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British passport · Costa Rica

Do British citizens need a visa for Costa Rica?

By the Visa Almanac editorial teamChange logUpdated 5 Nov 2026

In brief

No. British passport holders can visit Costa Rica visa-free (up to 180 days, not extendable).

Costa Rica visa-free stay for British citizens: up to 180 days, not extendable. Official rule. Source: Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME), Resolución AJ-484-11-2025, via SINALEVI, checked .

Costa Rica visa fee for British citizens: none for visa-free entry.

I. PRIMER GRUPO: . INGRESO SIN VISA. . PERMANENCIA MÁXIMA: HASTA 180 DÍAS NATURALES NO PRORROGABLES.In English: First group: entry without a visa; maximum stay up to 180 calendar days, not extendable.Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME), Resolución AJ-484-11-2025, via SINALEVI (Procuraduría General de la República)

Checked 5 Nov 2026Source: Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME), Resolución AJ-484-11-2025, via SINALEVI (Procuraduría General de la República)Report a change

Independent reference, not a government website. We don't issue visas or sell visa services.

ContentsIn brief
  1. In brief
  2. At a glance
  3. Do British citizens need a visa?
  4. Fee
  5. Processing time
  6. Documents
  7. What changed
  8. FAQ
  9. Sources

At a glance

AccessVisa-free · up to 180 days, not extendable
StayUp to 180 days, not extendable
Validity and entriesNot stated by the official source
Official feeNone for visa-free entryIf you were given fewer than 90 days and want an extension, apply before your permitted stay ends and prove you have enough money; the extension costs USD 100.2The departure tax is USD 29, payable in US dollars, colones or by credit card.5
Official processingNothing to apply for
Where to applyNothing to apply for to visit visa-free

Do British citizens need a visa for Costa Rica?

Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME), Resolución AJ-484-11-2025, via SINALEVI (Procuraduría General de la República) lists the UK among the countries whose nationals can visit without a visa. Stay: up to 180 days, not extendable.

“I. PRIMER GRUPO: . INGRESO SIN VISA. . PERMANENCIA MÁXIMA: HASTA 180 DÍAS NATURALES NO PRORROGABLES.”

In English: “First group: entry without a visa; maximum stay up to 180 calendar days, not extendable.”

Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME), Resolución AJ-484-11-2025, via SINALEVI (Procuraduría General de la República) · checked

Conditions and exceptions

  • The border officer sets your stay, up to 180 calendar days; it cannot be extended, except that a visitor given fewer than 90 days can be extended up to a maximum of 90 days.

    I. PRIMER GRUPO: ... INGRESO SIN VISA. ... PERMANENCIA MÁXIMA: HASTA 180 DÍAS NATURALES NO PRORROGABLES. ... (Únicamente se prorrogará a quienes se le otorguen menos de 90 días y hasta por un máximo de 90 días). ... será el que determine el funcionario de la Dirección General competente para realizar el control de entrada al país, que en ningún caso podrá ser mayor de ciento ochenta días naturales contados a partir de su ingresoIn English: I. FIRST GROUP: ... ENTRY WITHOUT A VISA. ... MAXIMUM STAY: UP TO 180 CALENDAR DAYS, NOT EXTENDABLE. ... (Only those granted fewer than 90 days will be extended, up to a maximum of 90 days). ... shall be what the official of the Directorate General responsible for entry control determines, which may in no case exceed one hundred and eighty calendar days from entryDirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME), Resolución AJ-484-11-2025 · checked

  • A pre-purchased bus ticket or flight out of Costa Rica, or proof of passage on a cruise ship, counts as the onward ticket, which the Tourism Board says you need in particular if you arrive one-way, hold a return more than 90 days after arrival, or fly out from another country.

    Non-residents must have a ticket for return or onward travel if they: Are arriving on a one-way ticket. Are entering the country with a return ticket that is more than 90 days after their date of arrival. Are flying to Costa Rica and flying out of a different country. By law, a return or onward travel ticket may be on one of the following means of approved commercial transportation: A pre-purchased bus ticket out of the country. A pre-purchased flight out of the country. Proof of passage on a cruise ship.Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT), official tourism website · checked

  • As a tourist you may holiday and do business or professional activities, but nothing paid or for profit inside Costa Rica; a change of immigration category can be requested under the applicable rules.

    subcategoría Turismo, podrán realizar únicamente actividades de descanso, esparcimiento, recreación o cualquiera otra con fines de ocio, negocios o profesionales, siempre y cuando no sean actividades que impliquen remuneración o lucro dentro del territorio nacional ... podrán solicitar un cambio de su categoría o subcategoría migratoria, conforme a los requisitos que establece la legislación aplicableIn English: Tourism subcategory: they may only carry out rest, leisure and recreation activities, or any other for leisure, business or professional purposes, provided they do not involve pay or profit within the national territory ... they may request a change of their migration category or subcategory, under the requirements of the applicable legislationDirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME), Resolución AJ-484-11-2025 · checked

  • Travellers coming from a country or region at risk of yellow fever (for example Brazil, Colombia or Peru) must show an International Certificate of Yellow Fever Vaccination, with the vaccine given at least 10 days before travel, unless an exception applies, such as a stay of at least 6 days in a safe country first.

    To enter Costa Rica, the yellow fever vaccination is mandatory for all travelers coming from countries or regions at risk of transmission. The vaccine must be applied at least 10 days prior to travel. Travelers must present the International Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate, valid indefinitely. ... America: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, French Guiana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago. ... Travelers who have stayed at least 6 days in a safe country before entering Costa RicaEmbassy of Costa Rica in the United Kingdom · checked

  • You must leave when your permitted stay ends: under the migration law an overstay costs a fine of USD 100 for each month or, failing that, a ban on re-entry for three times the length of the overstay.

    Las personas extranjeras tendrán la obligación de egresar del país cuando venza el plazo de permanencia autorizado por la autoridad migratoria, salvo que medie la solicitud de un cambio de categoría o una prórroga otorgada por dicha autoridad migratoria. ... Toda estancia irregular en territorio costarricense hará que las personas extranjeras deban cancelar una multa migratoria equivalente a cien dólares moneda de los Estados Unidos de América (US$100,00), por cada mes de estancia irregular en el país o, en su defecto, se les prohibirá el ingreso por un plazo equivalente al triple del tiempo de su permanencia irregular.In English: Foreigners must leave the country when the stay authorised by the migration authority expires, unless they have requested a change of category or been granted an extension. ... Any irregular stay in Costa Rica obliges foreigners to pay a migration fine of one hundred US dollars (USD 100.00) for each month of irregular stay or, failing that, they will be barred from entry for a period three times the length of their irregular stay.Ley General de Migración y Extranjería N° 8764, article 33 · checked

Fee

Visa-free entry costs nothing.

These are government fees as the official sources state them. Agencies add their own service fees; those are not visa fees, and we don't list them.

Processing time

Nothing to apply for to visit visa-free (up to 180 days, not extendable). For visas, the official sources we read state no processing time.

Documents and entry checks

What changed

  1. Costa Rica's current visa directives for non-residents (DGME resolution AJ-484-11-2025) have applied since their publication in La Gaceta on 17 November 2025, replacing the circular DG-30-10-2023-AJ of October 2023. Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME), Resolución AJ-484-11-2025 · checked
  2. Checked against the official sources on this page: the rule above still holds.

FAQ

Is Costa Rica visa-free for British citizens now?

Yes: visa-free (up to 180 days, not extendable). Checked on 5 Nov 2026 against Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME), Resolución AJ-484-11-2025, via SINALEVI (Procuraduría General de la República).

How much does a Costa Rica visa cost for British citizens?

Visa-free entry costs nothing. If you were given fewer than 90 days and want an extension, apply before your permitted stay ends and prove you have enough money; the extension costs USD 100. The departure tax is USD 29, payable in US dollars, colones or by credit card.

Can I get a Costa Rica visa in 7 days?

There is nothing to apply for to visit visa-free (up to 180 days, not extendable). The official sources we read state no processing time.

Sources

Official sources only. Each was checked on the date shown.

  1. Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME), Resolución AJ-484-11-2025, via SINALEVI (Procuraduría General de la República): entry rule, entry conditions, documents and changessinalevi.go.cr · checked
  2. Ley General de Migración y Extranjería N° 8764, article 90 (SINALEVI, Procuraduría General de la República): fees and entry conditionssinalevi.go.cr · checked
  3. Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT), official tourism website: entry conditionsvisitcostarica.com · checked
  4. Embassy of Costa Rica in the United Kingdom: entry conditionscostaricanembassy.uk · checked
  5. Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT), official tourism website: feesvisitcostarica.com · checked
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Visa Almanac is an independent reference, not a government website. We don't issue visas or sell visa services.

Rules change without notice. Always confirm with the official source linked on each page before you travel.