Passports
Passports must be valid for one day beyond the date of departure from Costa Rica.
Entry With Children
If travelling alone with a minor, ensure you have a notarized letter of consent from the absentee parent(s) which gives permission for such travel.
Visas
Visas are not required by nationals referred to in the chart above for stays of up to 90 days.
Business visas are not really issued for Costa Rica. If intending to do business, the normal procedure is to enter on a tourist visa and conduct your business within that time. If you wish to stay longer without leaving the country to renew your visa you can apply for a Business Temporary Residence Permit once you are there.
Nationals not referred to in the chart are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements for Costa Rica.
Types of Visa and Cost
The cost of tourist visas varies according to nationality; check with the consulate.
Validity
Visas issued by consulates of Costa Rica are valid for stays of up to 30 days.
Applications to:
Consulate (or consular section at embassy).
Temporary Residence
A temporary residence permit is usually a working visa, which you need to apply for with numerous pieces of documentation once you are in Costa Rica. It is issued for six months and can then be extended up to a year.
Working Days Required
Applications can take as little as six working days, but may take up to 90 days if they need to be referred to the Directorate General of Immigration in Costa Rica.
If you are arriving from certain South American countries or sub-Saharan Africa, you may need a yellow fever vaccination certificate; check with the embassy for a list of countries.
The most expedient way to extend your stay in Costa Rica is to leave the country and then get stamped back in to renew your new visa. The easiest way to do this is overland to either Nicaragua or Panama, but bear in mind that you are supposed to leave the country for at least 72 hours and you may be checked on this. Also, Panama has started to get very strict about onward journeys, and will be unimpressed by a declaration that someone is only coming into the country to do a visa run.
Entry With Pets
You may bring pets into Costa Rica, but it is a frustrating process. Cats and dogs need the Certificate of Good Health form to prove they have no communicable diseases, and they must have had a rabies vaccination within the last year. You don’t, however, need to quarantine them. The procedure costs several hundred pounds, depending on how you wish to transport your pet.
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