Integrated Service Centers (CSI): many procedures, one building

It is the government’s bet that you should not have to pilgrimage from agency to agency: a physical center where several agencies serve the public in one place. For everyday procedures — a birth certificate, a CESCO transaction, a Treasury matter, the Medicaid card, a WIC appointment — the CSI can save trips to San Juan or to each agency’s central office. The network is run by the State Department, has 21 centers across the island, and a single appointment portal.

There are no eligibility requirements to use a CSI: they are public service offices. What you do need is whatever your specific procedure requires — the documents for the certificate, license or benefit you are handling — because the CSI is the window, not a different procedure with rules of its own.

• Those of the procedure you are doing: the CSI handles transactions for its network agencies, under each agency’s requirements.Verified against the official source

• A photo ID and the documents of the specific procedure. Check the requirements in the guide for the procedure you are doing before booking the appointment.

1. 1

   Step 1: Check whether there is a CSI near you

   The 21 centers are in Arecibo, Ciales, Guayama, Guaynabo, Humacao, Lares, Las Marías, Loíza, Mayagüez, Minillas (San Juan), Moca, Patillas, Ponce, Rincón, Río Piedras, San Sebastián, Toa Baja, Trujillo Alto, Vega Alta, Vieques and Yauco. The center directory with addresses is at csi.pr.gov.

2. 2

   Step 2: Confirm your procedure is served at that center

   The network includes more than 20 agencies — State, Treasury, Family, Labor, Natural Resources, the Elections Commission, the Demographic Registry, DTOP/CESCO, Vocational Rehabilitation, the Economic Development Bank, the State Insurance Fund, Retirement, Medicaid, WIC, LUMA, the Lottery and more — but not every agency attends at every center. Before travelling, check your center’s page at csi.pr.gov or call (787) 722-2121 and confirm the service you need is available there.

3. 3

   Step 3: Book your appointment online

   The appointment portal is csicitas.estado.pr.gov. Arriving with an appointment saves you the walk-in line, and the portal lets you pick the center and the service.

4. 4

   Step 4: Arrive with the procedure’s documents, not just the appointment

   The CSI is the window; the requirements come from the procedure’s agency. If you are going for a Demographic Registry certificate, a CESCO matter or a Treasury certification, first review that procedure’s PRFácil guide and bring what it asks. The appointment does not replace the documents.

Appointments online: csicitas.estado.pr.gov. Directory of the 21 centers: csi.pr.gov. Phone: (787) 722-2121. Email: csi@estado.pr.gov. The programme is run by the State Department (Calle San José at San Francisco, Old San Juan; PO Box 9023271, San Juan, PR 00902-3271).

• Assuming every agency attends at every center: the offering varies by center, and confirming beforehand avoids a wasted trip.
• Arriving without an appointment when the portal offers one: csicitas.estado.pr.gov exists precisely for that.
• Going with the appointment but without the procedure’s documents: the CSI is the window, requirements belong to the agency.
• Not knowing the center exists: if your town is on the list of 21, you may have spent years travelling to San Juan for nothing.
• Confusing the CSI with an agency: it belongs to the State Department and coordinates service, but each procedure still belongs to its agency.

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

• Departamento de Estado de Puerto Rico

  Departamento de Estado

  www.csi.pr.gov

• CSI appointment portal

  Estado

  csicitas.estado.pr.gov