Border Run

Replies

Gregory Burdick September 20, 2015 at 3:55pm

I was wondering, last time I did a border run at Paso Canoa, I had to have a return airline ticket to my home country. Are they still requiring that and if they are is it better to go to Rio Serrano
Jim Tosch September 18, 2015 at 9:57am

I think it has been said before but it bears repeating. What happens with one person at the border may be different for the next person. It has been my experience that being in line with other people limits the time they have for mischief like studying your documents for issues to raise. And young ones are harder to deal with than the veterans who often don't pay much attention.
- Robert Berding > Jim Tosch September 18, 2015 at 10:11am
  
  It is true. Last time checking into Panama, there were only two Panamanians in front of us. The officer looked even with a magnifying glass at our European passports. For the rest no problems.
Katy N September 17, 2015 at 3:40pm

Hi, I would like to ask a few more questions about doing a "Border Run" next week! We live in Boquete and have a car. We understand you shouldn't or can't (we can't with our lease anyway!) drive a vehicle into CR. I've heard about driving to the border, people going to a store, parking on one side, walking thru the store to the CR side...but is this just for a 'border run' for liquor/shopping? Would you, or anyone else on the Forum, mind if we communicated privately about this? Thank you so much! :)
- Linda Baker > Katy N September 18, 2015 at 8:25am
  
  We drive to the border and find a place there to park our car. Then we walk back to Panama immigration and check out, walk down to CR immigration and check in, do a little shopping in the stores or eat something, then check back out of CR and back into Panama, then walk back to our car and drive home - so far, so good. It's about a three hour ordeal including driving time.
  - Robert Berding > Linda Baker September 18, 2015 at 8:52am
    
    Last time we did it .They stamped us out at the Panamanian border with a time written under the stamp.
    
    We had to stay 5-6 hours before letting us in to Panama again.
    - Linda Baker > Robert Berding September 18, 2015 at 8:55am
      
      The longest we've ever had to stay out is four hours. We've found if you go around 2:30-3:00 p.m. (before the shift change at 3:30), we usually don't have a problem.
      - Katy N > Linda Baker September 20, 2015 at 9:18pm
        
        Linda do you mean arrive at the Panama border to enter CR at 2:30 or 3, or leaving CR to go back into Panama at 2:30 or 3? We were thinking of leaving Boq at 7am in hopes of only having to stay 3-5 hours in CR and return to Boq around 3...and knowing CR time is an hour earlier than PA...thx!
        
        Linda Baker > Katy N September 20, 2015 at 11:23pm
        
        We get to the Panama border at that time. Their shift change is at 3:30.
  - Keith Woolford > Linda Baker September 18, 2015 at 8:29am
    
    good synopsis Linda. We usually look for a parking spot near Burger King and walk around from there.

of 3