org news

If you are flying out of San José today, leave for the airport far earlier than you normally would. A failure in the judicial branch computer systems that immigration officers depend on has forced the San Jose Airport into manual passport processing, and the backlog has already cost travelers their flights. The Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería confirmed on Saturday afternoon that the disruption forced the outright cancellation of one flight. A further 36 passengers missed a JetBlue departure. The problem was first reported around midday and worsened as the afternoon went on, with long lines forming inside the terminal while officers fell back on the physical entry and exit card protocol. In case you are wondering, here is why that slows everything down. When you pass through immigration on your way in or out of Costa Rica, the officer does not simply stamp your passport. Your details are run against databases held by the Poder Judicial, which flag court-ordered tra...

Chris Hemsworth has shared frightening footage from a small-plane flight during his family vacation in Costa Rica, showing lightning flashing outside the aircraft as heavy turbulence shakes the cabin. The sequence appears in a five-minute video posted on the Australian actor’s YouTube channel. Hemsworth films the cockpit and dark storm clouds before several large flashes illuminate the sky around the aircraft. He then turns the camera toward himself with a visibly alarmed expression. Text added to the video describes the experience as a “life-threatening plane ride,” while Hemsworth called it a “crazy plane ride through the lightning” in the video description. The aircraft landed safely, and no injuries were reported. Hemsworth did not identify the airline, flight operator, route or type of aircraft involved. The footage also does not make clear whether his wife, Spanish actress Elsa Pataky, or their three children were aboard during the stormy flight. They appear throughout ...

When people think about buying or selling property in Costa Rica today, they often picture property portals, real estate agents, Realtors and international buyers searching online for their dream home. But that isn’t how Costa Rica built its property market. For generations, Costa Ricans sold property through their communities. A simple “Se Vende” sign outside the gate. A conversation with a neighbour. A recommendation from a friend. Trusted lawyers handling the legal side of the sale. It wasn’t unusual. It was simply the Costa Rican way. As Costa Rica became one of the world’s most desirable places to live, retire and invest, the property market naturally evolved. International buyers needed guidance through an unfamiliar legal process, language and culture, and real estate agents and Realtors became an important part of helping people buy property in Costa Rica with confidence. For many homeowners, that remains exactly the right choice. But somewhere along the wa...

If you have a Guanacaste trip on the calendar, the update that landed yesterday changes what you pack, not whether you go. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention refreshed its Costa Rica chikungunya notice on July 30, keeping it in place and describing an outbreak in northwest Costa Rica. The advice attached to it is one line long: protect yourself by preventing mosquito bites. The designation itself has not moved. It has been at Level 2 since the U.S. Embassy issued its own alert in mid-July, and it is still there. What a refresh signals is that the agency looked again and left the rung where it was. Understanding that rung is the useful part, because the number does a lot of work in headlines and almost none in practice. Level 2 is what the agency labels Practice Enhanced Precautions. It is the second rung on a four-step ladder. Level 3 asks travelers to reconsider nonessential trips. Level 4 tells them to stay away. Level 2 does neither. It does not restrict t...

A shell picked up on a beach walk, a piece of coral, a seed pod, a carved trinket bought from a roadside stand — any of them can stop you at the airport and, in some cases, put your name into a criminal file before you fly home. Costa Rican authorities have started a public information campaign, “What You Carry,” aimed squarely at travelers who pack natural objects without realizing the law treats them as protected wildlife. The campaign is being run by the Judiciary, with the Prosecutor’s Office, forensic specialists from the Judicial Investigation Agency ( OIJ ) and airport operator Aeris taking part. Campaign material is set to appear at airports, at tourist destinations around the country and online. According to the Judiciary, foreign visitors are regularly stopped on their way out of Costa Rica carrying flora or fauna they did not know was restricted. The list is broader than most people expect. Shells, snail shells, coral, sand dollars, starfish, beach...

More than 500 people and organizations, among them three former presidents of Costa Rica and Panama, have signed a public statement demanding that the Costa Rican state guarantee decent living, working and social protection conditions for the Ngäbe-Buglé workers who pick coffee each year. The Kioscos Socioambientales program at the University of Costa Rica, which coordinated the effort, reported 512 signatures in all. They include roughly a hundred Indigenous, labor, community, feminist, coastal, environmental and social organizations from Costa Rica and Panama, along with academics, artists and professionals. Former Costa Rican presidents Abel Pacheco de la Espriella and Laura Chinchilla Miranda signed, as did former Panamanian president Ricardo de la Espriella Toral, who governed from 1982 to 1984. Writer Ana Cristina Rossi Lara, musician Manuel Obregón López and the bands Malpaís, Sonámbulo Psicotropical and Un Rojo Reggae Band are also among the signatories. The state...

Costa Rica’s Central Bank has lowered its economic growth forecast for 2026 as weaker exports, slower household demand and the expected effects of El Niño increase pressure on agriculture, electricity generation and consumer prices. The bank now expects the Costa Rican economy to grow 3.4% this year, down from the 3.5% forecast issued in April and the 3.8% projected in January. Growth is expected to reach 3.5% in 2027, also one-tenth of a percentage point below the previous estimate. The revision does not point to a recession, but it confirms that the economy is losing momentum after expanding 4.6% in 2025. Economic growth slowed from 4% during the first quarter of this year to 3.4% in the second quarter. Household spending and construction remain the main sources of support. Household consumption is forecast to grow 2.9% in 2026, while investment in buildings, equipment and other fixed assets is expected to rise 5.3%. Construction grew 8.9% year over year during the second ...