Costa Rica
Costa Rica visa — Congo passport
Visa required
Stay of up to 30 days.
This information applies to a short tourist stay with an ordinary passport. To work, study or stay longer, the rules are different.
Good to know
Third group: consular visa required (single entry); stay of 30 days at most, extendable up to 90. Exemptions for holders of certain visas or residences (United States, Canada, Schengen, EU…). Guidelines DGME AJ-484-11-2025 (La Gaceta, 17/11/2025).
Official source: DGME Costa Rica — General Guidelines on Entry and Stay Visas for Non-Residents AJ-484-11-2025 (La Gaceta, 17/11/2025)DGME Costa Rica — Directrices Generales de Visas de Ingreso y Permanencia para No Residentes AJ-484-11-2025 (La Gaceta, 17/11/2025) (new tab) Verified on 15 October 2026
VisaGuideline helps you prepare your application. The decision belongs to the country’s authority: check the official page before paying or applying.
Which procedure for your trip?
-
Tourist visa
Tourist visa: documents, fees and steps
Document names stay visible. Open the details to read the conditions.
Documents requested
Visa application letter addressed to the consul of Costa RicaConditions and details
The letter, dated and signed, states: full first and last names, nationality, passport number, address, purpose of the trip, duration of the trip, place and date of arrival and departure, profession or activity, exact address in Costa Rica, place and date of birth, and a fax number or an email address for notifications.Visa application form issued by a consulate of Costa RicaConditions and details
Use the official form indicated by the competent consulate. The regulation also provides for its availability on the website of the General Directorate of Migration. Fill it out legibly, without erasures or corrections.Machine-readable or biometric passport: 180 days of validity, or 90 days for Colombia and NicaraguaConditions and details
For the group subject to the consular visa, the passport must be valid for at least 180 calendar days. For Colombian and Nicaraguan nationals, this minimum is 90 calendar days. At entry, only passports or travel documents that are machine-readable or biometric compliant with ICAO standards are accepted.- Photocopy of all pages of the passportPresent your passport or travel document accepted by Costa Rica as well as a copy of all its pages. Respect the minimum validity applicable to your nationality.
- Provisional reservation of the return or onward travel ticketPrepare a provisional reservation of the return or onward ticket. The embassy in Washington recommends not purchasing the ticket before the visa approval.
Proof of financial means necessary for the stayConditions and details
Present proof of your means of subsistence during the stay. Follow the consulate's instructions for their form and the period to be covered: in Washington, bank statements, salary certificate or equivalent documents cover the last three months. The proof of solvency to be presented at entry is separate.Valid criminal record extract, with Spanish translation if necessaryConditions and details
Provide a valid criminal record extract, accompanied by a Spanish translation if it is in another language. Check the consulate's instructions on its recency: Washington requires an extract from the last six months. Documents issued in another country may require an apostille or legalization.Consular visa affixed in the passport, to be presented upon arrivalConditions and details
The visa is valid for a single entry. Once authorized, it must be affixed in the passport within a period of three months; once affixed, it must be used within a maximum period of sixty working days.Proof of solvency of at least 100 United States dollars per month or fraction of a month of stay, to be presented upon entryConditions and details
The directives require this proof of solvency at the immigration control upon entry, in addition to the passport, the visa and the return or onward ticket. They do not detail the form of the supporting document.- Return ticket to the country of origin or onward journey, to be presented upon entryThe directives require upon entry a return ticket, ticket or passage to the country of origin or onward journey, or the navigation plan indicating the port of destination.
Depending on your situation
- Photograph in the format requested by the consulateIf the consulate requests a photograph, respect its format. In Washington, a color passport-format photo of 2 × 2 inches is required.
Apostille or legalization of documents issued in another country, according to the consulate's instructionsConditions and details
For foreign public documents submitted to the migration authority, the regulation provides for an apostille where the relevant convention applies; otherwise, consular legalization and authentication by Costa Rica’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs are required. An official Spanish translation is required for documents in another language. Check the formalities applicable to your documents with the consulate.- Additional documents, if the consul requests themThe consul may request additional documents necessary for the examination of your situation. The submission of all documents does not guarantee the granting of the visa.
International certificate of vaccination against yellow fever, for travelers coming from a risk areaConditions and details
For travelers coming from a yellow fever transmission area, vaccination is required at least ten days before entry and is proven by the international certificate. Check the official list of areas and the exceptions. The embassy notably mentions a stay of at least six days in a country without risk without having developed fever during that period. In case of contraindication, a non-resident coming from a risk area must present before entry a valid medical opinion, endorsed by the national health authority of the country from which the traveler is arriving.
Official fees
- Consular tourist visa fee at the Consulate of Costa Rica in Washington, non-refundable, due if the consul approves the application 32 USD
Steps
- Check the possible exemptions according to your visas or residence permits and their validity conditions, then confirm the procedure with the consulate
- Fill out the visa application form and write the application letter addressed to the consul.
- Gather passport and complete copy, provisional return or onward reservation, financial supporting documents and criminal record; add translation, photo and legalization according to your situation and the consulate
- Follow the procedure of the competent consulate: submission of physical documents or digital system when it is authorized and available. Appear for the interview if the consul requests it
- Wait for the decision: the regulation provides for 30 calendar days after submission of all documents. After approval, follow the consulate's instructions for payment and affixing of the visa
- Use the visa for a single entry: it must be affixed in the passport within three months following the authorization, then used within a period of sixty working days.
- Upon arrival, present the passport, the visa, the proof of solvency (100 USD per month or fraction of a month of stay) and the return or onward journey ticket.
- If you wish to extend your stay, contact the immigration services in Costa Rica before the end of the granted duration
Where to apply
- Competent consulate of Costa Rica: submission and appointment according to its instructions; digital option only if it is authorized and available
- Consuls general, consuls, vice-consuls and diplomatic agents with consular functions; honorary consuls only issue visas authorized by the General Directorate of Migration, consulted for each application
Good to know
First check the exceptions to the visa requirementConditions and details
Certain documents allow an exemption, with a passport having the required validity. For the United States or Canada, a multiple-entry visa or residence permit valid for at least one calendar day from arrival is required; transit visas C1, C2 and C3 are excluded. For the European Union, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland, the directives cover a multiple-entry residence permit or one valid for at least 90 calendar days from arrival, excluding refugees and asylum. For Schengen C or D visas, only multiple entries are admitted; the directives describe them as valid up to 90 days. The visa must already have entered into force and remain valid for at least one calendar day upon arrival. Check these conditions with the consulate before relying on the exemption. For visas or residences of the United States/Canada and Schengen visas, the stay granted cannot exceed the validity of the document presented.Duration of the tourist stayConditions and details
For the group subject to the consular visa, the stay is generally limited to 30 calendar days, with a possible extension up to 90 days according to the applicable legislation. The duration granted is set at the entry control. Colombian and Nicaraguan nationals benefit from the special rule indicated below. Contact the immigration services in Costa Rica for an extension before the expiration of your stay.- Two entries: two consular visasA consul may issue two consular visas to the person who justifies two entries to Costa Rica; the cost of two visas is then to be paid.
- Colombia and NicaraguaFor persons of Colombian or Nicaraguan nationality, the directives set a minimum passport validity of 90 calendar days and a legal stay of up to 90 calendar days.
Venezuela: application in a consulate of a third countryConditions and details
Venezuelan nationals apply for the consular tourist visa at a Costa Rican consulate located in a third country, according to the requirements of the Regulation on the granting of visas.China: tourist protocolConditions and details
Chinese national adults holding a passport issued in Beijing or Shanghai may exceptionally enter as tourists according to the "Temporary Protocol for the Promotion of Tourism from China": the stay corresponds to that of the purchased organized trip and does not exceed thirty days, without change of migratory category. Visa applications for Chinese minors fall under the Restricted Visas Commission.- Activities permitted during a tourist stayA tourist stay permits only rest, relaxation, leisure, or business or professional activities that involve neither remuneration nor profit in Costa Rica.
- In case of refusal, wait six monthsThe submission of all documents does not guarantee the granting of the visa. After a consular visa refusal, wait six months before submitting a new application.
Frequently asked questions
Costa Rica, Congo passport: is a visa required?
Visa required for a short tourist stay with an ordinary passport. Stay of up to 30 days.
Tourist visa: which documents are requested?
Visa application letter addressed to the consul of Costa Rica ; Visa application form issued by a consulate of Costa Rica ; Machine-readable or biometric passport: 180 days of validity, or 90 days for Colombia and Nicaragua ; Photocopy of all pages of the passport ; Provisional reservation of the return or onward travel ticket ; Proof of financial means necessary for the stay ; Valid criminal record extract, with Spanish translation if necessary ; Consular visa affixed in the passport, to be presented upon arrival ; Proof of solvency of at least 100 United States dollars per month or fraction of a month of stay, to be presented upon entry ; Return ticket to the country of origin or onward journey, to be presented upon entry.
Tourist visa: what are the official fees?
Consular tourist visa fee at the Consulate of Costa Rica in Washington, non-refundable, due if the consul approves the application : 32 USD.
Tourist visa: where do I apply?
Competent consulate of Costa Rica: submission and appointment according to its instructions; digital option only if it is authorized and available ; Consuls general, consuls, vice-consuls and diplomatic agents with consular functions; honorary consuls only issue visas authorized by the General Directorate of Migration, consulted for each application.
Official links
- Visa Consular (new tab) www.embassycr.org
- Costa Rica — règlement 36626-G publié par l’ICODER (new tab) www.icoder.go.cr
- DGME Costa Rica — General Guidelines on Entry and Stay Visas for Non-Residents AJ-484-11-2025 (La Gaceta, 17/11/2025)DGME Costa Rica — Directrices Generales de Visas de Ingreso y Permanencia para No Residentes AJ-484-11-2025 (La Gaceta, 17/11/2025) (new tab) www.icoder.go.cr
- Visas, Residencias y Categorías Especiales (new tab) www.embassycr.org
Free, with or without an account
Free, no account needed
- The entry rule for your nationality
- The list of documents for your situation
With a free account
- Your saved cases
- Your documents to tick off: to prepare, in progress, declared available
- A summary to print or save as a PDF