U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica limits services due to COVID-19 crisis

The United States Embassy in Costa Rica is reducing its services as both countries  respond to the coronavirus crisis.

Below is the U.S. Embassy’s message in full:

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Due to countrywide travel restrictions routine consular services will not be offered on Wednesday, April 8 and the U.S. Embassy will be closed Thursday April 9 – Monday April 13, due to observance of local holidays. If you have an emergency requiring Consular assistance, please call +506-2519 2000 or visit our embassy website at https://cr.usembassy.gov/

Current Status of Passport Applications for Overseas Posts

Because of public health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, effective March 20, 2020, the U.S Department of State began limiting its passport operations. Effective April 2, we have further limited our ability to offer routine passport and citizenship services overseas.

For U.S. citizens in the United States, we are only able to offer in-person service at domestic passport agencies or centers for customers with a qualified life-or-death emergency and who need a passport for immediate international travel within 72 hours.

For American Citizen Services in your country, please contact the nearest embassy or consulate.

In an emergency, our embassies/consulates can assist with an emergency passport for an adult or a minor. If you have not received your Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA), an emergency passport may be issued by your nearest embassy/consulate.

We encourage you to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive the latest updates in your country, as well as the days and hours of American Citizen Services and possible evacuation plans.

If you have previously applied for a passport or citizenship service, you should expect significant delays receiving your passport and your citizenship evidence documents. Contact your nearest embassy or consulate to check on the status of your passport or citizenship document such as a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA). Please consider waiting to apply until we resume normal operations.

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U.S. citizens needing a flight back to their home country should contact the Embassy. U.S.-based airlines aren’t expected to resume operations to Costa Rica until at least May.

For more information, visit the U.S. Embassy’s website.