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 depends on the passport but it’s usually at least 15 days to a maximum of 90 days.
Costa Rica Visa Requirements
Visa EXEMPT passport holders
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahamas
Barbados
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Canada
Chile
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Vatican
Hungary
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Mexico
Monaco
Montenegro
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Panama
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Romania
San Marino
Serbia
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Trinidad and Tobago
United States of America
United Kingdom
Uruguay
Belize
Bolivia
Dominica
El Salvador
Fiji
Grenada
Guatemala
Guyana
Honduras
Kiribati
Marshall Islands
Mauritius
Micronesia
Nauru
Northern Mariana Islands
Palau
Philippines
Saint Christopher and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Samoa
São Tomé and Príncipe
Seychelles
Solomon Islands
Surinam
Tonga
Turkey
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Visa REQUIRED passport holders
Albania
Algeria
Angola
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Benin
Bhutan
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brunei Darussalam
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
China
Colombia
Comoros
Congo (Dem. Rep. of)
Côte d’Ivoire
Cuba
Djibouti
Dominican Republic
East Timor
Ecuador
Egypt
Equatorial
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Guinea
Gabon
Georgia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Haiti
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Jamaica
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Mali
Mauritania
Moldova
Mongolia
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nepal
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Oman
Pakistan
Palestine
Papua New Guinea
Peru
Qatar
Republic of Congo
Republic of Macedonia
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Sahrawi Arab Republic
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Somalia
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Swaziland
Syria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Tunisia
Turkmenistan
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
Uzbekistan
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
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
When I traveled to Costa Rica for the first time, I have used my United States visa. I was given a 30-day entry. The second time, I have 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).
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 of 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.
Overall
Costa Rica is a must visit country for everyone. Costa Rica visa requirements are fairly simple. Visa is EXEMPT for most nationalities. And those who need a visa are also EXEMPT if they hold a valid visa from the US, Canada or Schengen.
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