The consular section at U.S. Embassy San Jose announces a consular outreach event in Santa Teresa at the end of July. Consular staff will be available to accept adult passport renewals, perform notarial services, and handle inquiries on federal benefits and voting.

The event will take place Thursday, July 27, 9 – 11 a.m.  at the Auditorio de la Clinica del Seguro Social en Cobano (150 meters west of Banco Nacional).

Important note on passport renewals, notarial services, and federal benefits inquiries: please write in advance regarding these services to <[email protected]>.

Passport Renewals:  To be eligible, you must present a 10-year passport that is valid or expired less than 5 years ago. You will need to submit a DS-82 form and a 2”-by-2” passport photo with a light-colored background. The consulate cannot process applications for lost/stolen passports, or renewals for applicants under age 16. The price is 66,000 colones.

If you can’t come pick up your passport in San Jose you can use the consulate’s new courier return service available through many post offices. To use the service, go to the below link and fill in the online form. The information submitted must match the identity of the applicant and correspond with a recent passport service: https://www.correos.go.cr/webservicios/US_services.

Please ensure that you include your current phone number and email address, as you will be contacted by Correos de Costa Rica directly once your passport is ready. If the payment is accepted, an invoice will be sent to your email address. Alternatively, you can save your invoice in PDF format for printing.

Upon receipt of your invoice, please forward it to <passportreturnsanjose@state.gov> to ensure the consulate flags your passport for courier return.

For notarial services, the person requesting the notary services must be present, and legal proof of identity is required. The price is 30,000 colones per seal.

For federal benefits and voter assistance, the consulate will accept applications for replacement social security cards, and will also have informational material on federal benefits for veterans, dependents, and survivors, as well as voter registration applications.

All payments must be made in cash. Exact change – in colones only –  is greatly appreciated. Dollars are not accepted on field visits.

To learn more about U.S. Embassy’s American Citizen Services, go to http://costarica.usembassy.gov/service.html.

A final note about the Embassy and Consular Section of the United States next week: The San José offices will be closed Tuesday, July 25, when the diplomatic headquarters joins in the national commemoration of the 193rd anniversary of the Annexation of Nicoya to Costa Rica.

Services in San José will re-open to the public on Wednesday, July 26 during their normal hours –

8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.