Costa Rica Expertise LLC

Ticos have to wrestle with 55-year-old law

By Garland M. Baker
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

A trip to the U. S. Embassy before Semana Santa proved very interesting and enlightening. The visit shed light on a long-standing irritation for Costa Ricans.

An expat asked an embassy worker how he could expedite his Tica girlfriend’s tourist visa application so she would not have to wait in line. There were at least 100 visa applicants waiting to speak with a consular officer that morning. The embassy worker asked him if he wanted to speak with a senior consular officer. He said yes and sat down to wait.

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By Garland M. Baker
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

Immigration law in Costa Rica is currently a circus. People's tempers are raging.

Immigration employees do not know the answers to questions. If one is lucky enough to get an appointment, it could be so far into the future one seriously wonders if he is going to be around to use it. There is a moratorium on renewing foreigner identification cards until July because the renewal system has disintegrated.

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The Hot Dog Kid likes Gallo Pinto, too!

By Garland M. Baker
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

Many well wishers at this year’s Fourth of July celebration offered congratulatory comments regarding my article published in A.M. Costa Rica June 20 titled “Those who choose citizenship have long road.”

One such person asked me what I was going to do about the Acts or Conditions section on the DS-82 application form for U.S. passport renewal? How was I going to answer the question when it came time to renew my passport?

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Dual citizens are torn by mixed loyalties

By Garland M. Baker
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

Becoming a citizen of Costa Rica is a long, tedious road.

The process is slow and requires patience. Filling out the forms is easy enough, but every document presented to el Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones or Supreme Court of Elections is put under a microscope to see if one qualifies. The mere misspelling of a word or name in any document can put the process on hold for months or years.

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