Application for Refuge

Article 106 of the General Immigration Law No. 8764 establishes:

“Article 106. The recognition of refugee status shall be subject to the rules stipulated in the international instruments approved, ratified and in force by the Government of Costa Rica on the matter.  For the purposes of this Law, the term refugee shall be applied to any foreign person who is recognized as such by the General Directorate. 

A refugee shall be understood as a person who:

1. Due to well-founded fears of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, gender, belonging to a certain group or political opinions, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, because of such fears, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of such country.
2. Lacking nationality and being outside the country, where he previously had his habitual residence, he is unable or, because of such fears, unwilling to return to it.”

The person requesting refuge must comply with the conditions indicated above, since this is a condition of international protection, and not a process of migratory regularization per se.

“Article 14.- An applicant for refugee status shall be understood as a person who has filed an application for international protection as a refugee in Costa Rican territory. Due to the declaratory nature of the refugee status, the applicant shall enjoy protection against refoulement and the same guarantees as a recognized refugee person, until such time as his application has been resolved.” Article 14 of the Regulations for Refugees, Executive Decree number 36831-G.

Refuge Subprocess: First time refugee claim appointments

There is no deadline to apply for refugee status, you can apply for refugee status regardless of the length of your stay in the country.

Make your appointment: 

Visit the web appointment portal: www.migracion.go.cr

• Call Migration Call Center: 1311 (option 2, then option 1)

• Verify and note the time and day to request the appointment: Appointments will be enabled the previous business day from 8 am and until quotas are exhausted (100 quotas per day):

1. Monday appointments are available on Friday.

2. Appointments on Tuesday will be available on Monday.

3. Appointments on Wednesday will be available on Tuesday.

To update the shelter card at the Ciudad Quesada and Paso Canoas Shelter Unit, appointments are not required to change from the current work permit card to the current work permit card.

Exit authorizations

Persons recognized as refugees shall not require any authorization to leave the country, as long as it is not to their country of origin.

Exception: In the case of travel for reasons of extreme and unforeseeable emergency to the country that caused the refugee, whether it is the country of origin of the refugee or not, permission must be requested to the Refugee Unit, at least ten working days in advance, by sending an email to refugio@migracion.go.cr, along with a photograph of the refugee and a note with his/her signature.

DGME has 8 working days to respond to this request.

The request must explain the reasons for the trip, for its respective evaluation by the Shelter Unit.
The request does not guarantee permission, so the refugee must wait for the corresponding resolution to be notified.
If the refugee leaves the country without the respective permit, the process of cancellation of his/her refugee status will be initiated.
If for any reason you wish or need to withdraw your refugee application or renounce your refugee status, you must submit the corresponding form, which can be downloaded by clicking on the following link.

Work permit

1. Applications processed at the Shelter Unit must be handled directly at the Shelter Unit or at the offices set up for such purposes by this Directorate General, by appointment in accordance with the service provisions established for such purpose.

2. The presentation of documents for the fulfillment of preventions or the presentation of appeals must be made within the term indicated in articles 199 and 225, respectively, of Law No. 8764, at the respective office.

3. Only those refugee applicants who have submitted their request for international protection under the terms of numeral 14 of the Regulations for Refugees, Executive Decree No. 36831-G, and whose request has not been resolved within a period of three months from the formalization of the same, may opt for this work permit.

4. All persons who opt for a work permit shall be subject to verification that they do not have a criminal record in Costa Rica or in any other country, by means of a comparison in the national or international judicial information databases, with the objective of guaranteeing national security and the productive development of the country.

5. The work permit may be authorized for up to two years, and may be renewed for identical periods. If the Administration resolves the request for refuge filed by the person prior to the expiration of the document accrediting the work authorization, the same shall be automatically cancelled, without the need for the Administration to issue a resolution to that effect. 

6. To obtain the work permit, the applicant must present himself/herself at the Shelter Unit or the regional offices authorized for this purpose, by appointment processed according to the provisions issued by this Directorate General, with the following requirements:

6.1 Current proof of their affiliation to the insurance of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund.

6.2 Refuge applicant's card.

7. If the foreigner does not present all the requirements, the work permit will not be authorized.

8. The renewal of the work permit can only be done as long as the Administration has not resolved the refugee application, for this, the foreigner applicant for refugee who intends to renew the work permit, must carry out the process within ninety days after the expiration of the card, if this process is not carried out within the period indicated, the work permit authorization will be considered terminated, without the need to carry out a cancellation process or issue a resolution in that sense.

9. For the renewal, the applicant must present the same requirements as indicated in *section 4 of this section*.

If the user does not present all the requirements on the spot, the work permit will not be renewed and the work authorization will be considered terminated.

Stateless person

A stateless person is a person who is not considered as a national by any State, according to the legislation of that country.

It corresponds to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship the determination of statelessness.

The General Directorate of Migration and Aliens will proceed to the documentation of stateless persons on the basis and upon presentation of the resolution issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

With this documentation they will be able to exercise any type of remunerated or lucrative labor relationship on their own account or in a dependent relationship in strict compliance with the provisions of the legal system.

All services offered by the General Directorate of Immigration and Foreigners are free of charge, you only pay the taxes established by law.

Go only to the personnel duly identified to consult about requirements, appointments and attention quotas.

IMPORTANT NOTES

• Stateless persons may perform paid work.

• A tax stamp of ¢20 colones and an archival stamp of ¢5 colones must be affixed to each photocopy of an original document submitted to an official. For this payment you must go through the appraisal process, so click here to know the process: Payment of the fiscal species.pdf Link of Banco de Costa Rica: Appraisal Fixed Amounts

• The application must be submitted at the regional offices or at the Service Platform of the Central Immigration Offices, from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. from Monday to Friday.

• The affiliation form can be obtained from this link on the website.

• Requirements to present for the request of Documentation

• Affiliation form duly completed; printed, legible and signed. - Letter from the foreign person requesting the special category.

• Resolution issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship, declaring him/her as a stateless person.

• Two passport size photographs, front view and recent date of the foreigner.

Asylee Person

A foreign person persecuted in his country for political or related crimes, as defined by human rights conventions and international treaties ratified by Costa Rica, who has been granted asylum in the national territory, is considered an asylum seeker.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship is responsible for determining the asylum status.

The General Directorate of Migration and Alien Affairs will proceed to the documentation of asylum seekers on the basis and upon presentation of the resolution issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

With this documentation, they will be able to exercise any type of paid or lucrative labor relationship on their own account or in a dependent relationship in strict compliance with the provisions of the legal system.

All services offered by the General Directorate of Immigration and Foreigners are free of charge, only the taxes established by law must be paid.

Go only to the personnel duly identified to consult about requirements, appointments and attention quotas.

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IMPORTANT NOTES

The asylum seekers may perform paid work. A fiscal stamp of ¢20 colones and an archival stamp of ¢5 colones must be affixed to every photocopy of an original document confronted before an official. For this payment you must go through the appraisal process, so click here to know the process: Payment of the fiscal species.pdf Link of the Banco de Costa Rica: Appraisal Fixed Amounts. The application must be submitted at the regional offices or at the Service Platform of the Central Immigration Offices, from 8 a.m. to 12 noon from Monday to Friday. The affiliation form can be obtained from the website.

Requirements for the application 

1. Affiliation form duly completed; printed, legible and signed.

2. Letter from the foreign person requesting the special category.

3. Resolution issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship, declaring the foreigner as an asylum seeker.

4. Two passport size photographs, front view and recent date of the foreigner.

If a person with refugee status requests a change of category, this change will not imply the renunciation of the foreigner's refugee status, unless the foreigner expressly states so. 

Special Temporary Category for Nationals of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, in order to free up the refugee system. More details here.

Duration of the document:2 years according to technical criteria. 

More details here.

More information here.

Hours of operation: Monday to Friday from 8:00 am - 3:00 pm.