Expat Community > Costa Rica

engir
Joined 2021
Posts: 48

Wrong Test and Over Stay I think this is a Costa Rica Scam???

3 years ago

So I wanted to share this if this site posts this which is doubtful they have a losing record of posting my threads??

On Monday the 23rd I went to Labin in Santo Domingo, Heredia and took an Antigen test. I had talked to Biblica and had an appointment for a test but my ride bailed so I had to cancel. Biblica had told me on WhatsApp that I needed an Antigen test for a visit to Nicaragua and at Labin I got the same information (going through the process to take the test the woman asks you where you are going and what dates you are traveling (your antennary).
Tuesday afternoon I got a bus out of 7-10 and went to Los Chiles stayed the night in my usual hostile. The next morning I went to the border went through checking out of Costa Rica no issues all was well. I went to the border there was a line and it was raining to go into Nicaragua. They asked for my passport and Covid test, I gave the woman my passport and she walked over to the little building there and handed it to a man in a uniform black pants, white shirt with epaulets and came back for the Covid papers that I had gotten out of my backpack as there was a line and it was raining I had the papers in my backpack to keep them as dry as possible.
The man looked at my passport came over said hello gave me my passport and motioned me to enter Nicaragua. I got about 3 steps in and the woman came and told me I had to go back to the Costa Rica side she showed me my Covid paper and told me Nicaragua does not take the Antigen it has to be PCR test (cost twice as much) and that I had to go back and take the other test and return.
I talked to the Costa Rica people at the border setting under the tent and they said yes Costa Rica takes the antigen but Nicaragua does not and to go back through immigration.
When I told the people in immigration that stamp your passport what was going on they wrote me up for an overstay!!?? So because I had been given the wrong test at Labin I now have to go to Immigration in Heredia instead of just taking the proper test and going back?
I contacted both Biblica and Labin when I got back to the hostile in Los Chiles and both said they where going to make sure the people know that the antigen is not excepted in Nicaragua and Labin to their credit are refunding my money for the test back to my account, because it was less than 48 when I spoke with the lady who was just lovely.
I also contacted my attorney who started right off looking into this. I got home late last night my Attorney and I have a meeting later to day to go over the papers and talk about about what happened in person later today.
The way this came out I got the impression that if you go to the border and are turned back for having been given the wrong test they write you up as a overstay automatically so you have to go to immigration?
So make sure you do not just take the word of Biblica Clinic and Labin Labs who should know what you need but seems to not and find out for yourself so you do not get screwed like I just did!!!??

Thank you for reading all this I wanted to be detailed to give no doubt that maybe something else had caused this but to be honest until the wrong test thing came up it was just like any other time I had done a Visa run there?

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SJB Global

SJB Global is a top-rated financial advisory firm specializing in expat financial advice worldwide, offering retirement planning & tax-efficient solutions with a regressive fee model.
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SJB Global

SJB Global is a top-rated financial advisory firm specializing in expat financial advice worldwide, offering retirement planning & tax-efficient solutions with a regressive fee model.
Learn More

SJB Global

SJB Global is a top-rated financial advisory firm specializing in expat financial advice worldwide, offering retirement planning & tax-efficient solutions with a regressive fee model.
Learn More

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Wrong Test and Over Stay I think this is a Costa Rica Scam???

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