Visa policy of Costa Rica


Visitors to Costa Rica require a visa unless they are citizens of one of the eligible countries who are visa exempt up to 90 days. Costa Rican visas are documents issued by the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería, dependent on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica, with the stated goal of regulating and facilitating migratory flows. Visitors must hold passports that are valid for at least 6 months from the date of arrival.

Visa policy map

Visa exemption

Holders of passports of the following jurisdictions do not require a visa to visit Costa Rica:
1 — passport must be valid for at least one day on arrival.
2 — passport must be valid for at least three months on arrival.
3 — including overseas territories of Australia, Denmark, France, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, United Kingdom, United States.
Nationals of holding passports for public affairs do not require a visa for a maximum stay of 30 days.
Date of visa changes

  • 30 May 1966: Spain
  • 5 July 1968: Israel
  • 13 September 1968: Austria
  • 1 September 1971: France
  • October 1971: Yugoslavia
  • 16 September 1974: Japan
  • 6 December 1996: Brazil
  • 24 November 2003: Latvia
  • 12 April 2014: Russia
  • 13 December 2015: Peru
  • 14 December 2016: Brunei, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Qatar, Taiwan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates
Cancelled:
Visa is not required for holders of diplomatic or service/official passports of China, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Indonesia, Morocco, Thailand and Vietnam.

Substitute visas

Nationals who would normally require visas may enter Costa Rica for a maximum of 30 days if they are holding a valid, multiple-entry visa or residence permit issued by the following countries. When utilizing a residence permit, it must be valid for more than six months on arrival.
1 - for holders of residence permits only.
2 - Green Cards or U.S. visas must be valid for more than six months on arrival except for holders of B or D visas. Not applicable to holders of C1 visas.

Visa required countries

Holders of passports of the following jurisdictions require a visa to visit Costa Rica:
;Visa issued at a consulate and a passport valid for six months
;Restricted visa approved by the Commission for Restricted Visas and a passport valid for six months

Visitor statistics

Most visitors arriving to Costa Rica were from the following countries of nationality:
Country20172016201520142013
1,199,2411,233,2771,077,044997,262929,402
429,990440,049446,870463,959476,678
201,921188,104175,771172,730160,398
106,78394,49984,94075,04572,568
104,79599,91797,13568,34098,275
81,09178,27369,42763,21464,552
78,03265,06357,60055,67756,756
76,17371,39247,49939,54535,198
70,96067,93966,45063,91654,754
69,80361,50354,77349,68139,728
69,78267,45365,18864,30352,950
Total2,959,8692,925,1282,660,2572,526,8172,427,941