Costa Rica Travel Guide

Passports

Country	Passport Required	Visa Required	Return Ticket Required
Other EU	Yes	No	Yes
USA	Yes	No	Yes
Canadian	Yes	No	Yes
Australian	Yes	No	Yes
British	Yes	No	Yes

Passport must be valid on arrival, and to be on the safe side you should have at least six months left on it and plenty of spare pages.

Passport Notes

*People of these nationalities may stay for up to 90 days without a visa.

Visas

Not required by nationals referred to in the chart above unless intending to stay longer than 90 days. Those wishing to stay longer than their allocated time in Costa Rica must leave the country for 72 hours before re-entering. Business visas are not really issued for Costa Rica. If intending to do business the normal procedure is to enter on a tourist visa and conduct your business within that time. If you wish to stay longer without leaving the country to renew your visa you can apply for a Business Temporary Residence Permit once you are there. Note: Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements.

Transit

Provided you have an onward ticket for a flight leaving within 48 hours of your arrival and you do not leave the airport, you do not require a transit visa for Costa Rica.

Schengen Visas

Costa Rica is not part of the Schengen area; however, Costa Rican nationals can enter the Schengen area without a visa for up to three months, and nationals from the Schengen area can likewise enter Costa Rica visa-free for up to three months.

Types of Visa and Cost

Tourist visas for those who require them are $20.

Validity

Visas are not required for any of the above listed nationalities for a maximum of 90 days. However, those with passports stating 'British Overseas Citizens', 'British Protected person' or 'British Subject' may stay for a maximum of 60 days. Visas issued by consuls of Costa Rica must be used within 30 days after date of issue.

Applications to:

Costa Rican embassy/consulate within your country.

Temporary Residence

A temporary residence permit is usually a working visa, and is applied for with many pieces of documentation once you are in Costa Rica. It is issued for six months and can then be extended up to a year.

Working Days Required

Approximately 4-8 weeks after the documents have been sent to the General Office of Migration in Costa Rica.

Entry Restrictions

You may not enter with fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy, seeds and plants. if you have come from a Yellow Fever infected country or have a stamp from such a country in your passport within the last three months you must have a Yellow Fever certificate.

Travel Warnings

Most visits to Costa Rica are trouble-free but you should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate international terrorist attacks, which could be against civilian targets, including places frequented by foreigners.

Incidents of violent crime, some targeted at tourists, are on the increase.

The rainy season in Costa Rica normally runs from May to November, coinciding with the hurricane season in the Caribbean.

There is the possibility in Costa Rica of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. On 8 January 2009, an earthquake of magnitude 6.1 struck central Costa Rica. The epicenter was in Alajuela Province, north of the city of San Jose. On 11 March 2009, there were three earthquakes measuring between 5.2 and 6.0 just off the Pacific coast near Golfito.

This advice is based on information provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK. It is correct at time of publishing. As the situation can change rapidly, visitors are advised to contact the following organizations for the latest travel advice:

British Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Tel: 0845 850 2829.
Website: www.fco.gov.uk

US Department of State
Website: http://travel.state.gov/travel

Health Care

Health insurance is recommended. Reliable medical services are available. Standards of health and hygiene are among the best in Latin America, although public facilities may not come up to par with developed countries.

Vaccinations

Vaccination	Special Precaution
Diphtheria	Sometimes
Hepatitis A	Yes
Malaria	Sometimes
Rabies	Sometimes
Tetanus	Yes
Typhoid	Yes
Yellow Fever	No