Costa Rica residency fingerprinting and fingerprints used for a foreign criminal-record check are different procedures. Confirm which one you need before making an appointment or paying a provider.
DGME’s general requirements, checked on 7 September 2026, say proof of fingerprinting is presented at the documentation stage and identify exceptions for temporary workers and Indigenous people. Read the instructions for your own category and stage.
Find the official appointment information
Start with the Ministry of Public Security’s Toma de Huellas page. Its official service information describes online appointment booking for fingerprinting. Check the purpose of the service and the current instructions before selecting an appointment.
Use the location, date, identification requirements and other directions in the official booking or confirmation. This guide does not direct every applicant to one police station or promise a particular appointment duration.
Before attending
- Confirm that the appointment is for the procedure you actually need.
- Check the office address and travel arrangements against the confirmation.
- Read which original identification and supporting records the office requests.
- Keep the booking confirmation accessible.
- If information is unclear, ask the service before travelling.
Appointments and procedures for immigration, private security, firearms or another purpose should not be treated as interchangeable. Follow the instructions for your selected service rather than an old article describing a different procedure.
Keep the proof with your immigration records
Check the details on the proof supplied after the procedure and retain it with the rest of your file. Follow DGME’s instructions about when and how it is to be presented. If your case has a specific request or exception, have that checked individually.
A fingerprinting appointment does not constitute residency approval. Keep application submission, a decision and later documentation steps separate in your planning. See our residency stages guide.
Fingerprints for an overseas background check
An authority abroad may require fingerprints to issue a criminal-record certificate. Its own instructions govern the capture method and submission. Do not assume a Costa Rican immigration fingerprinting receipt replaces that foreign authority’s requirements, or that fingerprints taken for a foreign report replace DGME’s documentation requirement.
Our police-clearance guide explains the separate question of certificate coverage. Confirm the required record and process before booking a private fingerprint provider.
Plan around confirmed arrangements
Obtain current information from the relevant authority instead of relying on an assumed processing period. Allow time for travel and document preparation, and retain receipts for any private services you choose. No appointment or private service guarantees the immigration decision.
Sources checked 7 September 2026: DGME general requirements; Ministry of Public Security fingerprinting service; official online-appointment information.