Short Term Visa Requirements for Costa Rica

If you are contemplating moving abroad to live and work in Costa Rica you may need to get your self a short term visa depending upon how long you expect to stay in Costa Rica and what your purpose will be for being in the country. If you will be in Costa Rica for a period no longer than 90 days then your stay will be considered short term.

If you will simply be in Costa Rica as a tourist and will not be seeking employment then you will need to have a valid passport and a return ticket to your home country. If you do not have a return ticket that you can produce for verification then you will need to show that you have sufficient financial resources to purchase a return ticket home. A sufficient amount is deemed to be around $1000. This does not have to be cash and can be available credit on a credit card. You can expect processing for a short term visa to take only one to two weeks.

Some countries have an agreement with Costa Rica so that their citizens will not need a short stay visa when visiting the country for 30 or 90 days. Citizens of the following countries can visit Costa Rica for up to 90 days and not need a visa: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Republic of South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, United Kingdom, United States and Uruguay.

And citizens of the following countries can visit Costa Rica for up to 30 days without needing a short stay visa: Antigua, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Barbuda, Belize, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Chile, Dominica, El Salvador, Estonia, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Ireland, Iceland, Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Philippines, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Marino, Saint Vicente & Granada, Santa Lucia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Surinam, Taiwan, Turkey, Vatican and Venezuela.

Citizens of the following countries are allowed to have a consular visa and permitted a 30 day stay in Costa Rica: Andorra, Belarus, Colombia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Nicaragua, Peru, Slovenia, Thailand and Zimbabwe.

Citizens of the following countries are required to have a visa to visit Costa Rica even if they have a permanent residence permit of another country: Afghanistan, Algeria, China, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Palestine, Pakistan, Sudan and Syria. And any country not mentioned will need to have a consular visa to enter Costa Rica.

If you will be coming to Costa Rica for business you can come on a short term tourist visa if your stay does not last longer than the time limit. There is no differentiation between a short term tourist visa and a short stay business visa.

If you will be entering Costa Rica several times within one year you may want to get your self a multiple entry visa. You will need to submit your application either at a Costa Rican consulate or at the Costa Rican National Direction of Migration. You will need to have your application, your birth certificate, a statement of good conduct from the police, proof of sufficient financial resources and proof of why you will be coming to Costa Rica. You may also be asked for additional documentation. Expect for the approval period to take at least 4 weeks.