Facing deportation or forced return to Costa Rica

You and your family may have to return or be sent to Costa Rica, whether due to deportation or forced return. If you face this possibility, you should plan ahead to make the process as simple and safe as possible for you and your family.

Breathe. Know that your family and community are holding you in their thoughts and prayers, and it is your own inner strength that will get you through this difficult transition. Take good care.

1. General Cautions

To stay safe, make a friend on the bus or plane. Stay together to support each other.

Stay alert and calm. Blend in and comply with authority.

Avoid casual encounters on the street, including eye contact. Don't appear vulnerable, but don't appear overly confident either.

Although it is not common in Costa Rica to receive irregular requests for money, it is recommended to carry a moderate amount of cash in small-denomination bills to cover unexpected expenses. If someone asks you for an unjustified payment, seek guidance from a support organization or your consulate.

Keep contact information for your family in Costa Rica or your home country (and all documents proving your identity and deportation status) on your person, not in your bag.

Try to use cell phones offered by a trusted organization. If you come across a trusted organization or a public institution, you can ask to make a call. If you have a mobile phone, share your location with people you trust. Keep your family updated while you travel and use agreed-upon signals in case of danger.

There have been cases of scams, extortion, and kidnapping, so do everything you can to stay safe. Create a code word with your family to confirm your identity by phone or to verify that a request for money actually comes from you.

Avoid sharing information with strangers about yourself, your family, your route, and your destination. Do not accept offers of help in exchange for money. Reliable organizations will not charge you for services such as legal assistance, housing, or food.

Identify safe routes. Check migrant maps and support networks to find the least risky travel routes. Avoid traveling alone.

Never leave your children with strangers. Make sure your children are always with someone you trust.

If you need to take a taxi, look for an official taxi stand.

2. Know Your Rights:

All people, regardless of their country of origin, have the right to request information from authorities in Costa Rica. This includes information about where you are, the programs and support available to you, and how to access medical care.

You have the right not to suffer discrimination or violence because of your country of origin, skin color, language, or gender.

If you are the victim of a crime in Costa Rica, you have the right to report it to the authorities.

Agents and police must not touch you, detain you without cause, ask you for money, or threaten you.

You may refuse to be searched, or have your belongings searched, if the authorities do not have a court order.

3. As a Costa Rican Citizen or a Foreigner

There is no economic support program in Costa Rica for deported Costa Rican citizens.

At the airport, the International Organization for Migration provides guidance and assistance. It is the only organization present at those facilities.

If your home country is not Costa Rica and you were deported under the agreement between the United States and Costa Rica to deport third-country nationals, keep the following information in mind:

According to a ruling of Costa Rica's Constitutional Chamber on the normalization of immigration status: migrants do not enter Costa Rica under detention or deprivation of liberty. They enjoy free movement throughout Costa Rica under a temporary regular immigration status formally issued by the country's authorities while their final destination is determined.

Note: Even though this is a right ordered by Costa Rica's Constitutional Chamber, immigration authorities do not fully comply with this legal ruling regarding regular immigration status.

Upon being deported to Costa Rica you have the right to choose:

Asylum Application: Formally begin the application process before the Refugee Unit of the Immigration Department if you have well-founded fears of persecution in your home country. Refuge is an international protection that the Costa Rican State must provide to people who meet the criteria established in the regulations.

Criteria for Requesting Asylum in Costa Rica:

A person who, owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, gender, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of their nationality or residence, and is unable, or because of such fear unwilling, to avail themselves of the protection of that country. Or who, lacking a nationality and being outside the country where they previously had their habitual residence, is unable, or because of such fear unwilling, to return to it.

Important

The decision on your application may be positive or negative. If it is negative, you may file an appeal for reversal with a subsidiary appeal, within a maximum of three business days, which will allow your application to be reviewed again by the Restricted Visas and Refugee Commission; if the denial is confirmed, the case then goes to the Immigration Administrative Tribunal (a higher body) for review. If the decision is positive, you must pay the indicated fees (around $100) and register as a refugee.

Assisted Voluntary Return: Receive coordinated support to return to your home country safely and voluntarily, if you decide to do so. IOM offers assistance for this option.

Temporary Regularization: Apply to the temporary regular-stay programs for humanitarian reasons provided by Costa Rica

**Important: If you are from another country and were deported to Costa Rica, keep all your documents, including those issued by ICE when leaving the U.S. or upon arriving in Costa Rica, as you will need them to complete immigration procedures.

4. Obtaining Costa Rican Identity Documents:

To obtain a valid identity document, you need a birth certificate. If you did not obtain one at your consulate before leaving the U.S., you can get one online at: tse.go.cr under the section “Digital Certifications.” On that site you can also carry out other identity-document procedures useful for various paperwork. The full list is on the site.