Banco de Costa Rica (BCR) has announced that 13 of its Puntos País service centers will open on select Saturdays in November to handle passport and driver’s license renewals. The special hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and up to 500 additional people can be served each Saturday.
The bank advises travelers planning trips at the end or beginning of the year to check the expiration dates on their passports and those of family members, as well as their driver’s licenses. Those needing renewals or replacements due to damage can use any of the 117 Puntos País locations for these services. However, only adults can book appointments for passport processing during these extra Saturday openings.
The 13 participating locations include BCR offices in Barrio San José Alajuela, Orotina, Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, San Antonio de Belén, Guápiles, Cañas, Liberia, Nicoya, and Santa Cruz. First-time document issuances are also available at these sites.
Appointments are released at the start of each week for the corresponding Saturday. For example, spaces for November 15 are already available; on Monday the 17th, appointments for Saturday the 24th will open. This approach is intended to allow more people to secure appointments as they meet requirements.
Appointments can be scheduled free of charge through BCR’s digital channels at www.bancobcr.com, via the BCR Móvil app, or by calling 800-BCRCITA (800-227-2482).
Driver’s licenses are issued immediately at Puntos País locations. For passports, all necessary data is collected onsite and sent to the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería for processing. Completed passports are delivered by Correos de Costa Rica according to the timeline provided on the appointment receipt. Passport delivery status can be tracked online using Correos de Costa Rica’s tracking system at https://correos.go.cr/rastreo/.
A list of requirements and fees for each Punto País service is available on BCR’s website under Punto País Servicios al Estado.
Puntos País locations are distributed throughout Costa Rica; specific addresses and operating hours can be found online.
BCR emphasizes that booking an appointment is free and can be done independently via web or phone call. Customers should not provide sensitive information such as PINs or card numbers when scheduling; only an identification number is required.
