180 days per entry· Visa exemption

Your passport must be valid for at least 1 months after you arrive.

A return or onward ticket may be checked at the border as part of demonstrating a genuine short visit.

You should have No fixed official amount is published for a short visit; sufficient funds for the length of stay may be requested at the border..

No routine arrival registration is required for an ordinary short stay tourist beyond standard passport control.

USD 100 per month (currently suspended)Under the retroactive-to-2010 penalty scheme, a fine of USD 100 for each month overstayed applies, paid at departure through the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería website, the Bank of Costa Rica, Tucan money transfer agencies, or select post office branches, with a re-entry ban of three times the number of months out of status for those who do not pay. This fine has been suspended since April 2020, originally due to pandemic era travel disruption, and remained suspended as of this research, a real, dated, still-current status worth flagging rather than presenting as an active fine.

Declare cash above USD 10,000 or the equivalent in cash or securities must be declared to Customs before finalizing immigration procedures, under Law No. 8204, Article 35. Failure to declare results in immediate forfeiture of the money..

A short stay can sometimes be extended before it expires through the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería; a genuinely new circumstance needs its own separate application, not a routine extension.

Always confirm with the official embassy or consulate before you fly.