QCOSTARICA – A system failure of the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería – Costa Rica’s immigration service – caused long lines at the departure of travelers at the Juan Santamaría International Airport in San Jose, Tuesday morning.
According to immigration authorities, it was a “general failure” that generated delays, because the immigration checks had to be done manually.
The system went down at 5:15 am and was restored by 7:30 am.
“Today (Tuesday) at 5:15 am, a general failure is reported within the Juan Santamaría International Airport, both the airlines and the immigration systems are affected by this with connectivity failure.
“It is important to remember that we have a national security issue that must be addressed manually when an immigration system fails, it is important to remember that Costa Rica has its measures clearly established to prevent minors from leaving Costa Rica without being verified or whatever another person who has pending matters such as impediments due to alimony,” explained the Director of the DGME, Raquel Vargas.
In social networks, travelers evidenced the long lines that stretched several dozen meters outside the terminal.
The director of Migration assured at 9 am that all systems were working fully. The cause of the problem was not stated.
As the immigration director noted, of concern is allowing people to take advantage of the system’s fails to circumvent immigration controls, such as people prohibited from leaving the country for spousal support or pending criminal charges. Also, preventing minors from leaving the country without the consent of both parents.
