As a refugee, or someone applying for refugee status, you have the following duties:

• Respect and abide by the laws of the country: It is your duty to respect and abide by the laws and regulations of Costa Rica and to contribute towards the maintenance of public order.

• Carry your identity card: You must ensure that your refugee document or application for refugee status is valid and that you carry it with you at ALL times.

• Contribute to the Costa Rican social security system (Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social) if you are self-employed: as a person living in Costa Rica you have a duty to contribute to the Costa Rican Health Service (CCSS).

• If you are applying for refugee status, you must inform the Migration Office (Oficina de Migración) or the Administrative Migration Tribunal (Tribunal Administrativo Migratorio -TAM) of any change of telephone number or address. It is of utmost importance that your details with the institutions that assist you, such as UNHCR, ACAI and RET (The Refugee Education Trust), are kept up-to-date.

• If you are applying for refugee status it must be kept in mind that you CAN NOT travel out of Costa Rica.

• If you are a refugee, it is your responsibility to ensure that you DO NOT travel to your country of origin. If you travel to your country without authorization, it may result in you losing your refugee status.