“The Embassy advises that there have been recent cases where applicants’ are unable to make their appointments due to their fees being used by third parties.

We remind all applicants to protect their visa fee payment receipt and its unique sequence number as if it were cash and not share it with anyone.

It is not recommended to hire or rely on third parties to fill out visa application forms, make the interview appointment, or to handle fee payments. The visa application process is intended to be accomplished by applicants themselves with all forms available on our website (cr.usembassy.gov) and fees payable either online or in person at the branch location of your choice. Therefore the Embassy recommends applicants not rely on third parties for any part of the process, especially payment of the fee which should be done personally to avoid compromising sensitive payment data. Protect your own privacy and keep your entire visa application under your own personal control.

Applicants who choose to hire a third party service provider are urged to do thorough research before handing over any funds or personal information and remember, applicants remain personally responsable for the information entered in their application regardless of who fills it out.

If you suspect fraud occurred in any part of your visa application, please contact the Embassy by email at consularsanjose@state.gov or by calling +506-4000-1976.

Victims of visa fraud should report the crime to the local police before contacting the Embassy so as to provide the case number to aid further investigation.”