US passport · Costa Rica

Do US citizens need a visa for Costa Rica?

By the Visa Almanac editorial teamChange logUpdated 5 Nov 2026

In brief

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

Costa Rica visa-free stay for US 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 5 Nov 2026.

Costa Rica visa fee for US 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

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ContentsIn brief

In brief
At a glance
Do US citizens need a visa?
Fee
Processing time
Documents
What changed
FAQ
Sources

At a glance

Access	Visa-free · up to 180 days, not extendable
Stay	Up to 180 days, not extendable
Validity and entries	Not stated by the official source
Official fee	None for visa-free entry
Official processing	Nothing to apply for
Where to apply	Nothing to apply for to visit visa-free

Do US 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 US 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 5 Nov 2026

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: 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, and up to a maximum of 90 days). ... [the maximum legal stay] will be the one set by the Directorate General officer in charge of entry control, and in no case longer than one hundred and eighty calendar days from entryDirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME), Resolución AJ-484-11-2025 (Directrices generales de visas de ingreso y permanencia para no residentes), via SINALEVI · checked 1 Nov 2026
A pre-purchased bus ticket or flight out of Costa Rica, or proof of passage on a cruise ship, counts as the onward ticket; it is checked if you arrive one-way, with a return more than 90 days away, 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.Instituto Costarricense de Turismo · checked 1 Nov 2026
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: [those admitted in the] Tourism subcategory 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 ... may request a change of their immigration category or subcategory under the requirements of the applicable legislationDirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME), Resolución AJ-484-11-2025 (Directrices generales de visas de ingreso y permanencia para no residentes), via SINALEVI · checked 1 Nov 2026

Fee

Visa-free entry costs nothing.

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

Your passport must be machine-readable and valid on the day you arrive, and the stay you are given will not run past its expiry date.Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME), Resolución AJ-484-11-2025 (Directrices generales de visas de ingreso y permanencia para no residentes), via SINALEVI · checked 1 Nov 2026
At entry you must be able to show funds of at least USD 100 for each month or part of a month of your stay and a return or onward ticket (or, arriving by boat, a navigation plan naming the destination port).Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME), Resolución AJ-484-11-2025 (Directrices generales de visas de ingreso y permanencia para no residentes), via SINALEVI · checked 1 Nov 2026
The Tourism Board advises keeping a photocopy of your passport with the entry stamp on you throughout your stay; the officer may write a shorter permitted stay in your passport.Instituto Costarricense de Turismo · checked 1 Nov 2026
A pre-purchased bus ticket or flight out of Costa Rica, or proof of passage on a cruise ship, counts as the onward ticket; it is checked if you arrive one-way, with a return more than 90 days away, or fly out from another country.Instituto Costarricense de Turismo · checked 1 Nov 2026

What changed

5 Nov 2026Checked against the official sources on this page: the rule above still holds.

FAQ

Is Costa Rica visa-free for US 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 US citizens?

Visa-free entry costs nothing.

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.