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| Passport, Exit Tax, Entrance Stamps & Papers |
$10 USD Gas (4 people)
$7 USD Costa Rica Exit Tax
$12 USD Nicaragua Entrance Tax
$1 USD Nicaragua Municipality Tax
$1 USD Nicaragua Municipality Tax
$2 USD Nicaragua Exit Tax
Costa Rica Departure Tax - $7 USD
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| $7 USD exit tax machine |
Upon arrival at the Peñas Blancas, we pulled our car up to the tiny booth to the right where we pay for the departure tax. Many locals will come up to your car and hassle you or try to convince you that they can get you in and out of the border in 30 minutes or maybe even less if you pay them "whatever tip you want" and will also try to charge you for parking. We parked the car just outside the booths to pay our departure tax and moved the car to the left side of the fork where we entered, along the fence; there is no fee to park there and it is relatively safe as many people walk in and out of the area.
The departure tax should only be $7 USD but these booths with employees behind them charged us $8 USD each. They claim it to be an "adminitration fee" but $1 USD is still $1 USD too much, they just gained $4 USD extra from our group of 4 people.
*Note: We asked the immigration officials how much the departure tax was and he told us that the booth outside will charge $8USD but the departure tax is only $7USD. There is a machine that only takes Banco Nacional credit cards and you can save the $1 administration fee with this machine. You can find this machine inside the office where you get your passport stamped to leave Costa Rica. (see photo on the right).
Nicaragua Entrance Fee - $12 USD
Once you leave Costa Rica, you will walk a distance along the road and immigration officials will ask to see your passport, and sometimes check your bag. Then, you continue walking to a tent where they will ask your nationality and occassionaly scan you for your temperature to check if you have dengue or any other viruses. They give you a small piece of paper that probabaly means nothing and you pass and continue walking over to the Nicaraguan offices. Mind you, you will continue to be hassled along the way by locals that will continually try to convince you that you need their help to get in and out of the border in 30 minutes or less.
Entering the immigration office, you will be asked to pay a $1 USD municipality fee, which will be paid at the booth right at the door before you line-up to get your passports stamped. Sometimes you can get away with it - I think it's a scam, and a way to just take your money. Why not just include this $1 in the entrance fee? So, sometimes if you tell them you already paid it or show them an old one very quickly, you can get away with not paying it. At the counter, you will have to fill out the entrance into Nicaragua paper and pay the $12 USD entrance fee. To be exact, it is only $11.64 USD. I'd like to see what they do if I give them exact change the next time I show up there.
This is also one of the offices that make absolutely no sense. There are about 6 counters with employees working in sweltering heat and huge lineups of tourists but no a/c. However, once you get across to the other side, just on the other side of the doors is a large empty room with one x-ray scanner and an a/c unit pumping a/c so strongly that it is actually cold but no one working in there! Welcome to Latin America!
Once you exit this immensely a/c room, the departure office is just to your right on your way out. You can attempt to go right around, but depending on which immigration official you get and on their mood, sometimes they make you wait up to 3 hours or more. You will also get hassled on your way out of the x-ray scanner room with "Cambio!? Cambio?! Cambio?!" or "Taxi? Taxi? Taxi?" and sometimes if you're standing outside the departure office, you might even get hassled with "Did you wait the 3 hours?" It's best to just ignore everyone and everything as if they don't exist and mind your own business or better to even pretend that you don't understand a word they are saying or anything at all.
We managed to walk right into the departure from Nicaragua office without waiting the 3 hours. You will be hassled to pay another $1 USD municipality fee before entering the office. We tried really hard to pretend we didn't understand and show them the other one we paid but there weren't that many people around for them to not notice. After much dumbing around, we paid the $1 USD and went through to immigration. Luckily, the immigration officer let us through, here you will pay the $2 USD Nicaraguan departure tax.
Find Francisco The Cashew Man!
Before leaving Peñas Blancas, make sure to try and find Francisco! This is definitely one of my look-forward-to-do's every 90 days. Find Francisco the cashew dude!! There are many Nicaraguans selling cashews/maranon but Francisco has the best cashews with the best prices. He's also the sweetest man and a friend of a good friend of mine.
However, this border run he was no where to be found and sadly, after looking for him at the old immigration offices and the new one, we left without cashews from Francisco. I even tried to text him at his number with no luck :(.
Entering Costa Rica
After leaving Peñas Blancas, it is almost smooth sailing back home. We walked back across the border where police officials sometimes hassle you to see a flight ticket departing Costa Rica and check your bags. You continue walking back to the Costa Rican side and line-up for the final immigration run. Make sure to prepare to show your departure from Costa Rica ticket and it's usually smooth sailing after you get your 90 day stamp and back to Tamarindo we go!
****** Today's Visa Run: 8 hours / $34 USD -- SUCCESS! ******
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| Christina, Arantza, Joel & I at the MCDs in Liberia |
And of course, it wouldn't make it a great VISA run without a pit-stop at the Mickie-D's in Liberia on our way back to Tamarindo!!! Never been so excited to order McDonalds, Burger, Fries & McFlurries!!!
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