This section offers information on some of the common services offered by the Costa Rican Consulate in Beijing concerning passports.

Renewal and issuance of a new passport

The issuance of a new passport might be required due to causes such as significant deterioration, loss, theft or robbery of the document. The applicant needs to indubitably prove his or her identity and nationality before the Consulate, either through the use of a national identity card ("cédula de identidad") or other adequate document.

The application must also be accompanied by the loss, theft or robbery report filed before the corresponding authority, together with the following form of passport loss, robbery or theft.

An application for passport renewal requires similar steps to be taken, except deterioration, loss, theft or robbery of the document has not taken place. Upon expiration of the term of validity of his or her passport the holder must file the corresponding request before the Consulate. 

For more detailed information please download the following guides:

1. Passport renewal guide in Spanish
2. Passport renewal guide for an underage person in Spanish

Passport revalidation

Most Costa Rican passports issued before September 2006 can be revalidated after their initial 10-year expiration date.

The process for passport revalidation is quicker and less complicated than that of renewal or issuance of a new passport; revalidation prorogues the original passport's validity for an additional 5-year term.

Nevertheless, not all passports can be revalidated. Those that can be revalidated contain a space similar to the following one (the actual image may slightly vary depending on the particular version of the passport):

Namely, passports issued after September 2006 have a validy of 6 years and cannot be revalidated. Such passport must be renewed after their original expiration.

Please download and complete the corresponding passport revalidation forms for a person of legal age or an underage person. The same must be personally filed before the Consulate:

1. Passport revalidation form for a person of legal age in Spanish (download sample with instructions in English here)
2. Passport revalidation guide for an underage person in Spanish
   

Issuance of a safe-conduct/provisional passport

A safe-conduct or provisional passport is a document issued by the Costa Rican Consulate to allow a resident national to return to Costa Rica in exceptional cases of passport theft, loss, robbery or other such incidents.

The safe-conduct does not substitute the original passport, as it is an exceptional travel document. For more information we advise downloading the following safe-conduit issuance guide and then print the safe-conduct application guide.