Is Prostitution Legal in Costa Rica
This is a common topic for debate, and you often get different answers from people depending upon their background and experience in Costa Rica.
First, I’ll give my point of view as an American expatriate who has lived in Costa Rica for five years.
I say prostitution is Not Illegal, although it is totally unregulated, which is to say the girls don’t get medical testing done on a regular basis, do not pay taxes, and do not receive any social security benefits. This is in contrast to many European countries where the hobby is both legal and regulated.
It is illegal in Costa Rica to profit as a third party in any sex for money transaction, so any deal negotiated between a man and a women in for example a bar or motel lobby is perfectly legal.
It is also illegal to trade sex for money with a person under 18, and the penalty is seven years imprisonment in addition to possible prosecution a foreigner might face upon return to their home country. Technically the age of consent is lower than eighteen, however as a practical matter as a foreigner you should never get unloved with any minors.
Ask the average Costa Rican person and they will tell you that prostitution is not legal in their country. This is because the average person has a different idea as to what “prostitution” is technically, and also because many do not see the various venues where it takes place.
In fact there are over fifty cheap motels, massage houses, and tourist bars in San Jose where you can negotiate a deal, however they are all cloaked as something else so that everyone can save face.
Ask a more educated Costa Rican person and they might tell you the fantasy that Costa Rica does allow prostitution, however it is strictly regulated by the government. While this is technically true, the government does provide free medical care, screening for diseases and even social security benefit’s the truth is very few people who actually work in this business will come forward and use the services. So, yes while technically there is regulation no one uses it.
Perhaps the biggest problem that foreigners face is the cultural misunderstanding about identity documents in Costa Rica. The government provides a decent national identification card free of charge (cedula) to all citizens, and most of the time people carry their cedula there is very little the police can do about misrepresentation.
Meaning should a minor “borrow” the cedula of her sister to go to a bar, then there are no legal consequences for her. Should the police catch her they are even unlikely to take it away from her. You would get seven years in prison, and she would be out on the street the following night.
There are also many foreign girls working in Costa Rica, and often their passports are in bad shape for example more than ten years old with revalidated stamps that make them “valid” well beyond their expiration date.
My experience living here for five years tells me there is a lot of “prostitution” in Costa Rica, however it is rarely called prostitution. The average price for bargirl is negotiate between $50 and $100, and you can get a thirty minute session for $30 to $50 at many of the daytime motels (room included).
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