Costa Rica entry requirements, by passport
Costa Rica visa requirements at a glance: 51 of the 81 passports VisaRadar tracks can enter Costa Rica without arranging a visa beforehand — visa-free, with a visa on arrival, or with an electronic travel authorization. The other 30 must obtain a visa before they travel.
Which passport do you hold?
We'll take you straight to the entry requirements for Costa Rica for your nationality.
What we've verified for Costa Rica
Beyond the yes/no matrix, we've checked these against an official primary source (last checked 2026-08-18). The specifics depend on your nationality — open your passport's row in the table for the detail that applies to you.
- Required documents (2)
- Required vaccinations
- Health-insurance rules
- Customs limits (cash, alcohol, tobacco)
- Overstay penalties
- Airport transit rules
Sources: visitcostarica.com/planning-your-trip/entry-requirements (official ICT — Costa Rican Tourism Board — portal: onward ticket, US$100/month proof of funds, no mandatory insurance mentioned); migracion.go.cr (Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería, stay up to 180 days at officer's discretion); pgrweb.go.cr/scij (Costa Rican Legal Information System, cash declaration rules, USD 10,000 threshold); hacienda.go.cr (Ministry of Finance / Customs Directorate) (checked 18/08/2026).
Costa Rica sets its entry regime by nationality: most passports from the Americas and Western Europe enter visa-free for up to 90 days, while other nationalities need a prior consular visa.
This table summarizes the exact entry mechanism for every passport we track — the difference between entering visa-free, with an electronic authorization, with an e-Visa, or with a traditional visa is explained in visa, e-Visa, and electronic authorization: what's the difference. How we verify every row before publishing it is on methodology.
Base entry rules refreshed 2026-09-17. Published: 2026-08-18.
| Passport | Requirement | Max. stay |
|---|---|---|
| Visa-free | ||
| Argentina | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Australia | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Austria | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Belgium | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Bolivia | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Brazil | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Bulgaria | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Canada | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Chile | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Croatia | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Czech Republic | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Denmark | Visa-free | 180 days |
| El Salvador | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Finland | Visa-free | 180 days |
| France | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Germany | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Greece | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Guatemala | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Honduras | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Hungary | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Iceland | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Ireland | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Israel | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Italy | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Japan | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Malaysia | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Malta | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Mexico | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Netherlands | Visa-free | 180 days |
| New Zealand | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Norway | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Panama | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Paraguay | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Peru | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Philippines | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Poland | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Portugal | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Romania | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Russia | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Singapore | Visa-free | 180 days |
| South Africa | Visa-free | 180 days |
| South Korea | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Spain | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Sweden | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Switzerland | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Turkey | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Ukraine | Visa-free | 180 days |
| United Arab Emirates | Visa-free | 180 days |
| United Kingdom | Visa-free | 180 days |
| United States | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Uruguay | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Visa required | ||
| Algeria | Visa required | — |
| Bangladesh | Visa required | — |
| Cape Verde | Visa required | — |
| China | Visa required | — |
| Colombia | Visa required | — |
| Cuba | Visa required | — |
| Dominican Republic | Visa required | — |
| Ecuador | Visa required | — |
| Egypt | Visa required | — |
| Equatorial Guinea | Visa required | — |
| Gambia | Visa required | — |
| Georgia | Visa required | — |
| Ghana | Visa required | — |
| India | Visa required | — |
| Indonesia | Visa required | — |
| Jordan | Visa required | — |
| Kenya | Visa required | — |
| Mali | Visa required | — |
| Moldova | Visa required | — |
| Morocco | Visa required | — |
| Nicaragua | Visa required | — |
| Nigeria | Visa required | — |
| Pakistan | Visa required | — |
| Saudi Arabia | Visa required | — |
| Senegal | Visa required | — |
| Sri Lanka | Visa required | — |
| Thailand | Visa required | — |
| Tunisia | Visa required | — |
| Venezuela | Visa required | — |
| Vietnam | Visa required | — |
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Do you need a different visa for San Jose, Liberia, or Tamarindo?
No. Costa Rica sets the requirements, so entering through San Jose asks for the same as entering through Liberia or Tamarindo. If you're arriving overland or through a small border post, check that separately: some countries apply their own rules to specific crossings.
What does change is where you file the application when a visa is needed, and that depends on the country you live in rather than the city you're travelling to.
What draws travelers to Costa Rica
Costa Rica is small and everything revolves around nature: nearly a quarter of the territory is protected. The classic route combines the Arenal volcano and its hot springs, the Monteverde cloud forest — of hanging bridges and quetzals — and a coast to finish, whether the Pacific of Manuel Antonio and Guanacaste or the Caribbean of Puerto Viejo and Tortuguero. In the remote south, Corcovado National Park, which National Geographic called "the most biologically intense place on Earth". Costa Rica has 4 UNESCO World Heritage sites, three of them natural. Ten days cover volcano, cloud forest and beach at an easy pace. The dry season (December-April) is the most reliable; the green season (May-November) has afternoon showers and fewer people.
Sources for this section: visitcostarica.com (Costa Rican Tourism Board, ICT); UNESCO World Heritage List (whc.unesco.org, 4 sites in Costa Rica); UK FCDO travel advice for Costa Rica. Accessed 31 August 2026.
Things to see and do in Costa Rica
Tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips, most with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
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Where can Costa Rica passport holders travel visa-free? →
Informational only. Always verify requirements with the official embassy or consulate before you travel.