A short-term stays is considered to be up to 90 days. The travel purposes dealt with in this section are tourism, short-term business visits and multiple entry visas.
When visiting Costa Rica for tourism purposes, the general requirements for to the country are:
a valid passport, with a validity of at least 30 days upon arrival and one blank page in it.
A return ticket. If you do not have a return ticket you must show proof of sufficient funds, which is approximately US $ 1,000. This does not have to be in cash, credit cards and cheques are also acceptable.
Citizens of the following countries do not need a consular visa when entering Costa Rica.
90-day stay:
Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Republic of South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, United States of America and Uruguay.
30-day stay:
Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Chile, Dominica, El Salvador, Estonia, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Ireland, Iceland, Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Philippines, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Marino, Saint Vicente & Granada, Santa Lucia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Surinam, Taiwan, Turkey, Vatican and Venezuela.
Citizens of the following countries need a consular visa when entering Costa Rica, this visa permits a 30-day stay:
Andorra, Belarus, Colombia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Nicaragua, Peru, Slovenia, Thailand and Zimbabwe.
Residents of the following countries always need a consular visa to enter Costa Rica. For further requirements the nearest consulate has to be contacted. If residents of the following countries have a permanent residence permit of countries that are mentioned under the 90-day stay without consular visa, they will only need a consular visa to enter Costa Rica.
Residents of Afghanistan, Algeria, China, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Palestine, Pakistan, Sudan and Syria always need a visa, regardless if they have a permanent residence permit of any other nation. Countries not mentioned so far are to be considered part of the group that needs a consular visa. Residents of overseas territories qualify for the same treatment as the dependent nation.
AFGHANISTAN; ALBANIA; ANGOLA; SAUDI ARABIA; ALGERIA; ARMENIA; AZERBAIJAN; BAHRAIN; BANGLADESH; BENIN; BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA; BOTSWANA; BRUNEI-DARUSSALAM; BURKINA FASO (UPPER VOLTA); BURUNDI; BHUTAN; CAPE VERDE; CAMBODIA; CAMEROON; CHAD; COMOROS; COTE D’IVOIRE; CROATIA; CUBA; UNITED ARAB EMIRATES; ERITREA; ETHIOPIA; FIJI; GABON; GAMBIA; GEORGIA; GHANA; GUINEA; GUINEA BISSAU; EQUATORIAL GUINEA; HAITI; INDIA; INDONESIA; IRAN; IRAQ; NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS; MARSHALL ISLANDS; SALOMON ISLANDS; LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA; JORDAN; KAZAKHSTAN; KIRIBATI; KYRGYZ REPUBLIC; KUWAIT; LESOTHO; LATVIA; LEBANON; LIBERIA; MACAO; MADAGASCAR; MALAWI; MALDIVES; MALI; MOROCCO; MAURITIUS; MAURITANIA; FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA; MOLDAVIA; MONGOLIA; MOZAMBIQUE; MYANMAR (BURMA); NAMIBIA; NAURU; NEPAL; NIGER; NIGERIA; OMAN; PAKISTAN; PALAU; PALESTINE; PAPUA NEW GUINEA; QATAR; TONGA KINGDOM; SAHARAWI ARAB DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC (WESTERN SAHARA); SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC; CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC; REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA; REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO; DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (FORMERLY ZAIRE); LAOS; PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (CONTINENTAL CHINA); POPULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF NORTHERN KOREA; RWANDA; SAMOA; SAO TOME & PRINCIPE; SENEGAL; SERBIA & MONTENEGRO (YUGOSLAVIA); SEYCHELLES; SIERRA LEONE; SOMALIA; SRI LANKA; SUDAN; SWAZILAND; TANZANIA; TAJIKISTAN; EAST TIMOR; TOGO; TUNISIA; TURKMENISTAN; TUVALU; UKRAINE; UGANDA; UZBEKISTAN; VANUATU; VIETNAM; YEMEN; YIBUTI; ZAMBIA
Coming to Costa Rica for short term business visits does not automatically imply that you need a visa. If you are visiting Costa Rica for short term business purposes, the general tourism requirements apply. See what requirements apply to your nationality under the tourism section.
If you are coming to Costa Rica several times a year it is possible to apply for a multiple entry visa. Application for a multiple entry visa can be made at the Costa Rican National Direction of Migration or at the Costa Rican Consulate.
The following documents are required when applying:
Completed multiple visa application form. This form is issued by the Consulates but can also be downloaded from the web pages of several Costa Rican embassies.
Birth Certificate. The names of both parents should be on the certificate.
Statement of good conduct issued by the police in the country of origin or residence.
Certified copies of all passport pages.
Businessmen and travel agents should provide documentation that proving their condition.
Proof of economic resources.
Documents proving family relations with Costa Rica or documents proving a contractual relationship between the applicant and a company or institution in Costa Rica.
Take notice that the Costa Rican National Direction of Migration may ask for additional documentation which can vary per applicant. If documents are issued outside Costa Rica, the Costa Rican consulate should authenticate all those documents.
If you need to apply for a consular visa, this section will help you get started. Short term visas are visas with a duration ranging from 30 to 90 days.
Required Documentation
Valid passport with an expiration date at least 6 months after entry to Costa Rica
Application form
2 passport size photographs
Proof of sufficient funds
Round trip ticket
Depending on your nationality, the processing time of you visa ranges from 1 to 2 weeks. Some visas need approval of the Costa Rican National Direction of Immigration. If approval is required, the application period may be longer.
The costs of a visa application are approximately US$ 20.
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