Costa Rica’s “perpetual tourism” bill was a proposal to change repeat tourist entry and overstay penalties. Its identifying number is expediente 24.854. That number matters: an article about a proposed reform should not be used as an instruction for crossing the border today.
Status of this review — 8 September 2026: we verified the official legal opinion issued on 13 October 2025. We have not established the proposal’s final legislative disposition from a current primary record. The figures below describe the proposal reviewed in that opinion, not verified rules currently in force.
What did proposal 24.854 address?
The Procuraduría General de la República’s opinion PGR-OJ-158-2025 identifies the proposed reform of Articles 33 and 91 of General Immigration Law 8764. It describes an initiative directed at repeated tourist exits and re-entry, commonly called border runs.
- Overstay penalty: the proposal would increase the monthly fine for tourists staying irregularly from US$100 to US$300.
- Tourist re-entry: it would introduce a 90-day restriction after the maximum authorized stay expired, with exceptions in the proposed text.
The PGR recommended clearer drafting about the calculation of that period, repeated entries, definitions and procedures. It also called for adequate justification of proportionality. Its opinion expressly states that it is non-binding advice to the Legislative Assembly. It is not an enactment or a DGME border instruction.
Why a bill headline is not enough for travel planning
When reading a report about a “new tourism law,” first identify what document it actually discusses. A proposal, a legal opinion, an enacted law and an operational instruction answer different questions. A headline may remain online long after the stage of a proposal has changed.
For this subject, keep the file number 24.854 with any source you save. Ask for the relevant official record, its date, the applicable text and its effect on your itinerary. Do not infer that the proposed 90-day restriction applies to you simply because it appears in an older article. Equally, an unverified report that a bill was rejected is not a complete statement of today’s entry rules.
Where to check before your next visit
Use DGME’s official website to confirm the current instructions for your nationality and immigration position. Use the Legislative Assembly to trace a bill’s record. Request clarification when a document does not address your actual situation.
- For a visit, start with our Costa Rica tourist-entry guide and confirm the official requirements before booking.
- If you have filed for residence, read the separate pending-application travel guide.
- For a longer move, discuss the appropriate immigration category rather than treating an old tourism headline as a residence plan.
Contact CRIE for help organizing the questions and documents for your case. This historical explainer preserves the subject of the earlier tourism-bill article while distinguishing its proposals from verified current requirements.