Guanacaste beaches). The shuttle will drop you off right at the border which then you will cross on your own by foot.
- Bus – You can take the public bus to the Penas Blancas border from Liberia (5 AM – 6:30 PM every 45 minutes with Grupo Transbasa) or San Jose (3:20 AM – 7 PM every hour with Caribenos), get off and cross the border by foot. You can also take a bus like Ticabus that goes from San Jose to Managua and to the rest of Central America. You will do the border crossing with Ticabus.
- Visa Run – If you are crossing the border purely for a visa run and don’t have your own transportation, check with Native’s Way (Tamarindo) as they offer visa runs (transportation only).
Leaving Costa Rica
To leave Costa Rica, you first need to pay the exit tax which you can pay at the border directly.
Costa Rica Exit Tax
Costa Rica charges an exit tax for all land crossings. There are buildings right when you enter at the border to pay your exit tax with lots of signs. With the Costa Rica exit office ahead of you, all the exit tax offices are to the right.
You must pay this exit tax before you exit Costa Rica which can be paid at one of these offices pictured above. They charge a little more for a “convenience fee” so the total will be $10 USD. You can also pay this online on the Banco de Costa Rica website for $8 USD. Print out your receipt and bring it with you.
Costa Rican Exit Office
As you walk towards the border, you’ll see lots of trucks. Costa Rica is the only country who didn’t sign the Central America Marchamo so you will see tons of big rig trucks waiting in line to cross. If you’re driving, you can go around them. Every time I’ve been to the Costa Rican exit office, it’s fairly empty with no line.
Go inside with your passport and exit tax receipt and hand your passport to the officer who will check it. They didn’t ask me any questions but they asked the lady in front of me where in Costa Rica they were staying before they left.
There is a bathroom outside to the left of the exit office (free).
Entering Nicaragua
Now, walk outside and follow the buses and groups of people towards Nicaragua.
After a few hundred meters, you’ll reach the office to enter Nicaragua. You’ll go through one main check point at the border where they will check for your Costa Rican exit stamp. However, any officer can stop you on the road to check your stamp.
Sometimes the officers will ask questions, sometimes not. They’re pretty friendly in all my experiences and don’t worry if you don’t know Spanish. Just show them your passport if they ask for it.
Nicaragua Entrance Office
Continue after this checkpoint and follow the signs to the Nicaraguan immigration office. You’ll see lots of people selling souvenirs, clothes, food and asking if you need change.
The Nicaragua immigration office is quite new and very nice with air conditioning. When you get inside (look for Entrada), get in line.
Then, you will get in the entrance line and pay a $12 USD tax to the immigration officer who takes your passport. When he has stamped it, he will write out a large receipt which you can keep. He will normally ask you where you are going in Nicaragua. Let him know the city and if you booked a hotel, tell him the first hotel you’re staying at in Nicaragua. Sometimes the officer doesn’t ask anything at all.
After you’re done, put any luggage or belongings through the luggage scanner for customs. After that, you are now officially in Nicaragua!
There there is a lady who will ask for a $1 USD municipality entrance fee.
If you continue walking outside, there are some restaurants and taxis if you need one. It’s about a thirty minute taxi ride to San Juan del Sur which costs around $30 USD. Also just in case, here is the bus schedule to Rivas and Managua below.
Leaving Nicaragua
Leaving Nicaragua is about the same process. The exit office is the same office as the entrance, just on the other side.
When you get inside, you have to pay another $1 USD municipality tax (to the small booth to the right) and $3 USD to exit to the officer who takes your passport. Put the location as your first hotel/hostel and town in Costa Rica. If you need the bathroom, it is to the left of the immigration office building and costs $1 USD.
After you get your Nicaraguan exit stamp, walk back on the main road towards the Costa Rican side. Like before, you’ll be stopped a couple times by officers to check your passport. Once you reach the Costa Rican side, head to the right side of the building to go through immigration to enter Costa Rica.
Entering Costa Rica
You’ll see a bunch of orange blocks making a line for the entrance. Try to get in line as fast as you can and while you are in line, get all your documents ready to present to the officer.
The next part is very important for foreigners when it comes to Costa Rica land entry requirements.
Costa Rica Entry Requirements
You will need to present to the immigration officer your flight out of Costa Rica if you’re a tourist. Tourist visas last 90 days for Group 1 countries and you must show proof you are leaving the country before your visa expires.
*IMPORTANT AS OF SEPTEMBER 2023. Costa Rica has now extended tourist visas for Group 1 countries from 90 days to 180 days. The officer will now probably ask you for a ticket out of 180 days. Group 1 countries are USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Germany, Chile… if you are not sure what group your passport is, please check with the Costa Rican embassy/consulate in your passport country.*
Proof of Onward Travel Out of Costa Rica
To emphasis this point, every foreigner must present a return flight ticket home or a ticket out of Costa Rica. Costa Rica is fairly strict about this in all of my experiences. Of all the times I have crossed the border, I’ve been asked for my flight out every single time.
There is a possibility that you can use a bus ticket, instead of a flight. However, this is not guaranteed to be accepted. I’ve known people who were denied entry with a bus ticket and the officer made them purchase a flight. So even though sometimes a bus or shuttle ticket may work, it honestly depends on the immigration officer you get. Some are super strict, some are more lenient.
They are more strict about perpetual tourists (people who “live” in Costa Rica as a tourist and do a border run to renew their tourist visa) so it is best to present a flight itinerary confirmation.
I never want to run into any hassles or problems at the border so I always present a printed confirmed flight ticket. If I’m not actually flying out, I’ll purchase a refundable ticket or many airlines have a 24 hour window where you can cancel without penalty regardless the fare type (like American Airlines). A lot of people use Onward Ticket to rent a ticket.
Getting Your New Costa Rica Stamp
Go up to the window and give the officer your passport first. He will probably ask you where you’re going, your occupation, and how long you are in Costa Rica for. Then when asked, show him your proof out of Costa Rica within 90 days.
Once approved, they will stamp your passport with your tourist stamp and write in how many days your tourist visa is valid for (normally 90).
And there you go! Exit the building, put your luggage or backpack if you have any through the machine and you are good to go! That is the complete guide to crossing the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua at Penas Blancas.
Peñas Blancas Border Crossing Fees
To sum up, here are all the fees you need to pay when you are crossing the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. These prices are quoted in USD so pay in dollars but bring small bills because most of the time, they will not have any change.
Please note that Costa Rican currency is not accepted in Nicaragua and Nicaraguan currency is not accepted in Costa Rica. USD works in both countries and since prices are quoted in USD, pay in USD. Small bills only!
- $8 or 10 Costa Rica exit tax (price depends on where you pay for it)
- $12 Nicaragua (to the entrance immigration official)
- $1 Nicaragua entrance municipality tax
- $1 Nicaragua exit municipality tax (in the small booth of the exit office)
- $3 Nicaragua exit tax (to the exit immigration official)
Safety Tips for Crossing the Penas Blancas Border
I’ve heard about some people having trouble or being scared at the border but luckily I, a Asian-American female have never had a major problem and I have crossed alone and with other people. However, there are always people who will target tourists and try to scam you. Here are our tips and things to watch out for.
Do not accept any offers from people trying to help you
These people will pretend to help you for free and then try to charge you something ridiculous when you’ve crossed over. They are persistent and will follow you too.
Also do not accept any offers from someone claiming they can do the border crossing for you. It’s tempting but never let anyone walk away with your passport. Never. You don’t know what condition it will be when it comes back or what they did with it meanwhile.
If you have questions or are lost, ask the Costa Rican immigration officers or the police.
If you’re a solo traveler, look for other travelers and talk to them to see if you can cross together. You may need to write down some Spanish phrases because not all the officers speak English, especially on the Nicaraguan side. Check our Costa Rican Spanish guide for travelers to learn them.
No more custom forms
Some people might try to sell you these so walk away and find an immigration officer. I stopped a woman once who was about to pay $20 for a form! That is one of the common Costa Rica tourist scams.
Bring small USD bills
The immigration officers usually do not give change so make sure you pay in small bills for the taxes and fees. ($1 and $5). Never pull out a huge wad of cash either.
Do not leave your passport hanging out of your backpack or leave any belongings unattended
You do need to show it several times when crossing to the officers, but always put it away in a safe secure spot each time.
If you’re a solo traveler, try to find another group of travelers to join
Usually officers will bother you less if you’re in a group. If you go by yourself, they tend to bother the solo travelers more.
What to do if you overstay your visa
If you overstay, your passport will be marked and you will need to talk to your country’s embassy to figure out what to do. Usually if this is a one time occurrence and the overstayed time wasn’t very long, they can help you sort things out and it’s not a big deal.
However, if you overstay for a long time or multiple times, don’t think you will go undiscovered. Immigration will probably find out at some point, especially as they’re trying to crack down more on perpetual tourists. Once immigration finds out, you will be kicked out of the country and be denied entry for an undisclosed period of time (depends on your situation). We recommend to contact your country’s embassy/consulate in Costa Rica ASAP.
Do not overstay your visa, Costa Rica and Nicaragua do take this seriously. Nicaragua especially is very strict.
Read more Costa Rica travel tips below!
Driving in Costa Rica: In depth guide with tips and advice for driving in Costa Rica. Includes safety tips, information about how Costa Ricans drive, road sides, and more.
Renting a car in Costa Rica: Tips for renting a car in Costa Rica. What you need to know about car rental insurance, reputable companies, recommendations if you should or shouldn’t rent a car and more. You can also get our Costa Rica car rental discount.
Heidi says
Hi Sammy and Yeison,
Thank you so much for this information! I’ve been reading your blog and sharing your blog to friends who have been coming to Costa Rica. 🙂
I got married to my Costa Rican husband in December 2017. And our marriage hasn’t been registered yet due to the elections and planning to go do a border run. And these things put me in a panic… so I hAve few questions if you don’t mind answering..
1) When doing border runs, do you tell them the purpose of crossing Nicaragua is for Border runs or that it is for tourism?
2) I’m planning to do a border run with my husband or sister in law, but I’ve heard Nicaragua and Costa Rica have bad relations, will they be safe?
3) when leaving Nicaragua, and they ask you the purpose of stay or extending visa what do you usually tell them? Can I tell them the truth that I got married and it’s still pending but that I needed to do a border run?
Sorry for asking a lot of questions… I am still panicking!
Ps. Thanks for liking my Instagram pics! 😀
Sammi says
Hi Heidi! Congrats on your wedding! I’ll be in the same boat soon 😀
For border runs, they don’t ask ANY questions. Literally. Just give them your passport and the money. CR and Nicaragua doesn’t have the bad relationship but when it comes to the border, they are fine for tourists. Just know that Nicaragua is a lot more strict on immigration and they will ask you your passport a dozen times on the way over but generally they are very nice (they don’t say much really) and the borders are separate so once you leave CR, you have to walk a bit to get to the Nicaragua side as they’re separated, not right next to each other.
When you leave Nicaragua, they don’t ask you anything. I’ve done this border crossing dozens of times and the officers definitely see the large amount of stamps in my passport and nobody’s ever said anything. If they ask, just say you’re visiting. Don’t complicate it (the more complicated, the more opportunities for them to ask questions and make it difficult). But really they don’t ask much at all so no worries!
Heidi says
Oh my gosh early congrats to you!! 😀
Thank you for answering the questions, it actually put me in a lot of ease just now. I have one last question regarding the 72 hour rule. So As long as you don’t buy anything from duty free, writing that you have not been out for 72 hours should have no problem?
Again thank you! I continue to wish the best for you and Yeison!!
Sammi says
Hi Heidi, thank you! We’re in the early planning stages but very excited! And yes that is correct. The minimum time out is 3 hours. A lot of people do one day visa runs and just hang out at the border or they go to SJDS/Rivas to kill time.
Heidi says
Hi Sammi!
Just wanted to say thank you for the help through this blog. In the end I went to panama to Renew my visa because my husband’s family really didn’t want me to goto Nicaragua. It was nerve wrecking but all things were done smoothly.
So thanks again!
Sammi says
Hi Heidi, glad to hear it worked out in Panama!
Dave says
Hey great site!!! Next week I am leaving on the 80th day of my stay, flying out to Ft. Lauderdale then back in 12 hours, using my cc points 🙂 . Not getting anything in duty free, never over extended, Have a return ticket from SJO to NY May 4th, which means I will be leaving again around 80 days on my 90 days stay, then returning six months (professional snowbird). Anyone have any problems in a similar situation? I keep hearing the 72 hour rule, which Ticotimes said was false except for customs. I am coming back to this page and letting every know how it was… thanks in advance…
Sammi says
Hi Dave, as long as you’re leaving within 90 days, you will be fine. The 72 hour is just for customs and for land crossing, the minimum amount of time to be out is 3 hours. I haven’t flown in and out within 3 days but I know for land crossings it’s a minimum of 3 hours.
gallobravo says
Thanks for all the great information! I hope to do this in the next few weeks and have a few hopefully easy questions:
1. Do the dollar amounts have to be paid in exact change or would they be able to break a $20 for instance? Can I pay in colones on the CR side?
2. If I’m trying to cross from CR to N and back to CR in as short a time as possible, you recommend just hanging out at the soda on the N side for a couple hours and then heading back? Is there any harm in just trying to cross right back in?
3. Any updated or more specific info on the best place to leave a car on the CR side for those few hours?
Thanks!
Sammi says
Hi, I recommend bringing small bills since they don’t always have change to break a $20 and it will be less of a hassle. You can’t pay in colones, only dollars (everything is quoted in USD on both Costa Rica and Nicaragua side). You need to be outside of Costa Rica for at least 3 hours if you are doing a visa run and you can’t have bought anything from the duty free store. They will know what time you leave Costa Rica when they scan your passport. For leaving your car, the local guy’s house is right in front of the Costa Rica exit office, it’s on the right hand side past a fence and you’ll see a house with some other cars. We parked it under a big tree in his yard last time we went.
gallobravo says
Thanks – out of curiosity do you have a reliable citation for that 3 hour rule? I always find conflicting information.
Sammi says
You can ask the immigration officers, the forms always ask if you’ve been out for at least 3 days but legally speaking, you can go back in after 3 hours without buying anything from duty free. I’ve done this dozens of times for my visa runs and a lot of foreigners here do 1 day visa runs (they even run tours).
gallobravo says
Sounds good. So do you just hang out near the border or do you take a taxi to that town down the road?
Sammi says
I’ve done it all, went to SJDS for a day, went to Rivas, hung out at the bar at the border. If you don’t want to spend any extra money, you can hang out at the bar at the border. If you don’t mind to spend an extra $50, you can take a taxi to SJDS. Rivas is not too far and it’s maybe $5-10 taxi ride but there’s not much there, you can walk around the park and see the local stores since it’s a very local town, it might be interesting for someone who hasn’t been there before and you can kill time there easier than just sitting at the border.
gallobravo says
Still would like some clarification: where do you find your evidence for the ‘mandatory three hours outside the country’ rule?
From what an Immigration Administration spokeswoman said to the Tico Times: “A Canadian person, for example, can leave across any of our land borders and return immediately without affecting her ability to enter the country, so long as she has left the country within the period of stay previously granted,” said Immigration Administration spokeswoman Andrea Quesada in an email to The Tico Times. Now, if the traveler does require a visa to enter Costa Rica he or she would need to stay out for at least a week, Quesada said.”
Sammi says
Costa Rica’s entry requirements are separated into several groups. Group 1 and 2 do not need a visa to enter Costa Rica (countries like US, Canada, Germany, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, UK, Ireland, etc.), the tourist visa they get is just a stamp on arrival, they don’t need to apply for a visa. Groups 3 and 4 require a consular visa and this means they need to go to the embassy, have an interview and get approved for the visa so for people in those groups that do require a visa, they have different requirements.
gallobravo says
Hi Sammi,
Your response, with all due respect, didn’t address the question I’ve asked twice now at all. The question is, as simply as I can put it: “On what basis do you make the claim that one must leave the country for three hours before coming back in – as opposed to coming immediately back in?”
What I posted quotes an Immigration Administration spokesperson saying that “(A U.S./Canadian citizen)…can leave across any of our land borders and return immediately “. I can find no mention of your ‘three hour minimum on the other side of the border rule’ anywhere, so I would just like to know what leads you to believe that it’s a rule – because if it’s not actually a rule it would be good for people to know. If I can return immediately into CR and be on my way home I’d certainly prefer that to sitting around three hours in the heat if it’s not necessary.
Someone just posted on an Expats in CR Facebook group about recently crossing at Los Chiles and being back in CR within 1 hr and 15 mins, for example. So, are you certain that there’s a three hour rule, and if so, what makes you certain?
Sorry for the nitpicking but this could save people several wasted hours. Cheers and thanks for your response!
Sammi says
Something you have to understand is that it’s Costa Rica (and Nicaragua). Even though both countries are strict in their immigration, it’s not at the same time. Even though there is technically the law, there is always a way around it and when it comes to land crossings, it will depend on the officer you get. You will see that everyone has a different experience and each time I’ve crossed the border, I’ve had a different experience. I’ve crossed over staying out around 5 hours, I’ve crossed over staying out for only 2 hours and I had no problem. I’ve had officers who actually counted the number of days until my flight out and gave me a tourist visa valid for only those days. I’ve had officers who literally didn’t even look through my passport or ask me any questions and gave me 90 days with no problem, I’ve had officers who asked me many questions. So even though there is technically the law, in Costa Rica it doesn’t always apply and there is no definitive yes or no. I’ve crossed back staying out for 2 hours and nobody told me I couldn’t cross but it’s not to say that will never happen, I could have gotten an officer who was picky and wouldn’t let me through until exactly 3 hours.
I found out the 3 hour rule by asking an immigration officer at the border (Costa Rican) a few years ago and Yeison (who is Costa Rican) actually asked for me since they do tend to give Gringos and locals different answers.
People will advise that to be safe, stay out at least 3 hours. Always bring a printed plane ticket out of the country, that is the safest option because some officers will take a bus ticket, some won’t accept it. It really depends on the officer you get that day when it comes to it.
gallobravo says
Ok, so your info is based on the word of one officer at the border a few years ago. Since an actual spokeswoman for the Immigration Administration says you can return immediately, I’ll give that a shot within the next few weeks and report back. Cheers!
gallobravo says
Hey, just to follow up: I crossed from CR to N and back to CR in 30 mins this morning. Paid the CR exit tax at 6:30 and was admitted back into CR at 6:59.
The only three-hour thing mentioned was on the Nicaragua side – apparently your minimum stay in N is three hours. But, the immigration officer, when I said I was only there to renew my passport for CR, offered to process my entry and exit simultaneously for a $10 ‘tip’. So I took advantage of that offer (whether it was really true or not) and was immediately on my way back into CR, where they didn’t seem to mind that I had only been out of the country for 15 mins. It was a pleasant surprise and I might hold the new record for fastest border crossing 🙂
Donald says
Been in CR for 12 years, making this Visa run many times. The only place it ask you the 72 hour question is on the custom form and not on the immigration form. The 3 hour rule seems to be reasonable, the shortest I have stayed out was 1 day. I know several gringos who have made turn around Visa runs.
Sammi says
You need to get paperwork for your car and buy several insurances, licenses and fees. You need to get the permission from the Registro Publico, you should be able to find one in big cities to pay the fee, get the stamps and the official paper permission slip. You need to make sure your name is on the official Registry and it matches the name on the paper you get from the Public Registration office. Then at the border, Nicaragua will require you to buy insurances, to fumigate the car and pay a couple other fees.
You should be able to cross as long as you bring all of the paperwork that proves you are in the process of getting residency, Nicaragua officials tend to give a hard time though so don’t be surprised if they try to ask you a lot of questions or stop you. You technically are not allowed to drive without a valid visa but again, as long as you have all the correct paperwork showing your temporary residency is being processed. I am not 100% positive since I’ve never encountered this situation but this is my knowledge from other friends experience.
Lori says
My husband and I and our 3 kids are planning to cross from Costa Rica into Nicaragua. I have a couple questions…
1. We had planned to drive across, but it seems like everyone on here prefers to park their car and cross on foot. Do you know the process for driving across? Is it difficult if you own the car and can show it is in your name? It was purchased in Costa Rica. Do we need specific paperwork?
2. We are in the process of getting our temporary residency in Costa Rica, but we are still waiting. My husband’s tourist visa expired last month. Immigration told us that we are legal to be in the country as long as we show our visas are being processed, BUT we have to leave and re-enter after 90 days to drive legally until we have the visas in hand. Should this cause problems for my husband to be able to re-enter since his tourist visa expired last month (even though we can show that our visas are being processed)? We don’t want to cross the border with our kids and then have them say my husband cannot re-enter.
Thanks for your help!
Mark Slichter says
Hi Sammi!
Thank you for such an amazing and up to date site!
My girlfriend and I are planning on crossing into Nicaragua on the 1st of December 2017. We hope to just get a taxi from there to Granda. Any idea on how much that will cost? Can we pay with USD or should we be prepared with cordoba?
Also we will be crossing on a Friday each way. Is it especially busy one way or the other on Friday?
Again, thank you so much for the wonderfully put together site!
Mark
Alaska, USA
Sammi says
Hello Mark! I am not positive how much a taxi to Granada is, but I would guess around $90-ish maybe. I know the border to San Juan del Sur is around $25-30 and that is about a 30 minute drive. From the border to Granada is maybe 1 hour 45 minutes. Before you get in, talk to the taxi drivers and ask around first to see what they’re offering and agree upon a price before. You can pay in USD.
Unless you’re crossing during a major holiday like Christmas or Easter, the border doesn’t get significantly busier one day or the other. Sunday may be a bit busier but I do recommend going as early as possible because many big tour buses and the big Central American buses like Ticabus pass through and everyone gets off at once so you don’t want to get stuck behind one (or several of them).
J says
Hi Sammi!
Me and my wife are planning to go to Nicaragua on Saturday,December 16,2017 and come back Friday,December 22,2017.I already read horror stories about crossing border during Christmas what is the best advice for as to do this as easy as possible?a
Sammi says
Hi guys, yeah that is a really busy time to go! I recommend going as early in the morning as possible going and returning because once it hits around mid-morning and on, it’s super crazy busy with lots of buses and tour buses. Also make sure to have all the paperwork in order before you go so make sure you pay the Costa Rica exit fee before (don’t do it at the border because it’ll take extra time), make sure to have the exact amount of change needed for fees (USD best), and have a printed ticket out of Costa Rica to show to the immigration officers for each of you. Also bring plenty of pens and if you don’t want to walk across the border (if you have a lot of luggage or something), you can hire a tuktuk for $5-10. The signs are fairly clear for where to go and which building to go to but if anyone comes up to you offering their services (helping you to cross immigration), say no. These guys are trying to scam people and though it sounds tempting to have someone help you, they will not. There is a bathroom at the Nicaraguan border which costs $1. Use a backpack or bag that’s easy to access because you will have to show your passport to the Nicaraguan officials many times at the border.
Another option if you don’t want to do it on your own is to hire a guide in Costa Rica. Some guides will do border crossings but it’s not cheap since they have to drive to the border and it usually takes several hours. But they’ll take care of everything. If you want to do this, I recommend contacting tour companies in Guanacaste, I know some of the smaller ones like Avispa’s Adventures does border crossing days where she takes people over to renew their visa, you can try to contact her and see if the dates match up or to hire her.
Chris says
The $7 dollar crossing fee is interesting. Hey, but at least it is not more expensive. Thanks for the post! Great info!!
kelsey says
Hi just wondering, my son was born in CR in December 2016, I was doing border runs to be able to drive we are moving back to the states next month, and our stamps are up in 2 days any way that I can avoid this last run because he is a citizen???? Trying to avoid a long day in the car with a 7 month old. Thanks!
yeison says
Hello Kelsey,
As far as we know you can’t, if you don’t have your temporary residence you need to do the border run otherwise you can be penalized when you try to get in again. I would highly recommend you to check with immigration, many North Americans come to Costa Rica to have their babies because is cheaper than the US, and I have seen cases where the mother get a temporally residence because of their Costa Rican baby, we don’t know to much about this subject and we don’t want to misinform you in such of a delicate subject. Congratulation for the new baby 🙂 !!!
Sammi says
I would definitely wait and go to the border in the morning. Being a Sunday and Semana Santa is insanely busy (people wait all day to cross) and you’ll have much better chances to go early the next morning (and it will be nicer when you have more day light because by the time you get to the border on Sunday after you land, it’ll be dark since it’s about a 2 hour drive from Liberia to the border).
RB says
Thank you so much for the response. I think we will indeed wait. One more question: we fly out Tuesday April 3, will the border be “normal” by then or do we still need to plan on 3-4 hour wait?
Sammi says
Should be! After Easter it goes back to normal since people go back to work and vacation is over. I would still plan on at least 1-2 hours at the border because you never know and sometimes you get stuck behind the huge tour buses but it will go back to normal and not crazy like during Semana Santa.
RB says
Thank you so much for this information and the consistent replies. My wife and I fly into Liberia next year – Sunday, March 25 to be exact – headed for SJDS. Our flight gets in at 3 pm. So we’re up against Sunday, Semana Santa, and time. Do we have any hope to cross the border that day? Does the border ever close? Or are we better off staying the night in Liberia and heading to the border in the morning?