No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveCan Seniors Get Help To Renew Residency Papers?

Can Seniors Get Help To Renew Residency Papers?

Last year, in going to Costa Rican Immigration for the annual renewal of my residency cédula (identification card), I waited the normal one and a half hours to be given an appointment date two months later. Arriving on time at the 10 a.m. scheduled appointment time, I found myself waiting along with hundreds of other seniors, many 70 plus, several in poor health, for six hours mostly standing because of a lack of enough seats.

After 15 years of living here I have learned to expect and nearly accept long lines and waits as Ticos do, but for many of us seniors this is a great physical hardship. Is there any a provision or agency to assist seniors or the infirm in the renewal of pensionado (retiree) or residency cédulas?

Alan Currier

Sabanilla de Montes de Oca,

San José

Immigration has a special line for seniors, pregnant women and people with handicaps, Immigration spokeswoman Heidy Bonilla told The Tico Times.

While the main waiting area is equipped with chairs, these often fill up, especially lately, with the restructuring of Immigration’s foreign section. This has initially brought difficulties and delays but will eventually make the process of renewing residency permits much faster, according to Bonilla.

All foreign residents will obtain a new residency card that looks much like Costa Ricans’ identification card next time they renew their cédula (TT, April 21).

Renewals after that will no longer require stamps, signatures and seals, because Immigration officials will just swipe the card through a machine to update the information contained in its metallic band, a procedure that should take two minutes, Bonilla said.

However, it could take officials some time to master the new system, which is producing delays right now because upgrading from the old permits to the new cards requires taking residents’ digital photos and fingerprints, she said.

Bonilla explained it could be months before Immigration officials get used to the new equipment and reach maximum efficiency.

For personalized help renewing your residency paperwork, you might try the Residents’ Association of Costa Rica. The association assists its members in obtaining or renewing residency permits by hiring lawyers whose assistants can wait in line for clients at Immigration.

According to Anabelle Zumbado, a customer service agent at the association, members can avoid standing in line throughout the process except to pick up the cédula, which must be done in person.

Residents may join the association by paying a $50 membership fee and can submit their information online, at www.arcr.net. For more information, call 233-8068.

 

Trending Now

Chiquita Brands Leaves Panama Amid Protests, Talks Underway to Resume

Laid-off workers from the U.S.-based banana company Chiquita Brands said on Monday that they are hoping for the company’s return to Panama, after it...

A Costa Rica Love Story: From Rustic Cabina to Separate Dreams

My Tica wife and I have been together for over a quarter century. When we met, I was living a simple life here. Three...

Costa Rica and U.S. Strengthen Border Scans and Biometric Cooperation

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem met Wednesday with Honduran President Xiomara Castro to discuss security and migration, following her offer in Costa...

Costa Rica Maintains Economic Stability Amid Global Tensions

Costa Rica is holding steady economically despite global tensions sparked by conflicts involving Israel, the United States, and Iran, according to Federico Quesada Chaves,...

Guatemala Offers Asylum to Nicaraguan Migrants Deported by U.S.

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo announced on Friday that his country will grant asylum to Nicaraguan migrants deported by the United States who do not...

Life After MS-13 in El Salvador as Residents Seek a Fragile Peace

Esperanza Martinez lost three relatives who were murdered and saw numerous bodies left in the streets of her neighborhood, a former stronghold of the...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica