Visas and vaccinations Costa Rica

Before organizing your trip it may be useful to consult the regulations in force in the Central American country regarding visas and vaccinations in Costa Rica. Depending on your residence, particular visas or vaccinations may be required. In this short guide you can find information updated to 2024.

Do you need a visa to enter Costa Rica?

The Costa Rican government has divided the states into four main groups, some of these require mandatory visas, others do not require visas.

Group 1

Entrance: no visa needed

Stay: 180 days non-extendable (It will only be extended to those who are granted less than 90 days and up to a maximum of 90 days)

Minimum passport validity: 1 day

Countries

Germany

Andorra

Argentina*

Australia*

Austria

Bahamas

Barbados

Belgium

Brazil

Bulgaria

Canada

Croatia

Kilos

Cyprus

Denmark*

United Arab Emirates

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

State of Qatar

United States of America*

Estonia

Finland

France*

Hungary

Ireland

Iceland

Israel

Italy

Japan

Latvia

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malta

Mexico

Montenegro

Norway*

New Zeland*

Netherlands (Holland) *

Panama

Paraguay

Poland

Portugal

Principality of Monaco

San Marino

Peru

Puerto Rico

Serbia

South Africa

United Kingdom of Great Britain** and Northern Ireland

Czech Republic

Republic of Korea (South Korea)

Hellenic Republic (Greece)

Romania

Holy See Vatican

Singapore

Sweden

Swiss

Trinidad and Tobago

Ukraine

Uruguay

*Dependent States receive the same treatment.

**Includes England, Wales and Scotland.

Group 2

Entrance: no visa needed

Stay: 30 calendar days (extendable up to a total of 90 calendar days, pursuant to applicable legislation)

Minimum passport validity: 90 days

Countries

Antigua and Barbuda

Belize

Bolivia

Sunday

El Salvador*

State of Brunei

Russian Federation*

Philippines

Fiji

Granada

Guatemala

Guyana

Northern Mariana Islands

Marshall Islands

Solomon Islands

Kiribati

Malaysia

Maldives

Mauritius

Micronesia (federated states)

Nauru

Palau

Kingdom of Tonga

Samoa

Saint Kitts and Nevis

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Saint Lucia

Sao Tome and Principe

Seychelles

Suriname

Taiwan (region)

Tuvalu

Türkiye

Vanuatu

* See the specific regulatory section for the case of the Republic of El Salvador and the Russian Federation.

Group 3

Entry group with consular visa

Visa validity: single entry.

Time to affix the visa to the passport: three months once authorized.

Entry deadline: once the passport has been stamped, the visa must be used within a maximum period of 60 days

Minimum passport validity: 180 days.

Maximum stay: up to 30 calendar days, extendable up to 90 days.

Countries

Albania

Angola

Saudi Arabia

Algeria

Armenia

Barhain

Benin

Belarus

Bosnia Herzegovina

Botswana

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Bhutan

Cape Verde

Cambodia

Cameroon

Colombia*

Ivory Coast

Comoros

Chad

Ecuador

Egypt

Eswatini (formerly Swaziland)

Gabon

Gambia

Georgia

Ghana

Guinea

Guinea Bissau

Equatorial Guinea

Honduras

India

Indonesia

Jordan

Kenya

Kosovo

Kuwait

Lesotho

Liberia

Libya

Lebanon

Madagascar

Malawi

Evils

Morocco

Moldova

Mongolia

Mozambique

Namibia

Nepal

Nicaragua*

Niger

Nigeria

Oman

Papua New Guinea

Western Sahara Arab Democratic Republic

Central African Republic

Republic of North Macedonia (former Republic of Macedonia)

Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire)

People’s Republic of China*

Lao People’s Democratic Republic

Dominican Republic

Rwanda

Senegal

Sierra Leone

Sudan (Northern Sudan)

Southern Sudan

Thailand

Tanzania

East Timor

Go

Tunisia

Uganda

Venezuela*

Vietnam

Yemen

Djibouti

Zambia

Zimbabwe

*See section on specific regulations for China, Colombia, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Group 4

Limited visa entry group

Visa validity: single entry.

Period to affix the visa to the passport: three months once authorized.

Deadline for entry to Costa Rica: Once in the Passport, the visa must be used within a maximum period of 60 days

Passport validity required: 180 days.

Maximum stay: up to 30 calendar days, extendable up to 90 days.

Countries

Afghanistan

Azerbaijan

Bangladesh

Cuba

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Haiti

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Iran

Iraq

Jamaica

Mauritania

Myanmar (Burma)

Pakistan

Palestine

Syrian Arab Republic

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea)

Somalia

Sri Lanka

Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Uzbekistan

Regulation

Consult the complete regulation

Are vaccines needed to enter Costa Rica?

Although there are no particular health needs in Costa Rica, the government still recommends vaccinations for hepatitis A and B, tetanus and rabies. For most countries there are therefore no compulsory vaccinations, however some will necessarily have to be vaccinated against Yellow Fever based on their origin from:

Africa

Brazil

Colombia

Ecuador

Venezuela

Visas and vaccinations Costa Rica: recommendations

Costa Rica has a statewide drinking water system. In any case, health authorities recommend tourists to drink only bottled water.

For any additional information on Costa Rican visas and vaccines you can consult the official immigration website.