The General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners (DGME) rolled out new guidelines for visas and entry this month, aiming to streamline processes while tightening certain exemptions. The changes affect how foreign nationals from various countries plan their trips, with adjustments to visa exemptions and validity periods. Officials say the revisions respond to ongoing global travel …

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Costa Rica and El Salvador have taken a key step in modernizing public health by issuing the first digital yellow fever vaccination certificates in the Americas. This move, backed by the Inter-American Development Bank and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), sets the region ahead in adopting secure digital tools for health records. The certificates …

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Nicaraguan authorities have released Yerri Estrada, a 30-year-old doctor with dual Costa Rican and Nicaraguan citizenship, from prison after holding him in forced disappearance for three months. The Ortega-Murillo government moved him to house arrest in León, according to the Legal Defense Unit. Estrada’s case drew attention from Costa Rica and the United States, where …

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Costa Rica’s telecommunications regulator forecasts that satellite internet connections will hit 40,000 by 2030, with Starlink leading the charge. The Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (Sutel) released this projection amid a surge in demand for high-speed access in remote areas. As of June 2025, the country recorded 26,928 satellite internet subscriptions. Starlink, operated by SpaceX, accounts for …

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Washington’s designation of an alleged Venezuelan cartel as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) takes effect on Monday, opening the door to new forms of US pressure on President Nicolas Maduro. The FTO list, which includes Islamist groups, separatists, guerrillas, and more recently, gangs and drug organizations from Mexico and Colombia, is overseen by the State …

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Costa Rica’s tourism industry is under pressure yet again as the US dollar exchange rate on the Monex market dropped to ₡498 last Friday marking its lowest point since 2014. This shift points to a stronger colon, which raises costs for international visitors and threatens growth in an industry central to the nation’s economy. The …

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Six airlines cancelled their routes with Venezuela on Saturday, after the United States warned civil aviation about an “increase in military activity” amid the deployment of US forces in the Caribbean, the airlines’ association said. Spanish carrier Iberia, Portugal’s TAP, Colombia’s Avianca, Trinidad and Tobago’s Caribbean Airlines, Brazil’s GOL and Chile’s Latam cancelled their operations, …

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People across the world today mark National Espresso Day (yes, it has its own day), recognizing the quick, strong coffee pull that originated in Italy more than a century ago. Here in Costa Rica, where coffee forms the backbone of our economy and daily routines, the date is a good excuse to look at how …

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A 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit off Costa Rica’s Pacific coast on Saturday afternoon, according to Oviscori. The tremor occurred at 12:41 p.m. local time, centered at 8.76 degrees north latitude and 84.19 degrees west longitude, about 81 kilometers southwest of San Isidro in Puntarenas province. It struck at a depth of 10 kilometers. Residents in the …

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Travelers passing through Juan Santamaría International Airport now have a direct way to step into Costa Rica’s cultural roots with the launch of the Alajuela City Tour. AERIS, the airport’s operator, introduced this initiative to bridge the gap between the terminal and the surrounding city, turning layovers into opportunities for discovery. The tour starts right …

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