Costa Rica draws more British visitors than any other Central American country, and most of the time that’s for good reason. When a death happens there, though, the eco-tourism setting that makes the country so appealing is often exactly what slows things down.
The national parks change the starting point
A death at Corcovado, around the Arenal volcano, or in the Monteverde cloud forest brings Costa Rica’s judicial investigation police, the OIJ, to the scene as routine, whether or not anything looks suspicious. It’s simply how deaths in these areas are handled. Families sometimes read this as a sign of concern when it isn’t; it’s procedure, and the body can’t be moved until the OIJ has cleared the scene.
What a straightforward case looks like
Where documentation is ready and there’s no OIJ involvement, twelve to sixteen days is a fair estimate from death to departure. That covers registration at the local Registro Civil, the Certificado de Defuncion, and the standard preparation steps.
What changes when the OIJ is involved
Once the OIJ takes a case, post-mortems run through INCIENSA or OIJ forensic facilities in San Jose, and results usually take seven to fourteen days. Only once that’s closed can the Ministry of Health issue its export permit, which itself takes another three to seven days on top.
Translation isn’t an afterthought
Every document generated in Costa Rica is in Spanish, and every one of them needs certified translation before it’s of any use back in the UK. Building that step into the plan from day one, rather than treating it as something to sort out later, saves real time at the end of the process.
Getting home
There’s no direct flight from Costa Rica to the UK. San Jose’s Juan Santamaria Airport connects via Miami with American Airlines or United, or via Panama City with Copa. For deaths in Guanacaste, cargo sometimes routes through Liberia Airport instead, depending on where the case is centred.
What we can offer
We know which parts of Costa Rica involve OIJ attendance as standard, so families aren’t caught off guard by a step that was always going to happen.
Read about the first 24 hours after a death abroad, and what to do in them, or see the full Costa Rica repatriation guide for the complete picture.
Contact Repatriate Service on +44 7703 577246 at any hour, or use the enquiry form below.