Digital Migratory System Replaces Paper Forms at Costa Rica’s Airports and Borders

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That annoying paper you are always given to fill out while trying to sleep on your flight or bus back to Costa Rica may be a thing of the past.

The Costa Rican General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners announced a pilot test of a digital system that will take the place of the paper forms travelers have had to fill out by hand when exiting or entering the country.

For the average traveler, what the change means is less hassle and possibly a quicker check-in.

As of last night, travelers aren’t required to fill out a form with personal information when they get in line for flights at the Alajuela or Liberia airport, or when leaving by bus or ship.

Instead, once travelers have their boarding pass and head to security, the immigration officers situated at the entrance to security will scan their passport and may ask some clarifying questions.

The passport scan prior to leaving Costa Rica was previously done by airline staff who then needed to spend extra time checking passport data against hand-written forms. However, airline staff did not have access to information on migratory restrictions on travelers as they were not connected to immigration databases.

There appear to many pluses for travelers to the new system. The system is being piloted until early November when immigration officials hope any possible glitches will be detected and remedied and the digital system can become a permanent fixture at borders, ports, and airports, explained the immigration agency.

For example, another plus is that the process also allows those traveling with minors who were born in Costa Rica to skip having to first go to a separate immigration desk at the airport for the sign-off on traveling with kids. Parents still need to have their children’s exit permits in place prior to travel, which can be done directly at the immigration office in La Uruca.

But, those traveling with minors can now go straight to their airline check-in counter, get their boarding passes, and then have their children’s exit permits confirmed just before heading into security by the same immigration officers who check everyone’s passports and boarding passes.

Costa Rican immigration press officer, Zeidy Muñoz, explained that her agency has put a great deal of time and effort into upgrading their computer systems to allow for such digitization. The upgrade aims to provide travelers and airlines with a more efficient process, and also will eliminate time and paperwork for immigration officials.

In addition, a traveler who happens to have a restriction on their travel rights will be able to discuss this directly with the immigration officers stationed prior to entering security. They will be informed of their status and escorted to a special room where they can discuss their situation privately.

This means there won’t be any surprises for travelers once they have already boarded the plane, avoiding potential public embarrassment; and airlines can avoid unnecessary delays due to shuffling through the paper forms to corroborate information on any passengers with restrictions and then escorting them to immigration, which has been a problem on occasion in the past.

The process for entering and exiting Costa Rica will be simplified by this new pilot system that streamlines migratory controls.

The only change travelers may experience upon leaving the country is that now immigration officers may ask clarifying questions about the purpose of your trip, your destination, and other pertinent information that will be added to your digital record, whereas previously they simply checked your documents manually.

 

 

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