Is shore leave allowed at Santa Maria/Pocosol?

Shore leave at Santa Maria/Pocosol is governed by Costa Rica immigration rules, the flag administration's policy, and the port authority's local rules. Seafarers normally need their seaman's book + a shore-leave permit issued by the agent. Confirm with your agent before going ashore — local policy changes frequently.

What visa or shore-pass do I need for Santa Maria/Pocosol?

Seafarers calling at Santa Maria/Pocosol on a vessel are generally exempt from regular tourist visas under Convention 108 / 185 (Seafarers' Identity Documents) if their flag administration has ratified the convention and they hold an SID. The standard document is the seaman's book + ship's crew list. Costa Rica may also require a shore pass issued by the agent. Confirm before you board the vessel — visa rules vary by nationality and by recent immigration-policy changes.

Is there a seafarer welfare centre at Santa Maria/Pocosol?

No welfare centre is currently listed for Santa Maria/Pocosol in our directory. If you need assistance, the nearest centre may be in a neighbouring port or the country's principal seafarer hub. ISWAN's 24-hour SeafarerHelp line and the ITF helpline both cover Costa Rica regardless of whether a centre exists locally.

Is there a crisis or welfare helpline I can call from Santa Maria/Pocosol?

Yes — 6 helplines are listed for Costa Rica in our directory, plus ISWAN's 24-hour multilingual SeafarerHelp (+44 20 7323 2737) and the ITF Helpline. Helplines handle crisis support, abandonment, wage theft, mental health, and bereavement.

What's the nearest hospital to Santa Maria/Pocosol?

Most major ports have a port-area hospital with seafarer-accustomed admissions; the welfare centre and the ship's agent can both advise. For serious cases, the nearest international hospital is normally in the same city or the next major city. The nearest major airport is La Fortuna Arenal Airport (FON), about 18 km away — useful for medevac planning.

Santa Maria/Pocosol

UN/LOCODE CRSMP · Costa Rica · Americas · A

Santa Maria/Pocosol (UN/LOCODE CRSMP) is a designated seaport in Costa Rica (A) in the tropical northern western Atlantic region. The port operates on America/Costa_Rica, uses the Costa Rican Colon (CRC), runs shore power at 120V/60Hz (Type A/B). Nearest major airport for crew changes is La Fortuna Arenal Airport (FON), 18 km from the port.

Reference

Coordinates: 10.6167, -84.5167
Time zone: America/Costa_RicaUTC -06:00no DST
Local currency: CRC— Costa Rican Colon
Languages: es
Nearest airport: FONLa Fortuna Arenal Airport~18 km
Electricity: 120 V60 Hzplugs A, B(country default — verify at berth)
Climate: AmTropical monsoon
Country-coastal Köppen zone (most ports cluster on the coast). For port-coordinate resolution use Kottek 2006 0.5° grid.
Function codes: 1-------
seaport

Helplines for seafarers in Costa Rica

Welfare, abandonment, wages, medical, mental health, harassment — 24/7 lines where available. See full helplines directory.

ISWAN SeafarerHelp
Global · 24/7 · en, ar, es, fr
📞 +44 800 012 1004 WhatsApp [email protected]www.seafarerhelp.org
ISWAN Mental Health & Wellbeing helpline
Global · 24/7 · en, es, ru, tl
📞 +44 20 3713 7273 [email protected]www.iswan.org.uk/our-work/iswans-mental-health-and-wellbeing-strategy
ITF Seafarers
Global · 24/7 for emergencies · en
📞 +44 20 7403 2733 [email protected]www.itfseafarers.org
ISWAN — Family helpline (for relatives of seafarers)
Global · 24/7 · en, hi, tl
📞 +44 20 7323 2737 [email protected]www.seafarershelp.org
ISWAN Yacht Crew Helpline
Global · 24/7 · en
📞 +44 20 7323 2737 [email protected]www.yachtcrewhelp.org
ITF Inspectorate — Find your nearest inspector
Global · Varies by port · en
www.itfseafarers.org/en/contact-us/find-an-itf-inspector

Other ports in Costa Rica

All ports in Costa Rica →

Port-state-control region: vina del mar MoU · how to file a PSC complaint.

Santa Maria/Pocosol: seafarer FAQ

Is shore leave allowed at Santa Maria/Pocosol?: Shore leave at Santa Maria/Pocosol is governed by Costa Rica immigration rules, the flag administration's policy, and the port authority's local rules. Seafarers normally need their seaman's book + a shore-leave permit issued by the agent. Confirm with your agent before going ashore — local policy changes frequently.
What visa or shore-pass do I need for Santa Maria/Pocosol?: Seafarers calling at Santa Maria/Pocosol on a vessel are generally exempt from regular tourist visas under Convention 108 / 185 (Seafarers' Identity Documents) if their flag administration has ratified the convention and they hold an SID. The standard document is the seaman's book + ship's crew list. Costa Rica may also require a shore pass issued by the agent. Confirm before you board the vessel — visa rules vary by nationality and by recent immigration-policy changes.
Is there a seafarer welfare centre at Santa Maria/Pocosol?: No welfare centre is currently listed for Santa Maria/Pocosol in our directory. If you need assistance, the nearest centre may be in a neighbouring port or the country's principal seafarer hub. ISWAN's 24-hour SeafarerHelp line and the ITF helpline both cover Costa Rica regardless of whether a centre exists locally.
Is there a crisis or welfare helpline I can call from Santa Maria/Pocosol?: Yes — 6 helplines are listed for Costa Rica in our directory, plus ISWAN's 24-hour multilingual SeafarerHelp (+44 20 7323 2737) and the ITF Helpline. Helplines handle crisis support, abandonment, wage theft, mental health, and bereavement.
What's the nearest hospital to Santa Maria/Pocosol?: Most major ports have a port-area hospital with seafarer-accustomed admissions; the welfare centre and the ship's agent can both advise. For serious cases, the nearest international hospital is normally in the same city or the next major city. The nearest major airport is La Fortuna Arenal Airport (FON), about 18 km away — useful for medevac planning.

For the arriving crew

Pilot ladder (SOLAS V/23) — rigging + inspection + Master's duty of care.
Pre-arrival checklist — the standard bridge + engine + agent workflow before entering port.
Ships' agent — role + documentation + interface with pilotage + tug + immigration.
Currency at port — cash-carrying limits + declaration + safe practices.
Hours of rest — STCW VIII/1 + MLC A2.3 rest rules during port operations.

Sources & verification (12)

country_iso3 · ISO 3166-1 (CR)retrieved 2026-05-06
country_name · ISO 3166-1 (CR)retrieved 2026-05-06
currency_code · ISO 4217:2015 (CRC)retrieved 2026-05-06
currency_name · ISO 4217:2015 (CRC)retrieved 2026-05-06
languages · CIA World Factbook (public domain), national-language listing (CR)retrieved 2026-05-06
timezone_iana · IANA tz database (America/Costa_Rica)retrieved 2026-05-06
timezone_utc_offset · ECMA-402 Intl.DateTimeFormat (computed) (America/Costa_Rica)retrieved 2026-05-06
timezone_dst · ECMA-402 Intl.DateTimeFormat (computed) (America/Costa_Rica)retrieved 2026-05-06
electricity · IEC TR 60083 plug-and-socket standard list (CR)retrieved 2026-05-06
function_codes_expanded · UNECE Rec. 16 — UN/LOCODE function-code mask (1-------)retrieved 2026-05-06
nearest_major_airport · OurAirports (CC0) — davidmegginson.github.io/ourairports-data (FON)retrieved 2026-05-07
climate_classification · Kottek et al. 2006 / Beck et al. 2018 — country-coastal Köppen zone (CR)retrieved 2026-05-07

Last verified 5 months ago

High confidence

Editorial confidence: how we grade. Data sources and methodology: /sources.