Costa Rica’s entry requirements depend on your passport nationality, travel document and reason for visiting. Check the official DGME visa page before departure, then confirm the stay actually authorized when you arrive. A visa exemption is not a promise of admission or of a particular number of days.
Documents to prepare before arrival
- A valid, machine-readable passport or accepted travel document meeting the applicable nationality-group rules.
- A Costa Rican visa if required, unless a documented exception applies to you.
- A return or onward ticket. DGME also lists a navigation plan showing the destination port for the relevant maritime arrival.
- Evidence of financial means: DGME lists US$100 for each month or fraction of a month of the authorized stay.
You must also be free of an applicable entry prohibition. Keep your itinerary and supporting documents accessible for inspection.
Passport validity is not the same for every nationality
DGME’s published entry checklist gives different minimum validity periods by nationality group, counted from the intended entry date: one day for the first group, three months for the second, and six months for the third and fourth. For first-group visitors, the directive also limits the authorized stay to the passport’s remaining validity. These are the immigration minimums in that checklist; confirm which group and any special conditions apply to your actual travel document in the current General Visa Guidelines.
Do not use a blanket six-month rule for every visitor. Equally, do not plan a journey around a passport about to expire: check airline, transit-country and onward-destination requirements and allow time for renewal.
Check your authorized stay before leaving immigration
The permitted maximum and the days granted on entry are different things. Your nationality group’s ceiling does not automatically become your personal departure deadline. Ask DGME to clarify the entry record if the authorized period is unclear, and keep evidence of your arrival. An electronic record or missing stamp should not be treated as unlimited permission to remain.
For visa categories and planning, see our Costa Rica tourist visa guide. For an extension, consult DGME before your authorized stay expires; do not assume that every visitor qualifies for additional days.
Plan departure as carefully as arrival
Have your travel document and confirmed itinerary ready, check carrier check-in requirements, and arrange departure within your authorized stay. If your passport has been lost or replaced, contact its issuing authority and DGME about the documents needed to connect your identity with your entry record.
Immigration permission is only one part of travel preparation. Confirm any health documentation with Costa Rica’s health authorities and any declarations with Customs for your itinerary and belongings. Those requirements should not be inferred from passport nationality alone.
When your plans change
Contact DGME promptly if you cannot leave as planned or need clarification of your status. Buying another ticket does not itself extend permission to stay. Residency is a separate application with its own eligibility and documentation requirements; a tourist entry is not residency approval.
For help assessing a longer-term move, contact CRIE with your nationality, entry date and intended residency category.
Source checked: September 7, 2026. DGME: Requisitos para ingresar al país and current General Visa Guidelines; DGME: Prórroga de Turismo. Recheck official requirements before travel.