You got that Costa Rican beachfront condo you’ve had your eye on but now that you’re starting to settle in, you have questions. How do I get my mail in Costa Rica? Can I get package deliveries to my home? The answers may surprise you if you’re new to Costa Rican living but there are ways to get your mail and packages to paradise.

While Costa Rica does have a postal service called Correos de Costa Rica, it is a small operation and delivery tends to be unpredictable – if it happens at all! One of the main issues in Costa Rica is that exact street addresses generally don't exist. Instead, they tend to use descriptions of nearby landmarks, such as "the white house, 200 meters south of the large mango tree". Obviously, you cant mark down this address and send it through Canada Post or the US Postal Service and expect to receive your mail. Not to mention what happens if the mango tree gets cut down!

Thankfully, there are many expats who came before you, and receiving deliveries in Costa Rica from North America has become a relatively simple process.

Get a Post Office Box

Getting a post office box at your local Correos office means senders will have a real address to send your mail to. This seems to work best for receiving mail from within the country, however, as international mail delivery can take months or not show up at all. If someone does send you mail, like a birthday card, make sure they send it months in advance and never send cash or anything that can not be replaced like old photos, for example. Always make sure the sender takes down the tracking number of any mail they send to your Correos post office box so the mail can be tracked if it gets lost.

Use a Mail Receiver

If you want a more reliable way of getting your mail forwarded to you from your home country, you can set up a mail receiver. The purpose of this type of service is to receive all of your mail and allow you to choose what to do with it. For example, US Global Mail will give you a physical street address in the state of your choice for a monthly fee. They collect your mail and upload photos of the envelopes, which they send to you via email. After this, you can go online and select which mail you want to be delivered to Costa Rica or which ones you want to be opened, scanned, and emailed to you for additional fees. Any envelopes that you don't want will be shredded. For the mail that you want to be delivered, you must direct US Global Mail to ship the mail to the carrier of your choice in the US, which will then send it to you in Costa Rica.

Use a Private Carrier

A popular carrier used by many expats in Costa Rica is Liberty Express. They have an address in Miami, which is where you will send mail and packages that you want to receive in Costa Rica. This can be done by setting up an account with Liberty Express, which will assign you a unique customer number and address. People use this service to send the mail they want to be delivered to Costa Rica, as well as packages from family or online purchases (like Amazon). Be sure to check with Liberty Express prior to ordering to find out what the fees and customs charges will look like. This can be done by sending them information on the package such as the weight and contents of the package. You can also send them links to your chosen Amazon or other online purchase prior to ordering. This will help you to not incur any surprise customs fees or confiscations. Things like medications and certain supplements are not permitted to be shipped into Costa Rica, so it is best to check beforehand. There are many Liberty Express offices throughout the country, including one in Tamarindo, Costa Rica.

Amazon Purchases

Amazon ships to over 100 countries worldwide through Amazon Global. They even added an international purchase option in its mobile application on iOS and Android in 2018, making shipping items to Costa Rica easier than it was before. You can receive packages directly in Costa Rica instead of going through services that give a US address and then forward the package, like Liberty Express. This international platform has various shipping options and delivery speeds available. While Amazon does provide clear prices, shipping costs, and estimates of import taxes, some have found it cheaper to go through carriers like Liberty Express for most items.

Get A Mule

One of the most common ways for expats to receive mail and packages quickly, easily, and for low to no cost is to simply ask someone to mule it down for you. If you have family or friends traveling from your home country to Costa Rica, ask them if you can send your package to their house and hold some space for it in their luggage. If you do not have any friends or family traveling soon, there are Facebook pages dedicated to this purpose. Search for “Tico Sherpa – Carrying stuff back to Costa Rica” on Facebook. Alternatively, join groups that are specifically for Costa Rican expats from your home country and ask someone in that group if they are willing to bring down your items. There are people that specifically do this for money, often charging per pound, which can be found by asking around on local Facebook pages.

There are certain places in Costa Rica with addresses that make it easier for Correos or delivery companies like DHL or Amazon to find you. If you are looking for houses or condos for sale in Costa Rica, consider a house or condo in a private community with a name that can be easily found on locators like Waze or Google maps. These locations will make home delivery to your house or condo much easier. There are several of these types of houses and condos for sale in places like Tamarindo Costa Rica, where many expats have chosen to make their home. If you are considering buying a house or condo for sale in Tamarindo Costa Rica, be sure to use a real estate expert who has made this transition before. That way they can point you in the right direction and answer all of your questions, including how to get your mail and packages to Costa Rica.

Blog by: Jennifer LaCharite – Costa Consultants, International