Costa Rica is preparing to expand automated passport screening at Juan Santamaría International Airport (San José) to travelers holding US and Canadian passports. According to reporting from The Rio Times and Tico Times, the migration agency is moving from an initial rollout for Costa Rican citizens to a next phase that will include visitors from the United States and Canada. Tico Times quotes Omer Badilla Toledo of Costa Rica’s Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería, saying the airport’s automated passport gates are in their final round of testing. The outlets report that this testing period is nearing completion and that the gates are expected to begin operating for US and Canadian arrivals “soon,” following the earlier phase for Costa Rican citizens earlier this month. Both sources frame the development as a measure to streamline immigration processing at the airport. The reports do not provide an exact launch date, but they indicate the system is close to being ready based on ongoing trials.