The Costa Rican Tourist Visa for your Holiday or Visiting a Family
Applying for a Costa Rican Tourist visa is necessary when travelling on vacation trip or to visit a relative living in Costa Rica.
Generally, a visitor should be able to apply for the necessary Costa Rican tourist visa online/ at the nearest Costa Rican embassy in the country of your residence for a stay in Costa Rica of up to three months.
General Visa Requirements and Validity Period of Costa Rican Tourist Visa
It is advisable to check the Costa Rican tourist visa requirements, before applying for your tourist visa to Costa Rica.
A brief list of the most important requirements and conditions when obtaining the tourist visa for Costa Rica:
- You do not intend to undertake unpaid job that can otherwise be undertaken by a paid staff in Costa Rica.
- You do not intend to enter into an employment relationship in Costa Rica.
- You do not plan to give services to Costa Rican organisations (this is permitted with a Costa Rican work visa or business visa).
- You do not intend to give or sell services or products to consumers in Costa Rica.
- You and your family members are not in debt to the Costa Rica Government.
- You do not present a danger to the health or safety of the people of Costa Rica.
- You have the ability to demonstrate that you have enough financial resources to pay for your stay and return from Costa Rica.
Do I require a Costa Rican tourist visa?
It depends upon your nationality and the type of travel document you are using to take a trip to Costa Rica.Please visit here to check if you require a Costa Rican visa.
Who exactly can get a Costa Rican tourist visa?
Anybody choosing to go on holiday to Costa Rica can make an application for a Costa Rican tourist visa.
There are many types of visa for Costa Rica which you can use as a traveller to Costa Rica. If you are uncertain which type of Costa Rican tourist visa you require to apply, please call the nearest Costa Rican visa office to get further information as purpose of this web page is to give you general guide when making an application for Costa Rican tourist visa.
What kind of Costa Rican visa do I need?
This relies 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 apply for a Costa Rican tourist visa prior to leaving from your home country. Please go here to check if you need a Costa Rican visa.
- The length of your stay in Costa Rica – If you intend to stay in Costa Rica for a much shorter duration no more than ninety days, then you can apply for the Costa Rican tourist visa. If you want to remain much longer, then speak to the nearby Costa Rican visa office to find the suitable visa for your travel.
- The activities you wish to execute in Costa Rica – If your sole purpose of taking a trip is for vacation, then you can make an application for all types of Costa Rican tourist visas mentioned on this web page.
General Visa Application Requirements to Apply for Costa Rican Traveller Visa
- Traveler visa application for Costa Rica – Completed Costa Rican visa Form.
- Original and signed passport – The passport should be valid for at least 6 months prior to going into Costa Rica and 3 months after departing Costa Rica. It has to have at least two spare visa pages and can not be older than 10 years.
- Passport type photo – Photo must be no older than six months and need to be 35 x 40mm in size.
- Previous passport – Provide a previous passport if you had any.
- Previous visas – Copies of previous Costa Rican visas details if you had any.
- Flight tickets to Costa Rica – Reservation of return or round trip flight tickets. In some situations the Costa Rican visa office might request for pre-paid flight tickets to Costa Rica.
- Travel insurance policy – Evidence of travel insurance with a minimum cover set by the Costa Rican consular office provided with the Certificate 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 have to be issued by an insurance company. If you are thinking about utilizing your credit card travel insurance for your travel to Costa Rica, please get in touch with Costa Rican embassy for more information and travel insurance coverage requirements for the Costa Rican visa.
- Original bank declarations – Original bank statements for the last 3 months revealing adequate funds to cover your visit in Costa Rica. If statements are printed online then it needs to be Validated (stamped) by the financial institution representatives.
- Hotel Reservations in Costa Rica – Copy of confirmed hotel bookings including name of the applicant, name and address of the hotel, duration of stay. In many scenarios, only bookings which are partly or completely pre-paid can be accepted.
- Employment letter – This letter has to be: original and signed letter from employer written on company letter head paper, validating your ongoing employment, the status of employment, monthly income and yearly leave. Likewise, please supply your three latest pay slips. If you are self-employed: provide certified copies of company registration, income tax return.
- For students. Please supply the following:
- Proof of present student status: Certificate of Enrollment.
- Original and signed letter from university written on university letter head paper, confirming ongoing enrolment, verifying the payment of tuition fees or any type of scholarships, and confirming semester break.
- Insurance policy from Organisation/University – Give a letter from the University stating the purpose, period of travel and confirmation that you are going to be covered by the insurance for the whole trip in addition to the Certificate of Currency and summary of benefits.
Generally, visa applications for Costa Rican visa must be sent for a maximum of 6 months, and no behind 15 days, prior to the trip.