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Costa Rica

Costa Rica visa — Madagascar 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?

Documents requested

Depending on your situation

Official fees

Steps

  1. Check the possible exemptions according to your visas or residence permits and their validity conditions, then confirm the procedure with the consulate
  2. Fill out the visa application form and write the application letter addressed to the consul.
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. If you wish to extend your stay, contact the immigration services in Costa Rica before the end of the granted duration

Where to apply

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

Costa Rica, Madagascar 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.

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