Dealing With Bureaucracy

Just as in the rest of Latin America, Costa Rica is plagued by a more inefficient bureaucratic system than is the U. S. This situation is exaggerated by the Latin American temperament, seemingly lackadaisical attitude of most bureaucrats and the slower pace of life south of the border. The concept of time is much different from that in the U. S. or Canada. When someone says they’ll do something “ahorita” (which literally means right now), it will take from a few minutes to a week, or maybe forever. It is not unusual to wait in lines for hours in banks and government offices and experience unnecessary delays that would seldom occur in the U. S.

This situation is very frustrating for foreigners who are used to fast, efficient service. It can be especially irritating if you don’t speak good Spanish. Since very few people working in offices speak English and most North Americans speak little else, it is advisable to study basic Spanish. However, if language is an insurmountable obstacle at first, use a competent bilingual lawyer or ask the Association of Residents of Costa Rica (ARCR) to help you deal with Costa Rica’s bureaucracy or “red tape jungle” as it is known. Above all, learn to be patient and remember that you can get the best results if you do not push or pressure people. Try having a good sense of humor and using a smile. You will be surprised at the results.

You shouldn’t despair if Costa Rica’s “bureaucrazy” gets you down. For a small fee you can get a person (gavilán) to wait in line for you while you run errands or make better use of your valuable time.

A few words of caution—there are some individuals, (choriceros in popular jargon), who pass themselves off as lawyers or who befriend you and offer to help you with red tape, claiming they can short-cut the bureaucratic system because of their contacts. As a general rule, avoid such individuals or you will lose valuable time, run the risk of acquiring forged documents, most certainly lose money and experience indescribable grief.

Since bribery and pay offs are common in most Latin American countries and government employees are underpaid, some people advise paying them extra money to speed up paper work or circumvent normal channels. This bribery is illegal and not recommended for foreigners; they can be deported for breaking the law. However, in some instances it may be necessary to pay extra money to get things done. Use your own discretion in such matters. A tip here and there for a small favor can accelerate bureaucratic delays. We have a friend who was in the process of getting all of the required paper work to marry a Costa Rican. He was in a hurry and didn’t have time to waste. He went to the National Registry to get his future wife’s birth certificate and was told he would have to wait a week. So, he passed out a little extra money and had it the next morning.

Everyone planning to live, retire or do business in Costa Rica should know that the American Embassy, (in the San José suburb of Pavas), can help with: Social Security and Veterans benefits, notarizing documents, obtaining new U. S. passports, registering births of your children and getting a U.S. visa for your spouse (if you choose to marry a Costa Rican). They also assist in obtaining absentee ballots for U.S. elections and getting U.S. income tax forms and information. However, if you get into any legal trouble in Costa Rica, do not expect help from the U.S. Embassy.