Costa Rica Aims to Slash Immigration Wait Times with eGate Technology

Arriving in and departing Costa Rica will get much quicker for visiting Canadians and Americans soon, with the introduction of immigration eGates at Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) in San Jose. The gates (four in arrivals and two in departures) have just been installed at the airport and are in the final stages of implementation, solely for the use by Costa Rican nationals with biometric passports, but will be rolled out for Canadian and U.S. passport holders in the coming weeks. 

The eGate technology is the same as is already in use at many major airports. Passengers will scan their passport, then look at the camera for their image to be captured. Facial recognition software will run a check, with a green light opening the gate to proceed or a red light indicating the need to see a customs and immigration officer for a manual check. The whole process takes between 10 and 15 seconds, a sliver of the time it takes to go through in-person checks.

The U.S. and Canada represent Costa Rica’s largest visitor markets, which is why the two countries were chosen as the first to be included in the new process. According to the Rio Times, Costa Rica has seen record tourism growth in the first five months of 2026, due mainly to arrivals from Canada and the U.S. 

Until the eGates are fully in use, The Tico Times recommends arriving at SJO three hours before a flight, as summer crowds can slow departures considerably, naming Sunday afternoons in July as particularly congested. 

 

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