No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsExpat LivingJuan Santamaría International Airport at a crawl with stricter passport checks

Juan Santamaría International Airport at a crawl with stricter passport checks

This might be the one time when it really doesn’t matter which line you’re in at the airport, none of them are moving.

Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaría International Airport was choked with lines of passengers on their way in and out of the country Friday as the Immigration Administration reportedly implemented stricter passport controls following news that a Syrian woman entered Costa Rica with a fake Greek passport Tuesday.

The movement of Syrians has come under additional scrutiny following the Paris attacks launched by Syria-linked jihadists.

Exasperated tourists waited in lines for hours Friday after authorities required all travelers to have their passports checked twice regardless if they were entering or leaving the country. Both the name and the passport number of travelers was being checked.

https://twitter.com/JasonSibajaV/status/667804151246548992/photo/1

Immigration Administration Director Kathya Rodríguez told the radio program Nuestra Voz Friday that she had ordered airports and land ports of entry to double down on enforcement “even though it takes more time,” news website AmeliaRueda.com reported. The website reported Friday afternoon that some travelers waited up to four hours passing through the tightened controls at the airport.

There are no plans to hire additional staff, Immigration Administration spokeswoman Andrea Quesada told the daily La Nación. But customs officers will receive additional training, Quesada said.

In addition to the Syrian woman arrested in Costa Rica on Thursday, five Syrians traveling with falsified Greek passports were arrested in Honduras on Wednesday.

Trending Now

Salvadorans Protest Bukele’s Policies in May Day March

Thousands of Salvadorans marched through the capital on May 1 to denounce what they called democratic setbacks under President Nayib Bukele and to demand...

Costa Rica Warns Fuel and Food Prices May Rise From Middle East Shock

Costa Rican consumers are expected to begin feeling the first effects of the inflationary shock linked to the conflict in the Middle East starting...

Costa Rica Weather Forecast Calls for Heavier Afternoon Storms This Week

Costa Rica will see warm mornings and stormy afternoons this week as Caribbean moisture moves across our country and helps fuel early rainy-season weather...

Costa Rica Expands Marine Conservation Payments to Protect Hammerhead Sharks

Costa Rica is moving to expand its payment-based conservation model into open-water marine protection, with a new program being designed to reward the protection...

Costa Rica Drivers Face Delays Near Tarcoles Bridge

Drivers heading between Costa Rica’s Central Valley and the Central Pacific should prepare for delays this week as the Tárcoles bridge on Route 34...

Costa Rica Named in U.S. Legal Fight Involving Former San Antonio Spurs Owner

Costa Rica has been pulled into a high-profile legal dispute in Texas involving Peter M. Holt, the former controlling owner of the San Antonio...
Loading…

Latest News from Costa Rica

Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Travel