If you want to visit Costa Rica, but do not know if you need a visa to enter, here is an article that will help you.

The General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners’ Affairs proceeded to issue the new General Guidelines for Entry and Stay Visas for Non-Residents in March 2023.

These guidelines explicitly detail the countries whose citizens do not require a visa to enter the country, those that require a consular visa (visa processed and authorized by a Costa Rican consul accredited abroad) and those that will require a restricted entry visa.

In addition, it establishes the maximum period of stay that may be authorized to foreigners according to the group in which the country of their nationality is located, the economic means they carry, their intentions to stay and any other aspect determined in the immigration control.

Additionally, it regulates the minimum validity that the passport of the foreigner who intends to enter the country must have.

This is how 4 groups are highlighted:

First group: Visa-free entry

Persons belonging to the following countries have up to 90 non-extendable calendar days for their maximum stay. The minimum validity of the passport is up to 1 day.

  • GERMANY
  • ANDORRA
  • ARGENTINA (including its dependencies, see page 5)
  • AUSTRALIA (including its dependencies, see page 5)
  • AUSTRIA
  • BAHAMAS
  • BARBADOS
  • BELGIUM
  • BRAZIL
  • BULGARIA
  • CANADA
  • CROATIA
  • CHILE
  • CYPRUS
  • DENMARK (including its dependencies, see page 5)
  • UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
  • SLOVAKIA
  • SLOVENIA
  • SPAIN
  • STATE OF QATAR
  • UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (including its dependencies, see page 5)
  • ESTONIA
  • FINLAND
  • FRANCE (including its dependencies, see page 5)
  • HUNGARY
  • IRELAND
  • ICELAND
  • ISRAEL
  • ITALY
  • JAPAN
  • LATVIA
  • LIECHTENSTEIN
  • LITHUANIA
  • LUXEMBOURG
  • MALTA
  • MEXICO
  • MONTENEGRO
  • NORWAY (including its dependencies, see page 5)
  • NEW ZEALAND (including its dependencies, see page 5)
  • NETHERLANDS (includes its dependencies, see page 5)
  • PANAMA
  • PARAGUAY
  • POLAND
  • PORTUGAL
  • PRINCIPALITY OF MONACO
  • SAN MARINO
  • PERU
  • PUERTO RICO
  • SERBIA
  • SOUTH AFRICA
  • UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND (includes England, Wales and Scotland)
  • CZECH REPUBLIC
  • REPUBLIC OF KOREA (SOUTH KOREA)
  • HELLENIC REPUBLIC (GREECE)
  • ROMANIA
  • HOLY SEE (VATICAN)
  • SINGAPORE
  • SWEDEN
  • SWITZERLAND
  • TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
  • UKRAINE
  • URUGUAY

Second group: Visa-free entry

Persons belonging to the following countries have up to 30 calendar days for their maximum stay (extendable up to 90 days). The minimum validity of the passport is 90 calendar days.

  • ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
  • BELIZE
  • BOLIVIA
  • DOMINICA
  • EL SALVADOR (see specific regulation section, see page 10).
  • BRUNEI STATE
  • RUSSIAN FEDERATION (see specific regulation section, see page 10).
  • PHILIPPINES
  • FIYI
  • GRENADA
  • GUATEMALA
  • GUYANA
  • HONDURAS
  • NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS
  • MARSHALL ISLANDS
  • SOLOMON ISLANDS
  • KIRIBATI
  • MALAYSIA
  • MALDIVES
  • MAURICIO
  • MICRONESIA (FEDERATED STATES)
  • NAURU
  • PALAOS
  • TONGA KINGDOM
  • SAMOA
  • SAN CRISTOBAL AND NIEVES
  • SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES
  • SANTA LUCIA
  • SÃO TOMÉ AND PRINCÍPE
  • SEYCHELLES
  • SURINAM
  • TAIWAN (REGION)
  • TUVALU
  • TURKEY
  • VANUATU

Third group: Entry group with consular visa

Persons belonging to the following countries must apply for a visa that will be valid for a single entry into the country. Once the visa is authorized, the validity to enter Costa Rica will be 60 days (from the date the passport is stamped). The minimum validity of the passport is 180 days and the maximum stay in the country is 30 calendar days (extendable up to 90 calendar days).

  • ALBANIA
  • ANGOLA
  • SAUDI ARABIA
  • ALGERIA
  • ARMENIA
  • BARÉIN
  • BENIN
  • BELARUS
  • BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
  • BOTSUANA
  • BURKINA FASO (ALTO VOLTA)
  • BURUNDI
  • BUTAN
  • CAPE VERDE
  • CAMBODIA
  • CAMEROON
  • COLOMBIA (see section on specific regulations, see page 10).
  • CÔTE D’IVOIRE (IVORY COAST)
  • COMORAS
  • CHAD
  • ECUADOR
  • EGYPT
  • GABON
  • GAMBIA
  • GEORGIA
  • GHANA
  • GUINEA
  • GUINEA-BISSAU (GUINEA BISSAU)
  • EQUATORIAL GUINEA
  • INDIA
  • INDONESIA
  • JORDAN
  • KENYA
  • KOSOVO
  • KUWAIT
  • LESOTO
  • LIBERIA
  • LIBYA
  • LEBANON
  • MADAGASCAR
  • MALAUI
  • MALI
  • MOROCCO
  • MAURITANIA
  • MOLDOVA (MOLDOVA)
  • MONGOLIA
  • MOZAMBIQUE
  • NAMIBIA
  • NEPAL
  • NICARAGUA (see section on specific regulations, see page 10).
  • NIGER
  • NIGERIA
  • OMAN
  • PAKISTAN
  • PAPUA
  • NEW GUINEA
  • SAHARAHUI ARAB DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC (WESTERN SAHARA)
  • CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
  • REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
  • REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
  • DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (FORMERLY ZAIRE)
  • PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (see section on specific regulations, see page 10).
  • LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
  • DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
  • RWANDA
  • SENEGAL
  • SIERRA LEONE
  • SUDAN (NORTH SUDAN)
  • SOUTH SUDAN
  • SWAZILAND
  • THAILAND
  • TANZANIA
  • EASTERN TIMOR
  • TOGO
  • TUNISIA
  • UGANDA
  • VENEZUELA (see specific regulations section, see page 10)
  • VIETNAM
  • YEMEN
  • YIBUTI
  • ZAMBIA
  • ZIMBABWE

Fourth group: Restricted visa group

Persons belonging to the following countries must apply for a visa that will be valid for a single entry into the country. Once the visa is authorized, the validity to enter Costa Rica will be 60 days (from the date the passport is stamped). The minimum validity of the passport is 180 calendar days and the maximum stay in the country is 30 calendar days (extendable up to 90 calendar days).

  • AFGHANISTAN
  • AZERBAIJAN
  • BANGLADESH
  • CUBA
  • ERITREA
  • ETHIOPIA
  • HAITI
  • KAZAKHSTAN
  • KYRGYZSTAN
  • IRAN
  • IRAQ
  • JAMAICA
  • MYANMAR (BURMA)
  • PALESTINE
  • SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
  • DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA (NORTH KOREA)
  • SOMALIA
  • SRI LANKA
  • TAJIKISTAN
  • TURKMENISTAN
  • UZBEKISTAN

If you would like to learn more about migration categories in Costa Rica, this article might interest you: Migration categories in Costa Rica – SensorialSunsets.

Sensorial Sunsets