Immigration offices to close for 3 weeks

IMPACT – HIGH

What is the change? Costa Rica’s government immigration offices will close for an extended period of time for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

What does the change mean? The offices celebrate an extended holiday period, lasting more than three weeks in December and January. Applicants should plan for the closures from Dec. 15 to Jan. 8.

• Implementation time frame: Dec. 15 to Jan. 8
• Visas/permits affected: All immigration-related services.
• Impact on processing times: Processing times will be longer and a backlog of cases may develop immediately following the resumption of business when offices reopen in January.
• Business impact: Travelers should factor in the closures as well as longer wait times and limited visa appointments when estimating processing times and planning business schedules.

BAL Analysis: Applicants should plan to file any time-sensitive applications as early as possible before the closures to avoid additional delays.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group. For additional information, please contact your BAL attorney.

Copyright © 2016 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries please contact copyright@bal.com.