ENTRY REQUIREMENTS TO COSTA RICA
Entry requirements for Costa Rican national and legal residents in Costa Rica
-Costa Rican nationals and foreigners with a legal residence in Costa Rica (duly identified) are not required to show a COVID-19 test in order to enter Costa Rica. They only require to complete the digital form called the Health Pass. The form is available at https://salud.go.cr/.
Entry requirements for tourists:
-All tourists must meet the requirements indicated at https://www.visitcostarica.com/en/costa-rica/planning-your-trip/entry-requirements
TYPES OF VISAS AND PROCEDURES ACCORDING TO THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN OF THE APPLICANT
Costa Rica has established entry requirements according the country of origin of the person who wants to travel to the country. There are four Groups of Countries, each one with specific requisites and conditions:United Arab Emirates nationals do NOT need a visa to enter Costa Rica for tourism purposes and they can remain in the country for a maximum of 90 days. If you hold a valid multiple visa from the United States of America (B1-B2) or Canada, or a residence permit of a EU country, you do NOT need a visa to enter Costa Rica
Not all people wishing to travel to Costa Rica need a tourist visa. This will depend on your nationality, purpose of visit, country of residence and length of your stay. Visa requirements or exceptions are based in international treaties or agreements. Moreover, a visa does not guarantee your entry to Costa Rica; like the United Arab Emirates, this depends on the immigration officer upon arrival.
Though you may not need a visa, the following is still required to enter the country:
- A passport valid for at least 3 months from the moment you enter Costa Rica. If you require a visa, your passport must be valid for 6 months from the moment of your entry.
- NOTE: Some airlines and migration authorities require a minimum passport validity of 6 months, based on dispositions of the International Civil Aviation Organization.
- Proof of transportation ticket as either a return ticket or to continue to a third country.
- Proof of sufficient monetary means to finance your tourist stay in the country.
Nationals of the following countries or territories do NOT need a tourist visa to enter Costa Rica and can remain in the country for a maximum of 90 days:
| Andorra | Czech Republic | Japan | Paraguay | Slovenia |
| Argentina | Denmark | Latvia | Peru | South Africa |
| Australia | Estonia | Liechtenstein | Poland | South Korea |
| Austria | Finland | Lithuania | Portugal | Spain |
| Bahamas | France | Luxemburg | Principality of Monaco | Sweden |
| Barbados | Germany | Malta | Puerto Rico | Switzerland |
| Belgium | Greece | Mexico | Qatar | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Brazil | Hungary | Montenegro | Romania | United Arab Emirates |
| Bulgaria | Iceland | Netherlands | San Marino | United Kingdom |
| Canada | Ireland | New Zealand | Serbia | United States of America |
| Chile | Israel | Norway | Singapore | Uruguay |
| Croatia | Italy | Panama | Slovakia | Vatican City |
| Cyprus |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Guatemala | Mauritius | Saint Lucia | Tonga |
| Belize | Guyana | Micronesia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Turkey |
| Bolivia | Honduras | Nauru | Samoa | Tuvalu |
| Brunei-Darussalam | Kazakhstan | Northern Mariana Islands | São Tome and Príncipe | Ukraine |
| Dominica | Kiribati | Palau | Seychelles | Vanuatu |
| El Salvador | Malaysia | Philippiness | Solomon Islands | Venezuela |
| Fiji | Maldives | Russia | Surinam | |
| Granada | Marshall Islands | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Taiwan |
IMPORTANT
If you are a national of a country not mentioned in the two previous groups, then you DO need a visa to enter Costa Rica.Consular Visas Nationals from the following countries or territories DO need a consulate visa to enter Costa Rica and can remain in the country for a maximum of 30 days:
| Albania | Chad | Indonesia | Moldavia | Senegal |
| Algeria | Colombia | Ivory Coast | Mongolia | Sierra Leone |
| Angola | Comoros | Jordan | Morocco | South Sudan |
| Armenia | Democratic Republic of Congo | Kenya | Mozambique | Sudan |
| Azerbaijan | Djibouti | Kosovo | Namibia | Swaziland |
| Bahrain | Dominican Republic | Kuwait | Nepal | Tajikistan |
| Belarus | East Timor | Kyrgystan | New Guinea | Tanzania |
| Benin | Ecuador | Laos | Nicaragua | Thailand |
| Bhutan | Egypt | Lebanon | Niger | Togo |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Equatorial Guinea | Lesotho | Nigeria | Tunisia |
| Botswana | Gabon | Liberia | Oman | Turkmenistan |
| Burkina Faso | Gambia | Libya | Pakistan | Uganda |
| Burundi | Georgia | Macedonia | Papua | Uzbekistan |
| Cambodia | Ghana | Madagascar | Republic of Congo | Vietnam |
| Cameroon | Guinea | Malawi | Rwanda | Yemen |
| Cape Verde | Guinea-Bissau | Mali | Saharawi Arab Republic | Zambia |
| Central African Republic | India | Mauritania | Saudi Arabia | Zimbabwe |
Process - Please Call us for more Information
Restricted Visas
A restricted visa is an authorization for entry to Costa Rica that nationals from the following countries must obtain, according to the Entry Guidelines of the country. This authorization is under the exclusive purview of the Restricted Visas and Refugee Commission.
This Commission determines both the permit of entry and the maximum amount of days that a particular foreigner may stay in Costa Rica. The nationals of the following countries or territories must apply for a restricted visa:
| Afghanistan | Ethiopia | Jamaica | Somalia |
| Bangladesh | Haiti | Myanmar | Sri Lanka |
| Cuba | Iran | North Korea | Syria |
| Eritrea | Iraq | Palestine |
Process for restricted visa applications
The documents you must present at the Consulate are as follows:
- Send a visa request letter addressed to the Consul, written by the interested party, his/her relative resident in Costa Rica, or his/her representative, indicating his/her circumstances and his/her kinship relationship with the requested foreigner. The letter must also include the following regarding the foreigner applying for the visa.
- Full name
- Nationality
- Profession or trade
- Purpose of trip
- Estimated length of the trip
- Exact address while in Costa Rica
- Estimated date of entry and exit of the country
- Costa Rican Consulate to which the visa authorization needs to be sent to, should the application be successful.
- Copy of the legalized foreigner’s entire passport, with Consular authentication, and translated to Spanish. The passport must be valid for at least eight months.
- Copy of the identification document of the person requesting the foreigner. This document must be verified before an official of the Consulate or, if it is defected, an authenticated copy of said document.
- Proof of economic solvency of the requesting party.
- Proof of economic solvency and kinship of the requested foreigner.
- Police records from the country of origin of the requested foreigner, where it is clearly stated that he/she has not been convicted in his/her country of origin or in the one where she/he has lived for the last three years, for the crimes specified in article 61 of the Costa Rican Constitution. This document must be duly authenticated by the applicant’s Consulate, legalized, and translated to Spanish.
- Certification issued by the competent authority of the country of origin of the requested foreigner that proves the relationship between the requesting and requested parties.
- Single status certificate issued by the country of requested foreigner, legalized, authenticated by the Consulate, and translated to Spanish, for the cases where this document might be necessary.