Costa Rica – Significant Delays for Temporary Residence Permits
Costa Rica is experiencing an influx of refugees from other Latin America countries that have submitted asylum applications to the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería. The intake of applications is now creating a delay in the processing of Temporary Residence Permits.
Temporary Residence Permits filed under the Recognized Company status are now experiencing a delay of about 2-4 weeks, combining to an overall processing time of 4-5 months. Companies should be aware of the additional time when sending employees to work in Costa Rica.
The procedure under the regular process is now experience delays from 1-3 months, combining to a total of 9-12 months to process the Temporary Residence Permit.
There is no significant effect in the processing time for Short Term work permit applications
Action Item
Employers should account for the extra time when sending workers to Costa Rica.