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Disclaimer: Visa and passport requirements frequently change. We do our best to keep this information as current as possible; however, we recommend that all visitors check with their embassy or consulate before their departure.
General Entry Requirements:
All adults and children (from 0 - 16 years old**) require the following documents below to enter Costa Rica:
* A valid passport with at least one blank visa page. The expiration date of your passport must be greater than either 30 or 180 days - depending on your country of citizenship - from your date of entry to Costa Rica.
* A pre-paid airline ticket to exit Costa Rica or a pre-purchased bus ticket to another country. Proof of financial resources ($400.00US - $1,000.00US in cash, traveler checks, and/or credit cards) to pay for the market value of a one-way airline ticket may also be valid depending on airline requirements (either to return to your home country or to go to another country)
* A visa, if required. To find out if you need a visa to enter Costa Rica, please use the "Do You Need A Visa..." box to the right. → → →
Required entry documents vary for citizens of Canada and the United States of America
** If a minor (child under the age of 18) does not have his/her own passport, he or she must have a joint passport with one of his/her parents, legal guardian or the person traveling with him/her.
Also helpful: Extension of Stay and Embassies and Consulates
More Info on:
Tourist Visas
Student Visas
Business Visas
Diplomatic Visas
Official Visas
Canada:
Canadian Citizens Do Not Need a Visa to Travel to Costa Rica.
Required Entry Documents:
Canadian citizens may enter Costa Rica without a tourist visa and can stay up to 90 days with a valid passport.
Canadian citizens - regardless of their age (*) - need the following documents to enter Costa Rica:
* A valid passport with at least one blank visa page. The expiration date of your passport must be greater than 30 days from your date of entry to Costa Rica.
And
* A pre-paid airline ticket to exit Costa Rica or proof of financial resources ($400.00US - $1,000.00US in cash, traveler checks, and/or ticket (either to return to your home country or to go to another country)
(*) If a Canadian minor (Canadian citizen under the age of 18) does not have his/her own passport, he or she must have a joint passport with one of his/her parents, legal guardian or the person traveling with him/her.
Note: The government of Costa Rica decreed that after November 17, 2003 the practice of accepting Canadian driver licenses/IDs and Canadian birth/naturalization certificates as entry documents is discontinued on a permanent basis.
If you are considering staying for more than 90 (ninety days), a valid passport will be required and you must file for a stay extension at the Immigration Department of Costa Rica. Or, you may exit Costa Rica and re-enter. Most tourists visit Nicaragua or Panama - Costa Rica's neighboring countries - for three days and come back into Costa Rica.
A $20.00 Canadian dollar fine will be charged upon departure from Costa Rica if you overstay your permitted length in the country.
United States of America:
U.S. Citizens Do Not Need a Visa to Travel to Costa Rica.
Required Entry Documents:
U.S. citizens may enter Costa Rica without a tourist visa and can stay up to 90 days with a valid passport.
U.S. citizens - regardless of their age (*) - need the following documents to enter Costa Rica:
* A valid passport with at least one blank visa page. The expiration date of your passport must be greater than 30 days from your date of entry to Costa Rica.
And
* A pre-paid airline ticket to exit Costa Rica or proof of financial resources ($400.00US - $1,000.00US in cash, traveler checks, and/or ticket (either to return to your home country or to go to another country)
(*) If a U.S. minor (U.S. Citizen under the age of 18) does not have his/her own passport, he or she must have a joint passport with one of his/her parents, legal guardian or the person traveling with him/her.
Note: The government of Costa Rica decreed that after November 17, 2003 the practice of accepting U.S. driver licenses/IDs and U.S. birth/naturalization certificates as entry documents is discontinued on a permanent basis.
If you are considering staying for more than 90 (ninety days), a valid passport will be required and you must file for a stay extension at the Immigration Department of Costa Rica. Or, you may exit Costa Rica and re-enter. Most tourists visit Nicaragua or Panama - Costa Rica's neighboring countries - for three days and come back into Costa Rica.
A $20.00 U.S. dollar fine will be charged upon departure from Costa Rica if you overstay your permitted length in the country.
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