Visas

Passport and visas of the following countries are allowed 90 days' stay with no visas: Most western European countries, Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Israel, Japan, Panama, Rumania, South Korea, United Kingdom, USA, Uruguay.

Passport carrying national of the following countries are allowed 30 day stay with no Visa: Most eastern European countries, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Ireland, El Salvador, France, Guatemala, Honduras, Iceland, Liechenstein, Mexico, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, and Venezuela

Most of the other nationalities require a visa, which can be obtain it from a Costa Rican Consulate.

Extension

All tourists must pay an airport tax when they leave. To avoid waiting in line to do this at the airport, you might want to do this at the airport, you might want to pay it at the airline office downtown when you reconfirm your return reservation.

In addition to the airport tax, if you overstay your 30 or 90 day visa, you will need an exit visa in order to leave the country. An exit visa is good for 30 days from the date it is issued, so it is an automatic 30 days extension of your visa. If you do not use your exit visa within 30 days you must by a new one. Any local travel agent can obtain and exit visa for you, but be sure to request it at least three working days before you are scheduled to depart. They charge a small fee for the service, well worth it compare to the hassle of getting your visa yourself. If you leave by air the prices will change.

Much of the information on our site as it relates to Costa Rica is:

Courtesy of Christopher P. Baker and Avalon Travel Publishing.
© 2004 Christopher P. Baker. All Rights Reserved.

A2Z Languages highly recommends Christopher P. Baker's book: Moon Handbooks Costa Rica. Click on the image to visit his website where you can purchase this book or find out more about the author.

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