In light of this situation, on February 18, the General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners (DGME by its spanish acronym) announced the temporary simplification of document procedures for foreigners for a period of one year.
The General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners (DGME) has a backlog of 20,363 applications for the first-time issuance, renewal, or duplication of Foreigners’ Migration Identity Documents (Dimex) due to operational overload and staff shortages, the Directorate explained.
In response to inquiries from UNIVERSIDAD, the Directorate indicated that as of February 17, there were 20,363 applications pending review and issuance of Dimex, which had been received at the windows and platforms of Strategic Allies, adding that the month being validated is October 2025.
According to the DGME, there are two reasons for this delay. First, because people often do not meet all the requirements established by regulation, this “causes an operational overload in the Immigration Management Documentation Subprocess, which directly impacts the institution’s capacity to provide services.”
Second, it pointed to staff shortages and delays in procedures for unfreezing positions in the public sector, in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Finance. This, it said, “has weakened our internal structure and, therefore, our response to service demand.”
Immigration temporarily simplifies procedures
In light of this situation, on February 18, the DGME announced the temporary simplification of document procedures for foreigners.
According to the announcement, from February 17 until February 16, 2027, there will be a temporary simplification in the requirements for the initial issuance, renewal, or duplication of Dimex cards, with the aim of reducing delays in delivery.
This was done through resolution DJUR-0045-02-2026, in which the institution reported that it will only request essential requirements, such as insurance with the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), payment of applicable taxes, informed consent, and criminal records when the foreigner has been outside the country for more than one year, among several others.
Likewise, the institution announced that those who completed the process at the offices of Correos de Costa Rica, Banco de Costa Rica (BCR), or the DGME and have not yet received their Dimex, but received an email (telegram) requesting that they submit pending requirements that are not in the resolution issued, “should not come to submit them, request an appointment, or send emails.”