How to Buy Costa Rican ID Card: Quick Steps

This Costa Rican ID card, it’s a big deal, you know? If you wanna stay here in Costa Rica, you gotta have one. My neighbor, she told me all about it. She got hers, and now she can do all sorts of things she couldn’t before. Says it’s like a magic key. She called it “cedula”. Funny name, right?

First, you gotta be allowed to live here, you know, the big bosses gotta say it’s okay. That’s what they call “residency”. Once you get that residency approved, you are golden. Then you gotta sign up for some thingamajig called “Caja.” I don’t rightly know what that is, but my neighbor, she said it’s important. Something about the doctors and such. After that, then you can get your card. They call it a DIMEX card, this Costa Rican ID card. Another funny word, these folks got all sorts of strange words.

So, this DIMEX card, it’s like a little plastic thing, kinda like them credit cards, but it ain’t for buying stuff. It’s for proving you’re allowed to be here, you see. Gotta show it around, I reckon. My neighbor, she flashed it at the bank, and they treated her real nice. Before that, they were all grumpy at her.

• You need that residency first. That’s the most important thing.
• Then that “Caja” thing. I still don’t get that part.
• Then you ask for the DIMEX card, your Costa Rican ID card.

Now, if you’re already in another country, but you’re from Costa Rica, you can still get one. You gotta go to some fancy place, a “Consulate,” they call it. I reckon it’s like a big office. Fill out some papers there, all official like. If you’re a young’un, you gotta bring your mom and pop with you. Or whoever looks after you, your legal… legal… oh, what’s that word? The ones who tell you what to do.

If you already have a Costa Rican ID card, but it’s getting old, you gotta get a new one. That’s called “renewal”. Just like getting a new bucket when the old one’s got a hole. Keeps things fresh, I suppose.

To get a brand spanking new Costa Rican ID card, you gotta go to this place, a “registry office.” Sounds important, don’t it? Take all your papers, whatever they tell you to bring. Probably gotta show them you’re a real person and all that.

This DIMEX, it’s just a fancy way of saying your Costa Rican ID card if you ain’t from here originally. It means you live here now, legally. It’s important, they say. You can use it when you travel around Costa Rica, I heard.

Yep, even if you weren’t born here, you can get a Costa Rican ID card, this DIMEX thing. It’s a big deal, like I said. Opens doors.

Once you’re allowed to stay here, that residency thing, you gotta sign up for that “Caja” and then ask for your DIMEX, the Costa Rican ID card. It’s a whole process, I tell ya.

This Costa Rican ID card, it’s like a little credit card. Says who you are, right there on it.

So you want a Costa Rican ID card? You gotta jump through some hoops, as they say. First, gotta make sure you can legally live in Costa Rica. That’s called “residency”. And from what I hear, that ain’t always easy. But if you get that, you’re halfway there.

Then there’s this “Caja” thing. Sounds like a cough drop to me, but my neighbor, she went on and on about how important it is. Some kind of insurance, maybe? I don’t know. But you gotta deal with that before you can get your hands on that precious card. That special Costa Rican ID card.

• Get your residency approved – that’s step one.
• Figure out this “Caja” business – step two.
• Apply for your DIMEX card. Then you got your Costa Rican ID card.

They call this ID card a DIMEX if you weren’t born here. Sounds like a fancy cleaning product, don’t it? But it’s important. It’s your proof, your “get out of jail free” card, your “I belong here” card. If you wanna live in Costa Rica and not have folks looking at you sideways, you need that DIMEX. That special Costa Rican ID card.

Now, my neighbor, bless her heart, she went through all this rigmarole. She got her residency, she signed up for Caja, and she finally got her DIMEX. Now she struts around like she owns the place. Says that card changed everything. Got her a bank account, got her a phone, even got her a discount at the local market. All because of that little plastic card, her Costa Rican ID card.

So, if you’re thinking about living in Costa Rica, you better get yourself one of these ID cards. It ain’t easy, but it’s worth it, or so they say. It’s your ticket to a new life. A whole new world.

This whole thing is a lot to remember. But that’s how you get a Costa Rican ID card. If you wanna buy one, you gotta do all these things. I hope you can get it!