Visa policy of Costa Rica

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COSTA RICA8.png
Entry and exit stamps.

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.

Contents

Visa policy map

Visa policy of Costa Rica
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Costa Rica
Visa not required
Restricted visa Visa policy of Costa Rica 14-10-23.svg
Visa policy of Costa Rica
  Costa Rica
  Visa not required
  Restricted visa

Visa exemption

Holders of passports of the following jurisdictions do not require a visa to visit Costa Rica: [1] [2]

180 days1

30 days24

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.

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]

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

A tourist visa for Costa Rica Costa Rica Tourist Visa.jpg
A tourist visa for Costa Rica

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 Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Cuba, Haiti, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nicaragua, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan 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: [18]

Country20172016201520142013
Flag of the United States.svg  United States 1,199,2411,233,2771,077,044997,262929,402
Flag of Nicaragua.svg  Nicaragua 429,990440,049446,870463,959476,678
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 201,921188,104175,771172,730160,398
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 106,78394,49984,94075,04572,568
Flag of Panama.svg  Panama 104,79599,91797,13568,34098,275
Flag of El Salvador.svg  El Salvador 81,09178,27369,42763,21464,552
Flag of Guatemala.svg  Guatemala 78,03265,06357,60055,67756,756
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 76,17371,39247,49939,54535,198
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 70,96067,93966,45063,91654,754
Flag of France.svg  France 69,80361,50354,77349,68139,728
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 69,78267,45365,18864,30352,950
Total2,959,8692,925,1282,660,2572,526,8172,427,941

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

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  13. pp. 25–26
  14. "Statement of Treaties and International Agreements - Registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat during the month of June 2017" (PDF). 2017.
  15. pp. 9–14
  16. "Визы в Коста-Рику потребуются с 1 февраля". 22 January 2008.
  17. "Costa Rica, Honduras impose reciprocal visa requirements after Costa Rican 'safety' concerns". Reuters. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  18. "Informes Estadísticos - Anuarios" (in Spanish). Instituto Costarricense de Turismo. Retrieved 11 December 2017.