Do I Need a Visa to Enter Costa Rica?
How long can I stay in Costa Rica without a visa?
Citizens of some countries are allowed to enter and remain in Costa Rica for up to 90 days without a visa, while citizens of other countries must apply for a visa prior to their trip. In order to find out if you need or do not need a visa to enter Costa Rica, you can check out the list below. Yet before you do, make sure of two things:
#1: That you hold a valid passport. Without a valid passport you will be denied travel altogether!
#2: That your passport is valid for at least 6 months from the entry date into Costa Rica. It is one of the primary entry requirements and you will be denied entry. If your passport is not valid for 6 months from your date of entry into Costa Rica, we strongly suggest you apply for a new one right away!
For more information you can read our previous blog: Costa Rica Entry Requirements.
Who does not require a Visa to enter Costa Rica?
If you are a citizen from any of the following countries, you can remain in Costa Rica for up to 90 days without a visa:
- Andorra
- Argentina
- Australia & its dependencies
- Austria
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Chile
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech
- Republic
- Denmark & its dependencies
- Estonia
- Finland
- France & its dependencies
- Germany
- Hellenic Republic (Greece)
|
- Holy See (Vatican)
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Island
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Mexico
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- The Netherlands and its dependencies
- New Zealand and its dependencies
- Norway and its dependencies
- Panama
- Paraguay
|
- Poland
- Portugal
- Puerto Rico
- Rumania
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Trinidad and Tobago
- United States and its dependencies
- United Kingdom (including England
- Wales
- Scotland and Northern Ireland)
- Uruguay.
|
If you are a citizen from any of the following countries, you can remain in Costa Rica for 30 days without a visa. (You can ask for an extension once in Costa Rica for a total stay of 90 days)
- Antigua and Barbuda, Belice
- Bolivia
- Dominica
- El Salvador
- Russia, Philippines
- Fiji, Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Honduras
- Northern Marianas
|
- Marshall Islands
- Solomon Islands
- Kiribati, Maldives
- Mauritius
- Micronesia
- Nauru
- Palau
- Kingdom of Tonga
- Samoa
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
|
- Saint Vincent and The Grenadines
- Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe
- Seychelles
- Suriname
- Tuvalu
- Turkey
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela.
|
If you are traveling on a cruise ship to Costa Rica: If you’re on a cruise ship heading to Costa Rica and you are not staying over 24 hours in port, you are NOT required to hold visa. Most cruise ships stop for less than 24 hours, unless you are on a base ship cruise stopping in Costa Rica as its final destination; then you would need to check your visa requirements.
Who requires a Visa to enter Costa Rica?
If you are a citizen from any of the following countries, you can remain in Costa Rica for a maximum of 30 days with a Consular visa. (You can find your closest Costa Rican Consulate or Embassy at https://www.embassypages.com/costarica)
- Albania
- Algeria
- Angola
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Belarus
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brunei Darussalam
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Cote d’Ivoire
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Djibouti
- Dominican Republic
- East Timor
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- Gabon
|
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- India
- Indonesia
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kosovo
- Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan
- Lao People’s Republic
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Mali, Mauritania
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Nepal
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Papua New Guinea
|
- Peru
- Qatar
- Republic of Congo
- Republic of Macedonia
- Russian Federation
- Rwanda
- Sahrawi Arab Republic
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Sudan
- Swaziland
- Taiwan (region)
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Togo
- Tunisia
- Turkmenistan
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
|
Countries that require a Consulted/Restricted Visa:
- Afghanistan
- Bangladesh
- Cuba
- Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea)
|
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Haiti
- Iran
- Iraq
- Jamaica
- Myanmar
|
- Palestine
- People’s Republic of China
- Somalia
- Sri Lanka
- Syrian Arab Republic
|
For more information you can visit https://www.costaricaembassy.com/visas.php.
Bon Voyage!
