Visiting Costa Rica with Children - Bring Permission to Leave
Costa Rica as a government has in the last few years worked to improve its processes in preventing child abductions. This is obviously a good thing! The primary target of Costa Rica law is men leaving the country with minor children.
Entry into Costa Rica as a male with a minor child or children is not an issue. However, when a male attempts to leave Costa Rica with a minor the authorities will often challenge for adequate proof that the mother has granted permission for the minor to travel with the person on that specific travel date.
As a full-time father living here in Costa Rica, ensuring I could enter and most importantly exit Costa Rica with my child was a priority prior to my move. Now that my 12 year old daughter from a previous marriage is set to visit me and my son here in Costa Rica during her U.S. Summer vacation … it was again a priority to ensure proper documentation is brought so that parental rights and permission to travel are clearly established.
For these reasons, I recommend any adult have the following documentation on hand for each minor child traveling to Costa Rica:
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Passport - current/valid.
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Birth Certificate - original.
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Best if authenticated by both the issuing State's Secretary of State and regional Costa Rica Consulate.
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Letter of Consent for International Travel - original & notarized less than 30 days prior to travel.
(click here for a sample Letter of Consent)-
Consent should be from both parents establishing permission to travel with a certain person(s) for specific destinations on specified dates.
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An English and Spanish version is always a good idea when traveling to Costa Rica or any other Spanish speaking country.
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Best if authenticated by both the issuing State's Secretary of State and regional Costa Rica Consulate.
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Having the Birth Certificate and Letter of Consent establishes both the identity of the parents as well as the permission to travel. Even if the minor is traveling to Costa Rica with both parents, I recommend these documents ... just in case one parent does not accompany the other at the time of exit (ie: unexpected delay, illness, one parent must return home to attend to business or family matters, etc.).
The father of a native/naturalized Costa Rica minor can obtain permanent permission to travel outside of Costa Rica with his child or children by obtaining a 'Permission to Leave with Minor Child' or "Permiso de Salida de Personas Menores de Edad" issued by the Costa Rica Ministerio de Gobernación y Policia's Dirección General de Migración y Extranjeria, Departamento de Migraciones / Gestión Subproceso de Personas Menores ... or 'Immigration' for short ;o)
In order to obtain this permanent 'permission' designation, a legal document must be drafted by a Costa Rica attorney. Then both the mother and father must present the document to Costa Rica Migración for review and approval.
"Permiso de Salida de Personas Menores de Edad"
passport stamp available to native
and naturalized Costa Rica minor children
for permanent exit travel with their fathers.
a) Costa Rican minors under the age of 18 (even if they have dual citizenship)
b) Foreign minors under the age of 18 that hold a Costa Rican residency, be it temporary or permanent, or who are either students, refugees or stateless.
Important: These changes do NOT apply to non-Costa Rica natives or residents (ie: visitors refer to the original information provided at the top of this entry).
The main change in this new regulation is that the process to obtain the exit permit must be performed in person, by both parents of either native or resident Costa Rica children. Previously this could be done by a third party via a special authorization provided by the parents. Because of this change (the lawyer) can only provide assistance in collecting the necessary documentation to apply for the permit and may also accompany the parents to help them through the process.
In order to get the exit permit you need to provide the following documentation:
- Child´s birth certificate. If Costa Rican, original certificate issued by the Registro Civil. If the child was not borne in Costa Rica, the notarized copy of the birth certificate used to apply for the residency card.
- 2 passport size photos of the child
- Original and copies of the parents residency cards if foreigners or cedulas if Costa Rican."
Once approved, the "Permiso de Salida" is entered into the Costa Rica Migración computers as well as stamped into the minor's Costa Rica passport. With this permanent 'permission' established, a father can exit Costa Rica with the child without the mother being present or needing to grant trip specific permission. Again, this option is only available for native/naturalized Costa Rica minor children.
Parents with sole custody that cannot locate the other parent or those that will have regular Costa Rica travel with a minor child that is not a Costa Rica citizen should contact the Costa Rica Consulate and/or a Costa Rica attorney for specific requirements given their exact situation.
It is my hope that all travelers with minor children enjoy the many wonders that Costa Rica has to offer ... knowing that only authorized family representatives can exit the country with those same children that just had the opportunity to experience some !Pura Vida!
Categories: Travel in Costa Rica, Residency in Costa Rica, Kids in Costa Rica, Airline Travel to Costa Rica, Laws in Costa Rica, Legal Matters in Costa Rica, Life in Costa Rica, Government of Costa Rica, Costa Rica Consulate, Vacation in Costa Rica, Security in Costa Rica, Authenticating Documents for Costa Rica, Immigration in Costa Rica, Moving To Costa Rica, Non-Residency Issues in Costa Rica, Passport Topics, Tourism in Costa Rica, Crime in Costa Rica, Travel to Costa Rica, Attorneys in Costa Rica
Thanks Bill..great info.
My question is if you are in CR and your ex is in the US, do you both sign the form and your ex notarizes it on her own in the US (or vice versa)?
My hubby and I will be in a similar situation for 1-2 years till he is able to relocate and I will be traveling by myself most of the time from CR to the US
Besem
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Hi Besem,
The Costa Rica law is targeted at males leaving the country with a minor child … but I would not take this as an absolute being as things change constantly.
In my personal situation, my ex in the U.S. will complete and have notarized the Permission to Travel for my minor child so that my daughter can travel to and exit Costa Rica without issue. We will do this for each in-frequent trip until my daughter is no longer a minor.
In your situation, the extended absence of one parent necessitates ‘custody’ rights be established for the custodial parent (ie: decisions regarding; education, health care, emergency medical procedures, etc.). I would have an attorney draft ‘custody’ documents that include “permanent” rights to make these important decisions including travel without the per-incident permission of the other parent.
If the document is drafted outside Costa Rica, it will need to be officially translated and notarized by an attorney here in Costa Rica to have the desired legal effect. Vice-versa if the document is completed here and you are wanting similar legal status in the U.S.
Please re-contact me if you have any further questions!
P.S.: Let me know if you need the name/contact information of a reputable Costa Rica attorney.
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Thanks a lot Bill-We really appreciate all this info and yes, we would like the name/contact of a reputable attorney..
Besem
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