The Costa Rican Visa for your Trip to Costa Rica
If you are considering of visiting Costa Rica as a tourist or to meet a relative or on a business trip, then applying for a Costa Rican visa can become a necessary task.
Usually, you should be able to apply for the necessary Costa Rican visa online/ at the nearest Costa Rican embassy in the country where you live.
General Visa Requirements and Validity Period of Costa Rican Visa
It is advisable to check the Costa Rican visa requirements, before applying for your visa to Costa Rica.
A brief summary of the most important requirements and conditions when getting the visa for Costa Rica:
- You do not expect to carry out volunteer job that would otherwise be performed by a paid staff in Costa Rica.
- You do not mean to participate in a work relationship in Costa Rica.
- You do not plan to supply services to Costa Rican organisations (this is allowed with a Costa Rican work visa or business visa).
- You do not plan to provide or sell services or products to consumers in Costa Rica.
- You and your relative are not in debt to the Costa Rica Government.
- You do not pose a danger to the health or safety of residents of Costa Rica.
- You are able to demonstrate that you have sufficient financial resources to cover your stay and return from Costa Rica.
Do you need a Costa Rican visa?
It depends upon your citizenship and the kind of travel document you are using to travel to Costa Rica.Please click here to check if you need a Costa Rican visa.
Exactly who can request a Costa Rican visa?
Anybody choosing to go on holiday to Costa Rica can request a Costa Rican visa.
There are many types of visa for Costa Rica which you can use as a visitor to Costa Rica. If you are not sure which sort of Costa Rican visa you require to apply, please contact the closest Costa Rican visa office to get more information as purpose of this page is to offer you basic guide when requesting Costa Rican visa.
What kind of Costa Rican visa do I need?
This depends on three factors:
- The citizenship according to your passport – If the citizenship according to the passport is from a nation that is on visa free travel to Costa Rica or eligible to apply for a visa on arrival in Costa Rica, then you may not need to get a Costa Rican visa before leaving from your home country. Please click here to check if you require a Costa Rican visa.
- The length of your trip in Costa Rica – If you wish to remain in Costa Rica for a shorter duration less than ninety days, then you can apply for the Costa Rican visa. If you like to stay much longer, then get in touch with the nearest Costa Rican visa office to obtain the appropriate visa for your trip.
- The activities you want to execute in Costa Rica – If your main purpose of taking a trip is for vacation, then you can apply for all types of Costa Rican visas mentioned on this page.
General Visa Application Requirements to Get Costa Rican Tourist Visa
- Traveler visa application for Costa Rica – Completed Costa Rican visa Form.
- Original and signed passport – The passport must be valid for at the very least six months before going into Costa Rica and three months after leaving Costa Rica. It must contain at the very least 2 extra visa web pages and can not be older than ten years.
- Passport type photo – Photo must be no older than six months and must be 35 x 40mm in size.
- Previous passport – Offer a previous passport if you had any.
- Previous visas – Copies of previous Costa Rican visas information if you had any.
- Flight tickets to Costa Rica – Reservation of return or round trip flight tickets. In some scenarios the Costa Rican visa office may request pre-paid air travel tickets to Costa Rica.
- Travel insurance – Evidence of travel insurance with a minimum cover set by the Costa Rican embassy provided with the Certification of Insurance and the table of benefits. The travel insurance policy have to cover the cost of repatriation for medical reasons and the Certificate of Currency need to be issued by an insurance company. If you are thinking about using your credit card travel insurance for your travel to Costa Rica, please call Costa Rican embassy for more information and travel insurance requirements for the Costa Rican visa.
- Original financial institution statements – Original financial institution statements for the last 3 months revealing adequate funds to cover your trip in Costa Rica. If statements are printed online then it needs to be Authenticated (marked) by the bank representatives.
- Hotel Reservations in Costa Rica – Copy of confirmed hotel reservations including name of the applicant, name and address of the hotel, time-span of stay. In a lot of conditions, only bookings which are partially or completely pre-paid can be accepted.
- Work letter – This letter must be: original and signed letter from employer written on company letter head paper, confirming your ongoing employment, the status of employment, regular monthly salary and annual leave. Also, please provide your 3 latest pay slips. If you are self-employed: give certified copies of company registration, income tax return.
- For students. Please give the following:
- Proof of present student status: Certificate of Enrollment.
- Original and signed letter from university written on university letter head paper, affirming on-going enrolment, confirming the payment of tuition fees or any scholarships, and confirming term break.
- Insurance policy from Organisation/University– Supply a letter from the University stating the purpose, period of travel and confirmation that you are going to be covered by the insurance policy for the entire trip along with the Certificate of Currency and summary of benefits.
In general, visa applications for Costa Rican visa must be sent for a maximum of 6 months, and no later than 15 days, prior to the trip.