Ontario Woman Detained for 24 Hours Over Damaged Passport

An Ontario woman, Andie Field, was detained for 24 hours and denied entry into Costa Rica due to a damaged passport. Field and her fiancé, Jayson Tate, arrived at the Liberia Guanacaste Airport on November 13, 2023, to celebrate their anniversary when officials deemed her passport too damaged for entry.

According to Field, her puppy had chewed a corner of her passport. She had used the same passport for five years, traveling to seven other countries without issues. “It’s basically like a little tear on the bottom corner, and I tried to take it to Service Canada, and they said it wasn’t damaged enough to be replaced,” she explained. Despite her previous travel history, the condition of her passport was enough to raise concerns at the airport.

Upon arriving, Field was informed that she would have to return home immediately. “They separated us. He was allowed to be in the country, and I was not. He was escorted to the exit and told to figure it out, and I was taken to a detention cell,” Field recounted. Tate expressed frustration with the situation, noting that their attempts to communicate with officials were met with resistance. “They brick-walled us every time we tried to talk to them,” he said.

The couple had planned to spend around $2,000 on their trip but ended up incurring approximately $8,000 in last-minute flights and other expenses. When they sought to purchase return tickets to Toronto, they were told it was too late to board their original flight and had to buy new tickets for the following day.

Field described her experience as dehumanizing, stating, “They processed me like a criminal. They took all my information; they took my saliva.” The emotional toll of the incident left her feeling insecure about future travel. “I feel like I’ve been stripped of my security and confidence to travel. Now, I have zero confidence in traveling anywhere,” she said.

Travel expert Loren Christie emphasized the importance of ensuring a passport is in good condition before travel. “Rips, tears, water damage, those are all typical things that technically you’re not supposed to have done to your passport. You might get lucky and someone won’t question you, but you could get unlucky,” he advised. Christie recommended checking passports well in advance of travel to avoid similar situations.

Field plans to acquire a new passport but has decided not to return to Costa Rica. Her experience serves as a cautionary tale for travelers about the importance of maintaining valid travel documents.