Bring your licence.
Leave with a TI callsign.

Who can apply

Article 17 of the RGRR opens the door for foreign amateurs in three cases. Whichever applies to you, the permit is issued by the Executive Branch through MICITT, and a valid document proving that you are a licensed amateur at home is part of the file.

Your callsign here

Article 17 sets the format: the prefix TI, the digit of the zone where you operate, then your own callsign. The zone digit follows the province; San José is 2, which is why this station is TI2AVK. MICITT writes the exact callsign into the permit.

Sign it as one word, TI2K1ZZ, and give it every ten minutes and at the end of each contact, the same rule that applies to every station in Costa Rica.

What to file

The permit application is form MICITT-ROBC-002, filed with the Viceministerio de Telecomunicaciones. Article 19 lists what goes with it. Prepare the file before you travel; in Costa Rica the technical review sits with SUTEL and the decision with the Vice-Ministry, and the regulation gives them weeks, not days.

1. 01

   Form MICITT-ROBC-002, complete

   The official application for a spectrum-use permit for the amateur service. Ask MICITT for the current version; it is a Word form.

2. 02

   Identity and status in the country

   Article 16 asks a foreigner to prove their migratory status: bring the passport with the entry stamp, and the DIMEX if you are a resident. If someone files for you, they need your written authorisation and copies of both IDs.

3. 03

   Your amateur licence, valid

   Article 19 c: the document that proves you are a licensed amateur, or CB operator, in your home country.

4. 04

   Where the station will be

   The exact address and the coordinates of the station in WGS-84 decimal degrees, at least six significant figures, d,dddddd°. The regulation asks for the exact address, so name the hotel or the house.

5. 05

   What the station is

   The technical characteristics of every element: transceiver, antenna, accessories. Attach the manufacturers' specification sheets.

   • Brand, model, frequency range, receiver sensitivity, output power
   • Antenna type, gain, pattern, polarisation, height above ground
   • Operating from a car: a copy of the vehicle registration (tarjeta de circulación), one per vehicle
6. 06

   File it, then wait

   Digital filing needs a Costa Rican digital signature, so visitors usually file in person at MICITT in San José or through a local representative. An annual spectrum fee (canon) applies to every permit holder; SUTEL sets it once the permit is granted (articles 31 and 33).

Timing, from the same regulation: MICITT passes the file to SUTEL within 5 working days; SUTEL has up to 45 working days for its technical recommendation; the Vice-Ministry then decides within 60 working days; the absolute ceiling is 180 working days. In practice: file months ahead, not weeks. The courtesy permit for diplomats (article 18) is the only fast track.

On the air in the Central Valley

Once the permit is in hand, operate within the Costa Rican band plan (PNAF Apéndice III) and the category MICITT writes into your permit. The band map on the main page shows the allocations from 160 m to 70 cm. On VHF, the Radio Club de Costa Rica runs the Canal Nacional, a linked network of 2 m repeaters covering the Central Valley and much of the country.

Outputs in MHz, as published by the club in 2025. Offsets and tones change; confirm them with the club before you programme the radio. The club also runs DMR on 439.850 with a Thursday net at 19:00 local (01:00 UTC), BrandMeister talkgroup 712.

Who to talk to

And a fellow ham in San José: write to ti2avk@gmail.com for a sked, a local frequency to try first, or simply to say you are coming. 73 and welcome to TI.