LatinNews Daily - 11 October 2023

*Costa Rica’s foreign ministry has announced that as of 10 October, Honduran nationals wishing to enter Costa Rica will need to apply for a consular visa. According to the foreign ministry, this decision is primarily due to “national security reasons”. Visa application requirements include submitting an application to the Costa Rican consul, proof of return ticket or onward travel, and evidence of financial means for the stay in Costa Rica, among other things. This new entry requirement has faced criticism domestically and abroad, notably from Costa Rica’s former president Óscar Arias (1986-1990, 2006-2010) who wrote on social media that “this ill-advised measure not only disrupts trade, tourism, and Central American investment, but evidently the Honduran government will also impose a visa requirement on us to travel to that country.” Indeed, hours after Costa Rica declared the new measure, Honduras’ foreign minister, Enrique Reina, announced a similar policy of requiring a consular visa for all Costa Rican citizens entering Honduras, as a “principle of reciprocity”.