My company is holding a sales meeting in Liberia costa rica and I have invited 70 resellers and distributors, plus co workers and we will have over 50 rooms at a Riu resort in CR. Many of my customers know my wife and others wanted to meet her, so we planned on having her come to CR and then from CR we could leave to Aruba/Curacao for a honeymoon.
Sounded like a great plan. I went to both consulates with her and asked if my bank statements and work letter were enough or if I needed an actual letter from my bank. Both said we were fine. I asked if we needed to do an authorized letter saying I will cover all expenses on the trip. Both said no, just a hand written or typed letter. Great!
Now it all falls apart. Paises Abajo or Curacao/Aruba said 15 working days for the visa. CR 10 working days. We would have just enough time if all went well. Since Paises Abajo send the passport to washington for processing, we decided to do that visa first as if things ran late, the CR visa was handled here and we could hopefully ask the CR Consulate rush service. At least with the passport in country we would have a shot, and worst case we could eliminate CR from her trip and meet in Panama on the way to Aruba.
Well, first the woman with nasty attitude at Paises Abajo said, no. We have to do CR first. WTF? We were going to CR first not after Aruba and CR was not the important part of the trip. The Honeymoon is. My wife said, we would rather do the visa that takes longer and CR wasn't important. The woman insisted and said if CR denies they would want to know why. I don't get what CR visa has to do with Aruba, but whatever. My wife has had 4 visas to Brasil, 2 to jamaica, mexico, Peru etc. Never stayed even a day past the alloted time, never any problems getting the visas.
My wife drops off the paperwork and passport to CR consulate and begs the girl to get the pssport back in time to do the Paises Abajo visa as it is our Honeymoon. The girl was very nice, and said call tuesday. Tuesday was a week later and would have gotten the ball rolling with paises abajo in time. Sounds great!
Tuesday my wife calls and the girl said the CR consul wants to meet her wed morning. She goes to consulate frst thing in the morning. He grills her as to why she does not have US visa if she is married to a gringo. She replied that we are married just two months. He asks why we don't own a house in DR. She replies that we will likely be moving to US, so why buy a house.
She said if we needed an invite from CR company we could get one easily etc. He said it would be "complicated" to get the visa. WTF? Our address is in Bella Vista which is not Piantini etc, but doubtful that anyone living in Bella Vista would want or need to stay in CR, lol. Who the hell would not stay in Brasil, Peru or Mexico, but want to stay in CR?
I called the consul and he refused to speak to me. I spoke to his secretary and asked how the thousands of dominican hookers got their visas? Of course I know the answer. For the most part they "buy" the visas.
Next day Consul calls wife and says he will do all that is possible but it is complicated. He said call back later for an answer. When she called back, secretary said call Friday. My wife said, if I am not going to get the visa give me my passport so that my honeymoon doesn't get ruined. She said "tranquila". When she called Friday the girl said come by before 12 noon monday for your passport. My wife asked, with or without the visa? She said she could not answer over the phone. Mind you, this is after the Consul had said he would give her an answer over the phone.
Monday morning we go to consulate and I wait in the car figuring if they wanted her there by 12 it was so she could go to bank and deposit the fee. Wrong! She texts me and says Consul wants to speak to me. I go up the stairs and to his little window. He says, "ya Le di repuesta" y es no. I said, I am bringing 70 people or more to CR, and my wife is denied? That makes sense. He says, if she had US visa it would be easier. I said, idiota, if she had US visa we could go to HAWAII and not maldito Costa Rica, lol. He left the window and was walking towards me as I was leaving. I called him an idiot, a conyaso, and said I will produce a documentary on Dominican Hookers in CR and how they get visas. Security was running upstairs with hand on his gun, lol. Hysterical.
So, now we head to paises abajo, and they say 15 days. Visa would not show up on time, and if they were worried about CR visa, made no sense to even try. We just left. Cancelled flights, cancelled hotels. Wife is crying. I rebooked flights and Hotels for Montego bay and Negril. COPA actually owes the wife 70 bucks after change fees etc.
She went to Jamaican consul tuesday morning, with all the paperwork. She paid a lawyer to do the letter stating I will be responsible for all costs etc. She has had that letter done 4 times for Brasil, once for mexico and twice for jamaica. Woman at Jamaican Consulate, which is walking distance from our apt, was very cool. She said she didn't need the letter, as we are Married now and I wasn't just her BF. Didn't want my work letter, or bank statements. She just said, come pick up the Visa thursday.
So, after this trip to CR for my meeting, I will not spend a dime there. There is no way in hell I would be able to talk the wife into going to CR, Aruba or Curacao either. We dig Jamaica. There are places in DR we still need to visit. We want to do the Galapagos in Ecuador, and maybe tierra del fuego. Once she has a US Visa she can pretty much go any where. CR is not on the list!
I have seen articles online about dominican hookers being denied visas, but then a tigre outside the consulate says he can get them a 6 month visa to study english. Cost 500 to 1000 dollars.If those reports are true, I am thinking maybe the consulate is spoiled and doesn't like giving away visas for free.
