If you aren’t a Costa Rica resident, you must leave the country every 90 days because you are
considered a tourist. These trips are called Border Runs or Visa Runs, allowing you to maintain your legal status while living in the country as a non-resident. If you don’t abide by this law, you can jeopardize your time in the country or pay a fine.
What is a Border Run?
Border runs are taken by people like me and my husband, who live in the country and haven’t applied for residency yet, and those who are applying. No matter what, until you have completed your residency, you have to leave every 90 days. A border run is when you leave the country within 90 days of arriving and collect a tourist entry stamp on your passport. This stamp gives you legal permission to be in the country for the next 90 days.
Leaving the country every 90 days for a quick trip over the Nicaraguan or Panamanian borders
Leaving the country every 90 days for a quick trip over the Nicaraguan or Panamanian borders
is legal. We know people who have been in Costa Rica for over a decade and still leave the
country every 90 days to keep their tourist status legal.
Border runs sound like a big deal. Are they?
This sounds like a big deal, but it doesn’t have to be. You can use your border run to travel to your home country, travel the world, or hop over the border. We’ve done it all. It’s up to you. The quickest and simplest way is to cross the border to Nicaragua or Panama.
If you do this, you must cross at an authorized entry point, present your passport when leaving, and show it again when returning to Costa Rica. This entire process can take minutes, depending on how many people are crossing.
If you do this, you must cross at an authorized entry point, present your passport when leaving, and show it again when returning to Costa Rica. This entire process can take minutes, depending on how many people are crossing.
Important note when crossing back into Costa Rica
When re-entering Costa Rica, you will need proof of your next exit date (within 90 days). We use www.onwardticket.com to purchase an airline ticket.
How it works:
Onward ticket allows you to book a verified flight reservation for 48 hours. These tickets are
legitimate. The cost per ticket is $14.00/per person, and it is good for 48 hours. You select a one-way ticket to any location; it doesn’t matter where, within 90 days of your entry date, and if asked, show it to the customs agent as your proof of leaving.
A snapshot of doing a border run
We have used our need to do a border run to visit our family, take a trip, and sometimes make
a quick trip over the Nicaraguan border. We live in Guanacaste on the north-western pacific side of Costa Rica, and the Nicaraguan border is 50 miles as the crow flies, so it makes sense to cross here. When crossing for the day, we use Native’s Way shuttle service to get our stamp.
For $65.00/per person, we meet the shuttle at 7:00 am at an agreed location near our home. There have been anywhere from 5-20 people on our trips on the shuttle. We arrive at the border late morning. The guide takes our passports, leads us through the border check in Nicaragua, walks us outside, back around the building, and back into Costa Rica for our stamp. We arrive back at the location we started at 2:00 pm the same day.
We thoroughly enjoy the experience, make friends, and feel safe. Driving to the border on our own, jockeying for position with the buses full of people who also want to cross, and knowing what to do on our own isn’t what we want to do. So, for $130, we go with an expert.
For $65.00/per person, we meet the shuttle at 7:00 am at an agreed location near our home. There have been anywhere from 5-20 people on our trips on the shuttle. We arrive at the border late morning. The guide takes our passports, leads us through the border check in Nicaragua, walks us outside, back around the building, and back into Costa Rica for our stamp. We arrive back at the location we started at 2:00 pm the same day.
We thoroughly enjoy the experience, make friends, and feel safe. Driving to the border on our own, jockeying for position with the buses full of people who also want to cross, and knowing what to do on our own isn’t what we want to do. So, for $130, we go with an expert.
Applying for residency
If you’re considering applying for residency and you want to know the ways you can do so, how
long it takes, and the steps involved, check out these links:
*NOTE—A point of confusion for many
If you have officially started your application for residency, you don’t have to do border runs
while awaiting your final resident status. However, once you become a resident, you still have to do border runs if you want to keep your driver’s license from your home country and don’t have a Costa Rican driver’s license. The only way to not have to do border runs once you are a resident is to get a Costa Rican
driver’s license.
However, having a Costa Rican license does not mean you have to give up your home country's DL. You can have both. So, if you want to become a Costa Rican resident, keep in mind that border runs will continue unless you also get a Costa Rican DL. If you don’t want to get a Costa Rican DL, you can’t drive legally in the country.
However, having a Costa Rican license does not mean you have to give up your home country's DL. You can have both. So, if you want to become a Costa Rican resident, keep in mind that border runs will continue unless you also get a Costa Rican DL. If you don’t want to get a Costa Rican DL, you can’t drive legally in the country.
A final thought
Applying for residency takes money, time, and some effort. While deciding if you want to go that route, you can stay in this beautiful country on a tourist visa. But remember, you must leave every 90 days to maintain your tourist visa legally.
Many others, just like you, are living in Costa Rica, doing border runs, deciding if applying for residency is for them or in the midst of the application. No matter what, while being here, you aren’t alone in your quest to stay and enjoy the Pura Vida spirit!
Many others, just like you, are living in Costa Rica, doing border runs, deciding if applying for residency is for them or in the midst of the application. No matter what, while being here, you aren’t alone in your quest to stay and enjoy the Pura Vida spirit!
Pura Vida! 🌺
Jeanne
