The visa policy of Costa Rica requires that any foreign national wishing to enter Costa Rica must obtain a visa from one of the Costa Rican diplomatic missions, unless they hold a passport issued by one of the 95 eligible visa exempt countries or if the fulfill the requirements for a substitute visa. Costa Rican visas are documents issued by the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería, which is part of the Ministry of Interior and Police, with the stated goal of regulating and facilitating migratory flows.
Visa policy map
Visa exemption
Holders of passports of the following jurisdictions do not require a visa to visit Costa Rica:[1][2]
180 days 1 30 days 2 4 |
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.
4 - Extendable up to 90 days.
In addition, nationals of China who hold passports endorsed "for public affairs" do not require a visa to enter Costa Rica for a maximum stay of 30 days.
| Date of visa changes |
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Cancelled: |
Visa is not required for holders of diplomatic or service/official passports of Barbados (30 days), China (30 days), Colombia, Cuba (30 days), Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Indonesia, Morocco (30 days), Singapore (180 days), Thailand and Vietnam for up to 90 days (unless otherwise stated).
Substitute visas
Nationals who would normally require visas may enter Costa Rica for a maximum of 90 days if they are holding a valid, multiple-entry visa or residence permit issued by the following countries. Residence permits and visas must be valid for more than six months on arrival.[1]
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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, C2, and C3 visas.
Further Authorization Required
Holders of passports of the following jurisdictions must have their visa approved by the Commission for Restricted Visas before arrival:[1]
Costa Rica also requires citizens of Afghanistan, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Republic of Congo, Cuba, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Haiti, India, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), North Korea, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Yemen and Nicaragua to apply for transit visas before transiting through the country.[1]
Visitor statistics
Most visitors arriving to Costa Rica were from the following countries of nationality:[19]
| Country | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 United States | 1,199,241 | 1,233,277 | 1,077,044 | 997,262 | 929,402 |
 Nicaragua | 429,990 | 440,049 | 446,870 | 463,959 | 476,678 |
 Canada | 201,921 | 188,104 | 175,771 | 172,730 | 160,398 |
 Mexico | 106,783 | 94,499 | 84,940 | 75,045 | 72,568 |
 Panama | 104,795 | 99,917 | 97,135 | 68,340 | 98,275 |
 El Salvador | 81,091 | 78,273 | 69,427 | 63,214 | 64,552 |
 Guatemala | 78,032 | 65,063 | 57,600 | 55,677 | 56,756 |
 United Kingdom | 76,173 | 71,392 | 47,499 | 39,545 | 35,198 |
 Germany | 70,960 | 67,939 | 66,450 | 63,916 | 54,754 |
 France | 69,803 | 61,503 | 54,773 | 49,681 | 39,728 |
 Spain | 69,782 | 67,453 | 65,188 | 64,303 | 52,950 |
| Total | 2,959,869 | 2,925,128 | 2,660,257 | 2,526,817 | 2,427,941 |
See also
