Costa Rica Visa for Tourists: A Comprehensive Guide - Visa Traveler (2024)

Costa Rica visa requirements are fairly simple. Costa Rica EXEMPTS visa for most nationalities. For those who need a visa, Costa Rica offers visa EXEMPTION if they hold a valid visa from the United States, Canada or Schengen.

Days of entry depend on the passport but it’s usually at least 15 days to a maximum of 90 days.

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Costa Rica Visa Requirements

Visa EXEMPT passport holders

90-day Entry

1. Andorra
2. Argentina
3. Australia
4. Austria
5. Bahamas
6. Barbados
7. Belgium
8. Brazil
9. Bulgaria
10. Canada
11. Chile
12. Croatia
13. Cyprus
14. Czech Republic
15. Denmark
16. Estonia
17. Finland
18. France
19. Germany
20. Hellenic Republic
21. Vatican
22. Hungary
23. Ireland
24. Israel
25. Italy
26. Japan
27. Latvia
28. Liechtenstein
29. Lithuania
30. Luxembourg
31. Malta
32. Mexico
33. Monaco
34. Montenegro
35. Netherlands
36. New Zealand
37. Norway
38. Panama
39. Paraguay
40. Poland
41. Portugal
42. Puerto Rico
43. Romania
44. San Marino
45. Serbia
46. Singapore
47. Slovakia
48. Slovenia
49. South Africa
50. South Korea
51. Spain
52. Sweden
53. Switzerland
54. Trinidad and Tobago
55. United States of America
56. United Kingdom
57. Uruguay

30-day Entry

1. Antigua and Barbuda
2. Belize
3. Bolivia
4. Dominica
5. El Salvador
6. Fiji
7. Grenada
8. Guatemala
9. Guyana
10. Honduras
11. Kiribati
12. Maldives
13. Marshall Islands
14. Mauritius
15. Micronesia
16. Nauru
17. Northern Mariana Islands
18. Palau
19. Philippines
20. Saint Christopher and Nevis
21. Saint Lucia
22. Samoa
23. St Vincent and the Grenadines
24. São Tomé and Príncipe
25. Seychelles
26. Solomon Islands
27. Surinam
28. Tonga
29. Turkey
30. Tuvalu
31. Vanuatu
32. Venezuela

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Visa REQUIRED passport holders

1. Afghanistan
2. Albania
3. Algeria
4. Angola
5. Armenia
6. Azerbaijan
7. Bahrain
8. Bangladesh
9. Belarus
10. Benin
11. Bhutan
12. Bosnia and Herzegovina
13. Botswana
14. Brunei Darussalam
15. Burkina Faso
16. Burundi
17. Cambodia
18. Cameroon
19. Cape Verde
20. Central African Republic
21. Chad
22. China
23. Colombia
24. Comoros
25. Congo (Dem. Rep. of)
26. Côte d’Ivoire
27. Cuba
28. Djibouti
29. Dominican Republic
30. East Timor
31. Ecuador
32. Egypt
33. Equatorial
34. Eritrea
35. Ethiopia
36. Guinea
37. Gabon
38. Gambia
39. Georgia
40. Ghana
41. Guinea
42. Guinea-Bissau
43. Haiti
44. India
45. Indonesia
46. Iran
47. Iraq
48. Jamaica
49. Jordan
50. Kazakhstan
51. Kenya
52. Kosovo
53. Kuwait
54. Kyrgyzstan
55. Laos
56. Lebanon
57. Lesotho
58. Liberia
59. Libya
60. Madagascar
61. Malawi
62. Malaysia
63. Mali
64. Mauritania
65. Moldova
66. Mongolia
67. Morocco
68. Mozambique
69. Myanmar
70. Namibia
71. Nepal
72. Nicaragua
73. Niger
74. Nigeria
75. North Korea
76. Oman
77. Pakistan
78. Palestine
79. Papua New Guinea
80. Peru
81. Qatar
82. Republic of Congo
83. Republic of Macedonia
84. Russian Federation
85. Rwanda
86. Sahrawi Arab Republic
87. Saudi Arabia
88. Senegal
89. Sierra Leone
90. Somalia
91. Sri Lanka
92. Sudan
93. Swaziland
94. Syria
95. Taiwan
96. Tajikistan
97. Tanzania
98. Thailand
99. Togo
100. Tunisia
101. Turkmenistan
102. Uganda
103. Ukraine
104. United Arab Emirates
105. Uzbekistan
106. Vietnam
107. Yemen
108. Zambia
109. Zimbabwe

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Visa EXEMPT for passport holders with a valid VISA from the United States/Canada/Schengen/Japan

• Multiple entry business(B1)/tourist(B2)/crew(D) visa from the United States
• Multiple entry tourist visa from Canada
• Multiple entry Schengen visa
• Multiple entry tourist visa from any country in the European Union (EU)
  • Visa must be stamped in the passport and must be valid for at least 1 day from the arrival date.
  • Length of the stay may not be greater than the validity of the visa
  • Length of the stay may not exceed 30 days
• Multiple entry business/tourist/crew visa from Japan
  • Visa must be stamped in the passport and must be valid for at least 6 months from the arrival date.
  • Length of the stay may not exceed 30 days
• Work/student visa or permanent residency in US/Canada/Any country from EU
  • Work/student visa must be stamped in the passport and must be valid for at least 6 months from the arrival date.
  • Passport must be valid for at least 6 months
  • Permanent residents must have their residency card (or green card) and must be valid for at least 6 months from the arrival date.
  • Length of the stay may not exceed 30 days

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
When I traveled to Costa Rica for the first time, I used my United States visa. I was given a 30-day entry. The second time, I used my Canadian multiple-entry tourist visa. I was given only a 15-day entry. In my opinion, it’s easier to get a 30-day entry with a US visa than with other visas (Canadian/Schengen/Japan multiple entry).

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Immigration and Customs

Start

Some airlines do not let you check in online if you need a visa to travel to the destination country. If your airline lets you check in online, make sure to arrive at the gate a bit early and see the airline staff. They have to go through the visa requirements again, verify your passport/visa and issue a new boarding pass. So, make sure you account for this additional time.

Entry

When you arrive in San José, you will be asked a few questions by immigration and customs officials. Questions would be mostly on where you are coming from, how long the trip is and what you will be doing on this trip.

As always, carry a copy of your return ticket and hotel/hostel booking. Immigration officials sometimes insist on seeing a copy of the return tickets.

Exit

All tourists must pay exit tax before leaving Costa Rica. Pay the exit tax before going into the security or check-in line. If you go to the airline counter or security first, you will be sent back to pay the exit tax.

The exit tax is $29 USD. You can pay in cash (USD) and they give you change if you do not have the exact change.

Stop by the airline counter to get yourself verified for the exit tax payment if you have checked in online. They usually have to put a stamp on your boarding pass that you paid the exit tax.

Return

If you are returning back to the US from Costa Rica, there is a good chance that most of the passengers on the plane are US passport holders. In that case, there will not be anyone in the visitors’ line or everyone will go through the citizens’ line. Questions from CBP officials would be mostly on where you are coming from, how was the vacation, what did you do in Costa Rica, etc.

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Overall

Costa Rica is a must-visit country for everyone. Costa Rica visa requirements are fairly simple. Visa is EXEMPT for most nationalities. Those who need a visa are also EXEMPT if they hold a valid visa from the US, Canada or Schengen.