Before the volcanoes and beaches comes immigration, in San José or Liberia. For travelers from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union, it is simple: no visa is required for a tourist stay. A few documents still need to be ready, and some rules change from year to year. Here is what you need to know, and where to check it before you leave.
Check before every trip: entry requirements are set by the Costa Rican authorities and can change. See the Costa Rica page of your government’s travel advice service (travel.state.gov in the United States, travel.gc.ca in Canada, the FCDO’s travel advice on gov.uk in the United Kingdom) and, if in doubt, the embassy or consulate of Costa Rica.
Citizens of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union enter Costa Rica without a visa for tourism. The length of stay is granted by the immigration officer on arrival and shown on your entry stamp (or electronic record). For a trip of two to four weeks, it is never a problem; if you plan to stay several months, check the maximum length currently allowed for your nationality.
Keep these documents at hand, on paper or on your phone, during the flight.
Airlines can refuse to board a traveler flying one way without proof of leaving the country. If your return date is not fixed yet, buy a changeable ticket rather than a one-way ticket. Travelers continuing to Panama or Nicaragua show their onward ticket or their international bus booking.
Most of our travelers land at Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO), near San José, or at Daniel Oduber International Airport (LIR), in Liberia, Guanacaste. Immigration lines can be long when several international flights land at the same time, often in the late afternoon. Procedures are regularly modernized (kiosks, online forms): check a few days before departure whether any step must be completed in advance.
As you leave, do not follow people offering taxis in the arrivals hall. Official airport taxis are orange. When you travel with us, your airport transfer is arranged in advance.
Costa Rica charges a departure tax on international flights. It is now included in the price of most airline tickets; check your ticket if you bought it from a low-cost airline. At land borders, fees may be charged on the spot.
Each child travels with their own passport. If a child is traveling without both parents, bring the documents required by your country of departure and, as a precaution, a letter of consent from the absent parent or parents, with a Spanish translation. Rules for foreign minors can change: check with the embassy of Costa Rica several weeks before departure.
From Nicaragua (Peñas Blancas) or Panama (Paso Canoas, Sixaola), the entry rules are the same as at the airport. Border posts are slower and sometimes very busy: arrive early, with your documents, your onward ticket and some cash in dollars for any fees.
To stay beyond the period granted on entry, you must apply to the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería before your authorization expires. Overstaying exposes you to fines and to difficulties on a future trip. To settle in the country, residency statuses (rentista, pensionado, inversionista) involve a separate procedure, with a lawyer or a consulate.
No, not for a tourist stay with a US, Canadian, UK or EU passport.
For the whole stay; we recommend six months of validity after your return, to be safe with the airlines.
It is not advisable: the airline may ask for proof that you will leave the country before letting you board.
On the Costa Rica page of your government’s travel advice service and with the embassy of Costa Rica. We are happy to help with any practical question: let’s talk about your trip.
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