QCOSTARICA — As expected, Honduras has started turning away Costa Ricans at is borber for not having the new consular visa that the Honduran government began requesting on Tuesday.
According to the Honduran government report, and confirmed by the director of the National Migration Institute of Honduras, Allan Alvarenga, to the newspaper La Prensa, two Costa Ricans who tried to enter Honduras through the Guasaule customs in Choluteca and Aguacaliente in Ocotepeque, were turned away at the Honduran border on the first day of the new travel requiment.
They had to return to their destinations of origin.
One of them, Esteban Morales, is a Costa Rican who has lived and worked between Honduras and Costa Rica for 16 years and who has already completed the residency process to work in that country. Morales traveled to Costa Rica just to obtain the documents needed for his residency and upon returning, he found the border closed to him.
“It was very uncomfortable to get to the border and, given that there is already an advanced residency procedure, I expected that I would not be considered a tourist (…),” Morales said in an interview with Delfino.cr.
Starting Tuesday (October 10), Honduras began applying the ‘principle of reciprocity’ following the measure taken by Costa Rica’s Minister of Security, Mario Zamora, to require Hondurans a consular visa to enter Costa Rica.
Many expressed disapproval of Zamora’s decision, including twice former president of Costa Rica and Nobel prize winner for peace, Oscar Arias.
“Costa Rica is the one that loses, it is a wrong decision,” said the former president.
Thus, Costa Ricans now wishing to visit Honduras, be it for tourism, work or passing through, need to apply for a consular visa.
As published by Hondura’s Foreign Ministry on social networks, Costa Ricans must complete 15 requirements, among which are:
- Valid passport.
- Duly notarized medical certification or undergo medical examinations when the Honduran medical-health authorities consider it necessary.
- Vaccination card against yellow fever and COVID-19.
- Police records valid for 6 months, duly notarized.
- Stamps required by Honduran law.
- Recent photograph 6 centimeters high by 5 centimeters wide.
- Proof of means of subsistence (bank statement with balances for the last month)
- Proof from Interpol of not having a complaint or alert.
- Authenticated proof of responsibility of the person responsible in Honduras.
- Economic means of subsistence of the Honduran responsible.
- Police record with 6 months validity of the Honduran responsible.
- The Honduran responsible must appear before the Research and Analysis Management of the National Migration Institute to provide an interview.
- Prove the reason for travel in documentary form.
- Proof from the Public Ministry of Honduras of not having a complaint or investigation process of the foreign applicant and the Honduran responsible.
- Any information or document required by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs or the National Migration Institute.
