Entering Costa Rica - Customs Form and What NOT to Bring

The customs form handed out on the airplane needs to be ready to present as you leave the baggage area. The request for details of what you are bringing in is ONLY for things not of a personal use nature. 99% of tourists leave these spaces blank.

All bags, purses, etc. are passed through a scanner. Mainly they are looking for any food or agricultural products (even a bag of popcorn or an apple), and obvious electronics which a tourist would not use during their stay.

If you are bringing something requested by someone in Costa Rica, put it on the form. Normally smaller items, even a computer or an appliance, will not trigger an inspection to open a bag. But when it does, you have options:

Declare it. The customs agent will put a stamp in the back of your passport that states on this day you brought an item into Costa Rica under the exemption for $500. You don't pay duty, and you can leave with the goods (except agricultural goods). You can bring in up to $500 of gifts or other things to leave in Costa Rica no more frequently than once every six months.

Abandon it. If its value is negligible, leave it with Customs.

Leave the Item for Duty Payment. There is no customs office in the airport to receive the duty payment -- which means you have to pick up the declared goods from the Customs Office in Alajuela the next day. In the old days you could always bribe the customs officer and leave with the package... fortunately those days are long gone.