Surfing Playa Grande

We all have heard those horror stories of when someone’s passport is either lost or stolen. I have had first hand experience of this situation happen to my cousin when he was here for a visit in July. My cousin had his backpack stolen when he left it in the car, which of course had his passport in it. As the number one rule while visiting Costa Rica, never leave anything behind in a vehicle. Our car was broken into and his backpack was stolen from the trunk. Here are a few steps you need to take if this happens or you loose your passport. The first thing to do is get a hold of the authorities. With our case the Tourism Police were the ones we had to contact. If you don’t know who to call or don’t have a number go to a restaurant, hotel or store where someone can help you . You will need to file a report with the police. You also need to contact the U.S. Embassy immediately as well. Unfortunately no matter what anyone tells you, a trip to San Jose is required. This can change your travel plans as a trip to the U.S. Embassy can take a day or two. As we made our trip to San Jose finding the Embassy can be frustrating. Here are directions on how you can get to the embassy in San Jose with easy landmarks to identify.

Directions

Head toward Liberia and take a right turn at the busy intersection with the stop lights, here you will see Burger King and McDonald’s. Once you take a right you are now traveling on the Panamerica Highway ( Highway 1) this will take you all the way to San Jose. Once you arrive into San Jose you want to continue on Highway 1 past the airport (right hand side), drive about 15 minutes and you will pass a Best Western (on left hand side), shortly after you will see a sign for a street named Sabana Norte. This is the first stop light you will see. Take a right here. A huge recreational park will be on the left hand side, this is also were they are building the new soccer stadium. You will soon approach another stop light; this is at a “Y” intersection. You want to take a left here, there is a big Scotia Bank located at this intersection. After your left you want to take a right at the next stop light. Even though street names are hard to find, the name of the street is called Rohmoser. Follow this street for about a mile or two and the U.S. Embassy is located on the right hand side. You can’t miss it as it takes up one entire block and there are tons of U.S. Flags. Be aware that you have to park across the street and head in towards the front of the building, there will be guards there to direct you on where to go.

Once You Arrive

Before you go into the building, you need two photos of yourself. There is a Fuji Film store located across the street. Do this first as you will waste your time by waiting in line in the Embassy then once you get to the counter you will be turned back since you need your photo taken for the new passport. The process of getting another temporary passport is between 1-2 hours depending on the lines. Make sure you have a copy of the police report as they need this as proof of evidence. The cost for a temp passport is $100 as well.

U.S. Embassy Information in Costa Rica

Location: At the intersection of Avenida Central and Calle 120 in the Pavas Section of San José, Costa Rica.
Street Address: Calle 120 Avenida 0, Pavas, San José, Costa Rica
Local Mailing Address: 920-1200 San José, Costa Rica
U.S. Mailing Address: US Embassy San Jose, APO AA 34020

Telephone: [506] 2519-2000 From the U.S.: 011-506-2519-2000

After Hours/Emergencies: [506] 2519-2280 or [506] 2519-2279
From the U.S.: 011-506-2519-2280 or 011-506-2519-2279

Embassy Fax: [506] 2519-2305 From the U.S.: 011-506-2519-2305

Consular Fax: [506] 2220-2455 From the U.S.