FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The consulate processes applications for authentications, visas, passports, residence permits, birth records and assists Costa Rican citizens who live in the United Arab Emirates.

If you are a Costa Rican and have an emergency situation in the United Arab Emirates, please call the Consulate Office +971 25547458 or send us an email to embcr-ae@rree.go.cr . If the emergency requires immediate attention, you may find the Consul General’s mobile number https://www.facebook.com/embcr.uae/.

Emirati nationals do not need a tourist visa to visit Costa Rica. They can remain in the country for a maximum of 90 days.

Since May 15 2018, Costa Rican nationals do not need a visa to visit the United Arab Emirates. They can remain in the country for a maximum of 90 days.

If you will be traveling to Costa Rica from South America and/or sub-Saharan Africa, you will need theYELLOW FEVER VACCINE. The countries considered at risk are: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso,Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria,Sierra Leone, Sudan, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Guyana and Venezuela. You can travel to Costa Rica ten days after the shot. Any individual traveling to Costa Rica that has been in transit, whether in airports, sea ports, or land borders, in the following countries, will require a vaccination: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.

EXCEPTIONS

• Any individual traveling to Costa Rica that has been in transit through: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Bolivia, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and French Guyana, whether in airports, sea ports or land borders, will be exempt from the requirement of vaccination against yellow fever.
• People who have been in countries considered at risk, but who have remained at least six days in a non-risk country before entering Costa Rican territory and who haven’t developed the yellow fever.
• People with contraindications for the vaccination against yellow fever who carry a valid medical opinion supported by the health authority in the country from where they are from.
• Children under 9 months old, people with severe allergy to eggs, immunosuppression and thymic disease present or in their medical history.
• There must be a medical assessment of the pros and cons of vaccination on people with the following conditions: over 60 years of age, pregnancy, lactation, family history of adverse events associated with vaccination against yellow fever, hypersensitivity to gelatin and asymptomatic HIV infection, with laboratory verification of adequate immune system function.

Every person entering Costa Rica is entitled to introduce: luggage with items for personal use in reasonable quantities, medicines and assistance equipment, if you require it

1. Medicines
   If you need to take your personal medicine while traveling to Costa Rica, please consider the following:
   
   • Carry just the necessary quantity, which is the quantity normally used by a person having your health problem.
   • You should have a prescription or a written statement from your doctor, specifying that the medicine is being used under his/her control and that you need it for your physical health.
   • Have the medicines labeled or properly identified.
2. Items for personal use
   You can bring to Costa Rica the following items for personal use, in a reasonable amount, if they are portable and used:
   
   • Books and manuscripts
   • Camera (1) and its accessories
   • Clothing
   • Jewelry
   • Musical instrument (1) and its accessories
   • Non-commercial photographs and prints
   • Portable radio or tape-recorder or compact disk player (1)
   • Purse Rolls of film (6)
   • Toys
   • Umbrella
   • Video-camera (1) and its accessories and
   • Zoom (1)
3. For you and your family's consumption you may also bring
   
   • Baby food
   • Cigarettes (500 grams per person),
   • Candy (2 kilograms per person)
   • Wine and liquor (up to 5 litters per person). You have to be 18 years or older.
4. Items for work: You are allowed to bring to Costa Rica items that you require in your profession, as long as they are used and portable. These provisions exclude complete equipment for laboratories, offices and workshops. Some of the items you may bring are:
   
   • Laptop computer (1)
   • Paint and canvas
   • Portable printer (1)
   • Tape recorder (1)

Some of the documents the Department of Immigration requests are: a birth certificate, a certificate of civil status, a criminal record, and financial statements certified by a public accountant. These documents must have the seal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the UAE, and must be legalized by the Consular Office of Costa Rica in Abu Dhabi, before taking them to Costa Rica. Once in Costa Rica, they must be also legalized by the Foreign Ministry and translated by an official translator.

There are no nationality restrictions for buying property in Costa Rica. However, it is important to corroborate in the Public Registry:

• Who is the owner or owners of the property?
• Who are the persons entitled to sell?
• Status and legal nature of the property. If under normal or condominial regime or under a protected area.
• If the lot area coincides with the cadastre or land register.
• If property weighs on some kind of restriction or right, encumbrances or easements.
• If there is any construction, find out measurements, age and condition.
• Is the property sold alone or whether it includes furniture, farm livestock in the event or other rights. If sold with furniture, ask for an inventory.
• If the property is consistent with the destination to which you intend to use it for.
• Estimated value of the property and if it is consistent with the price being asked. It is advisable to seek a notary public to assist with the formalities.