On this page, you will find:
To find organisations working for LGBTQI+ rights, visit our Costa Rica LGBTQI+ Resources page.
For Costa Rica country of origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents visit our Costa Rica COI page.
Refugee protection
Click here to see the numbers and origins of refugees hosted by Costa Rica.
The following sections contain information on the most important international treaties and agreements of which Costa Rica is signatory, as well as national legislation relevant to the protection of refugees.
Since 1978 Costa Rica has been both a party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and to its 1967 Protocol. It has also accepted the UN Statelessness Conventions.
Costa Rica’s national refugee protection framework is based on two ordinary laws: the 2010 Migration Act (Law No. 8764) and the 2011 Refugee Regulations. These two instruments modified the refugee status determination (RSD) system and created the Refugee Unit, and incorporated persecution based on “gender” as a specific ground for refugee status. Moreover, they grant the rights to health, education, and work after three months of filing an asylum application.
On the performance of the executive branch of the government, Costa Rica has adopted two public policy documents relevant to the protection of refugees: the 2013-2023 National Migration Policy and the Public Policy for Eliminating Racial Discrimination and Combating Xenophobia, which further assist in the protection of refugees in the country.
Legal aid organisations
Tel.: +506 8455-8166
Email: ulasalleconsuljur@gmail.com
Legal Consultancy of the University La Salle, which works in partnership with the UNCHR. They offer legal assistance to asylum seekers.
Tel: 800-4427271
Email: infocostarica@hias.org
This organisation provides free legal advice to refugees, applicants for refugee status and other immigration statuses.
HIAS can offer you free accompaniment on issues such as:
– Refugee status determination process.
– Process to reunite you with your family in the country.
– Voluntary return to your country of origin.
– General orientation on your rights and duties in the country.
Address: Avenida 2 y 4, calle 24. Paseo Colón, del Edificio Torre Mercedes, 150 mts Sur.
TC480: J. Fonseca – A. Lazo
Email: contactenos@acai.cr
ACAI is a non-governmental organisation specialising in the issue of refuge, which directs its work towards comprehensive accompaniment and the promotion of self-sufficiency, knowledge, exercise and dissemination of rights in Costa Rican society. It ´rovides legal aid services for asylum seekers in Costa Rica.
Address: calle 22, Avenida,7 Barrio México, San José, Costa Rica
Tel: 800-258-7474
Email: correspondencia@dhr.go.cr
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 16:00 hs.
The Office of the Ombudsman of the Republic is a body responsible for ensuring that the activities of the public sector comply with the law and morality, so that the rights and interests of the inhabitants are always protected. Its mission is to protect the inhabitants against the actions and omissions of the public sector, through a control of legality, justice and ethics by means of prevention, defence, promotion and dissemination of their rights and interests.
Organisations providing other support to refugees
Address (Headquarters in San Jose): Torre Mercedes, Paseo Colón, 100 mts norte y 100 oeste, calle sin salida, penúltima casa de dos plantas. (100 mts north and 100 mts west, dead-end street, second last house with two floors).
Tel: + 506 2248 0424
Email: cenderos@cenderos.org
The Centro de Derechos Sociales del Migrante (Cenderos) is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation founded by Nicaraguan migrant women in 1999.
Its organisational strategy is based on the promotion of human, economic and social rights, citizen participation and protagonist leadership of the migrant and cross-border population, as well as the Costa Rican population that shares the same condition of vulnerability.
Address: Distrito 4 Catedral. Cantón 1 San José, ubicado en Barrio González Lahmann, 50 metros al Norte del Templo Votivo del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús o 75 metros al sur de CONAPAM
Tel: 2527-8400
Opening Hours: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 8:00 to 15:00 hs. Wednesdays from 13:00 to 15:00.
The National Women’s Institute (INAMU) specialises in the protection of women, offering various support services such as guidance, human rights counselling and care services for women victims of violence through various regional offices, specialised centres and also a hotline.
Address: Calle 36, Avenida 14, Zapote, Costa Rica
Tel: 4701-8754
Email: info@ircacasabierta.com
The LGBTIQ Migration and Refuge Institute for Central America is a non-profit organisation that generates advocacy, research, training and comprehensive psychosocial assistance aimed at improving the quality of life and development opportunities of LGBTIQ populations in forced migration and seeking refuge in Costa Rica.
Tel: 800 738 4685
Email: info.costa-rica@theret.org
RET International is a non-governmental organisation (NGO), which focuses on the promotion and fulfilment of the human rights of refugees and asylum seekers through educational strategies with a comprehensive development approach, particularly benefiting young people and their families.
UNHCR, through its partner agency (RET) and in agreement with the Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social (IMAS), offers refugees and applicants for refugee status accompaniment and humanitarian assistance to promote their integration in the country, particularly during the first months. The social work team seeks to promote their self-sufficiency and empowerment, and to ensure that their basic needs are covered. This is done through: information, counselling, and material assistance for food, accommodation and education needs.
RET offers individual and group counselling services as well as comprehensive support to refugees and asylum seekers.
Address: 100 metros al este 75 sur de la Iglesia católica de Lourdes de Montes de Oca, San José, Costa Rica
Tel: 00506 2280 4439 / 00506 8729 0521
Email: rjmcentroamerica@gmail.com
Provides legal advice and training for migrants, refugees and temporary shelter for asylum seekers.
Costa Rica LGBTQI+ Resources
Find organisations working for refugee LGBTQI+ rights in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica COI
Find Costa Rica Country of Origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents.
We are always looking to expand the resources on our platform. If you know about relevant resources, or you are aware of organisations and/or individuals to include in our directories, please get in touch.
Last updated May 2023