Start your Costa Rica tourist visa planning with your passport nationality. A visa exemption, a visa issued before travel and the stay authorized at the border are different decisions. Use the DGME visa page to identify your group and any exception before booking non-refundable travel.
Who needs a tourist visa?
The November 2025 DGME directive lists first- and second-group nationals as visa exempt, the third group as requiring a consular visa and the fourth as requiring a restricted visa, subject to exceptions. Do not assume the same application, fee or advance deadline applies to both visa-required groups. Follow the relevant DGME instructions and Costa Rican consulate’s requirements for your case.
How long can U.S. and Canadian tourists stay?
The directive places U.S. and Canadian nationals in the first group: up to 180 calendar days, with the actual period decided at entry and limited by passport validity. The first-group rule is non-extendable, except that a stay granted for less than 90 days may be extended only up to 90 days. A 180-day admission does not create a further 60-day extension.
Check your authorized period on arrival and plan your departure around that record. Visitors using other nationality groups or special exceptions must check their own conditions instead of relying on the first-group maximum.
Prepare the entry documents
DGME’s entry checklist requires a valid machine-readable passport or travel document, a visa when applicable, financial means of US$100 per month or fraction of the authorized stay, and a return or onward ticket (or the relevant maritime navigation plan). An applicable entry prohibition can also prevent admission.
Organize evidence of funds and travel arrangements so you can present it when requested. The financial minimum is an immigration requirement, not an estimate of what your accommodation and daily spending will actually cost.
Passport validity and onward travel
Minimum passport validity depends on your nationality group. Read our entry and exit checklist and confirm the current official group rules. Also check the requirements of your carrier and any transit or onward destination.
Keep a secure copy of your passport identity page and evidence of entry. Copies are useful records, but do not assume they replace the original travel document whenever an authority or carrier requires it. Ask DGME to clarify an unclear entry record before making plans based on an assumed departure date.
If you want more time in Costa Rica
Consult DGME’s Prórroga de Turismo instructions before your authorized stay expires. Eligibility and the maximum period matter: submitting paperwork or paying a fee is not itself an approval. Avoid relying on claims that a quick trip across the border guarantees another long stay.
If your aim is to live in Costa Rica, discuss a suitable residency category and its documentation separately. Tourism does not itself provide residency or authorization for local paid work.
Before you depart
- Confirm your nationality group and any visa exception with DGME.
- Check your passport, transit route and onward-travel requirements.
- Prepare financial evidence and review any health requirements with the relevant official authority.
- After arrival, record the stay actually granted and plan accordingly.
Contact CRIE if you want to assess residency options for a longer-term move.
Sources checked September 7, 2026: DGME visa and entry requirements, DGME directive AJ-484-11-2025, official government copy, and DGME tourism-extension instructions. Recheck before travel.
The visa process for U.S. citizens
For an ordinary short visit with a U.S. passport, start with the first nationality group in DGME directive AJ-484-11-2025. Visa exemption means you ordinarily do not apply for a tourist visa before that trip; it does not waive border admission requirements or guarantee the maximum stay. The United States and Canada are expressly listed in this group.
Before departure, check the passport you will actually use, any transit-country requirements and the onward travel evidence. Keep the address of your first accommodation and a practical travel plan available. At admission, check the period granted instead of automatically adding six months to your arrival date. If your circumstances include a criminal record, a previous immigration order or a pending residence case, raise that issue separately before travel.
Business visits are different from working in Costa Rica
The same DGME directive permits business or professional purposes within its tourism definition only where the activity does not involve remuneration or profit within Costa Rican territory. A visa exemption therefore is not an unrestricted local work permit. See the directive’s general provisions, section 3.
Describe the proposed activity precisely when asking for advice: attending meetings, negotiating a future contract, providing a service, receiving payment and operating a local business are not necessarily equivalent. Identify the host organization, dates, location, payer and tasks. Ask DGME which permission fits those facts before treating a generic “business visa” label as the answer.
If you intend to move here to operate an enterprise, review the work-authorization guide and a suitable residency category separately. Company ownership, an invitation letter and permission to enter should not be confused with permission to carry out every task in the company.
Additional verification, 8 September 2026: DGME’s November 2025 directive was checked through ICODER’s official government-hosted copy. Direct DGME access was unavailable during this check; confirm any newer notice before travel.