What is a DIMEX?
DIMEX stands for Documento de Identidad Migratorio para Extranjeros, the immigration identity document for foreigners. The DGME issues it to foreign nationals whose immigration category in Costa Rica has been approved. It proves your status, and you renew it for as long as you keep that status. It is different from the residency application itself and from the cédula a Costa Rican citizen carries; our guide to cédula vs DIMEX explains the difference.
This guide covers the whole life of the card: the first appointment, collecting it, what to do if it never arrives, and renewing it on time. Start with DGME’s DIMEX page for the official requirements.
Your first DIMEX appointment
DGME says a person whose category has been approved must complete first documentation within 90 days after notification. The page directs applicants to arrange an appointment through the immigration call center at 1311 or BCR and to present the requirements stated in the approval resolution.
Read the notification and resolution before booking. If you have not yet been approved, a first-documentation appointment is not a substitute for the residency application.
What to bring
Build your checklist from the resolution and the appointment office’s current instructions. Check the required passport and identity records, payment evidence, CCSS documentation where applicable, and any category-specific items. Keep copies of your approval and appointment confirmation for reference.
Ask about original documents versus copies, how each applicant in the family is handled, and any additional requirements for a minor or a representative. Do not assume a renewal checklist is identical to a first appointment.
Photograph and personal details
Confirm the photograph arrangements with the office. DGME’s BCR documentation guidance refers to the stage when the photograph is taken; do not order printed photographs in an invented DIMEX size based on an unofficial article. First-application photographs and card-production photographs are not necessarily the same requirement.
At the appointment, carefully check your name, birth details and other information. Ask the office how to correct a discrepancy before the card is produced. A legal name change may need its own supporting records and procedure.
Fees and processing time
Confirm the payment instructions for first documentation. Renewal amounts and duplicate-card payments apply to different procedures and should not be reused automatically.
Keep the filing or service receipt and ask how collection or delivery will be communicated. Card production after the appointment is separate from the earlier residency application decision. There is no fixed production deadline promised in this guide; obtain the current estimate and follow-up channel from the office handling your card.
If your card has not arrived
Use the office and reference shown on your receipt to ask whether the card has been produced, dispatched or made available for collection. Confirm the delivery address or collection location before assuming it is lost. Keep a record of replies and follow any instruction to provide missing information.
DIMEX waiting at Correos and not collected
DGME publishes a list of DIMEX cards that were not collected within two months after the holder was notified that the card was at the chosen Correos de Costa Rica branch. If your card is on that list, DGME says you collect it at its central offices in La Uruca, Unidad de Documentación, door 3, Monday to Friday at 10:00 am, 12:00 noon or 2:00 pm, bringing your documentation receipt. No appointment is needed for this.
Renewing your DIMEX
Check the expiry date as soon as you receive the card. DGME’s renewal rules include:
- You can renew early. The residence card can be renewed up to three months before it expires.
- Late renewal costs extra. A fine is charged for each month of delay.
- The three-month cliff. For temporary residents and special categories, a document not renewed within three months after it expires leads to cancellation of the category, unless you can prove it was impossible to renew in time.
- More than three months late. You must add a letter explaining why you did not renew, with your signature authenticated by a lawyer.
- More than a year abroad. You must present a written justification and a legalised or apostilled police certificate from the country where you were.
For permanent residents, DGME lists the DIMEX in good condition, proof of CCSS affiliation, the renewal payment receipt and a valid passport. Other categories have their own lists. Our residency renewal guide covers the process in detail.
Procedures left pending for six months
Under Resolución DJUR-0198-04-2026-JM, if you were processing a renewal, duplicate or first DIMEX, received a telegram more than six months ago and did not do what it asked, your category may have been cancelled and your name may be on DGME’s published list of expired procedures. Permanent residents can continue the documentation process; temporary residents and special categories must start a new application. Watch your email and check your DIMEX status in DGME’s online services.
Lost or stolen DIMEX, and travel
If a still-valid card is lost or stolen, DGME’s duplicate procedure applies, and it asks for a sworn statement formalised by a lawyer. A pending card-production receipt is not a travel guarantee. Check your documents and immigration situation with DGME and the airline before leaving or attempting to return without the physical card.
Frequently asked questions
What does DIMEX stand for?
Documento de Identidad Migratorio para Extranjeros: the immigration identity document for foreigners with an approved category.
How long do I have to get my first DIMEX?
DGME says first documentation must be done within 90 days after you are notified of the approval. Book through the 1311 immigration call centre or BCR.
Can I renew my DIMEX before it expires?
Yes, up to three months before the expiry date.
Contact CRIE if you need help organizing the instructions in your approval resolution.
DGME DIMEX information checked September 7, 2026. Images are illustrative.
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