SAN JOSE (Reuters) – Costa Rica and Honduras slapped each other with visa requirements for travelers from the other’s country on Monday, with Costa Rica first implementing the measure citing security reasons.
Costa Rica had initially announced the measure last week, later postponing it. Honduras at the time had called the measure “surprising.”
Costa Rican Security Minister Mario Zamora told journalists the visa requirement was “adopted at an opportune moment… for security reasons.”
Costa Rica’s foreign minister told his Honduran counterpart that the visa requirement came after “an increase in criminal groups” in the coastal town of Limon and “the arrival of Honduran hitmen,” Honduras Foreign Minister Enrique Reina said.
Hours after Costa Rica launched the measure on Monday, Honduras imposed a similar requirement “based on the principle of reciprocity.”
Both countries’ requirements will take effect on Tuesday.
So far this year, 25,900 Hondurans have entered Costa Rica, according to government data. However, most do not stay in the country, with just 353 Hondurans requesting asylum last year.
The visa will not be mandatory for Hondurans in transit, Costa Rica’s migration institute said in a statement.
(Reporting by Alvaro Murillo in San Jose; Additional reporting by Gustavo Palencia in Tegucigalpa; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Sarah Morland)
