Obtain or Renew a Costa Rican Passport

The Costa Rican passport is processed through the Direccion General de Migracion y Extranjeria (DGME).

Proceso: 1. The procedure is by appointment only. You must go to the Migration online appointment portal and choose a date and location (Migration offices, Correos de Costa Rica, or Banco de Costa Rica, depending on availability). 2. Pay the issuance fees BEFORE the appointment, at Banco de Costa Rica (BCR), either in person or through the bank’s digital platform. 3. If the appointment is at a Correos de Costa Rica office or at BCR, you must bring an additional amount in cash on the day of the appointment. 4. For renewal: bring the current passport on the day of the appointment, along with a photocopy of the passport data page.

Costos (corrected after re‑verification — the total cost depends on where you process it, it is not a single fixed amount):

• Passport issuance fees: USD 75, plus ₡250 administrative charge. This base amount applies both to new applications and to renewal.
• Processing it directly at the Direccion General de Migracion (central office in La Uruca or regional offices) and picking it up there is the cheapest option, because no shipping fee is charged.
• Processing it through Banco de Costa Rica (BCR) adds a bank commission and shipping cost.
• Processing it at Correos de Costa Rica has a specific additional cost for that channel (approximately ₡8,203.5 + VAT according to the latest published rate) for the shipping service.
• Payment is made in colones, according to the BCR’s selling exchange rate on the day of the transaction.

Caso de menores de edad: the procedure must be done with both parents present, or with an authorized legal representative. If one parent cannot attend, a properly authenticated notarized permission is required.

Nota: for the exact list of documents required for each case (first‑time, renewal, lost/stolen passport, minors), check migracion.go.cr before scheduling the appointment, as the requirements may vary depending on the specific situation.