Passport Atlas

Entry & immigration · 65 Immigration briefings

How to enter, apply, and stay

Country profile

Capital

San José

Population

5.3 million

Area

51,100 km²

Currency

Costa Rican colón CRC

Languages

Spanish

Time zone

UTC-06:00

Foreign-born

628,404 · 2024

Migrant share

12.2%

Ethnic groups · 2011

  • White or Mestizo83.6%
  • Mulatto6.7%
  • none2.9%
  • Indigenous2.4%
  • unspecified2.2%
  • Black or African descent1.1%
  • Other1.1%

Foreign-born counts are UN international migrant stock via the World Bank (mostly 2024). Ethnic groups follow each country's published categories — most do not census by skin colour. Indicative only.

Openness rank

#83

Entry openness

Entry openness

95

F+A+eTA

Visa free

95

passports in

eVisa

0

Visa required 103

Entry with current passport

Visa free180 days

Costa Rica

CR · Openness rank #83

No full immigration briefing for this destination yet. Inbound visa policy below is computed from the passport-index matrix. Use official channels to apply.

Passports that enter without a prior visa

  • United Arab Emirates#1Visa free
  • South Korea#2Visa free
  • Singapore#2Visa free
  • Japan#4Visa free
  • Spain#5Visa free
  • Belgium#6Visa free
  • Switzerland#6Visa free
  • Germany#6Visa free
  • Denmark#6Visa free
  • Finland#6Visa free
  • France#6Visa free
  • Ireland#6Visa free
  • Italy#6Visa free
  • Luxembourg#6Visa free
  • Malaysia#6Visa free
  • Netherlands#6Visa free
  • Norway#6Visa free
  • Sweden#6Visa free
  • Austria#19Visa free
  • Greece#19Visa free
  • Croatia#19Visa free
  • Hungary#19Visa free
  • Malta#19Visa free
  • Poland#19Visa free
  • Portugal#19Visa free
  • Slovenia#19Visa free
  • Slovakia#19Visa free
  • Bulgaria#28Visa free
  • Czechia#28Visa free
  • Estonia#28Visa free
  • Latvia#28Visa free
  • New Zealand#28Visa free
  • Romania#28Visa free
  • Australia#34Visa free
  • Lithuania#34Visa free
  • Cyprus#36Visa free
  • United Kingdom#36Visa free
  • Liechtenstein#36Visa free
  • Canada#39Visa free
  • Iceland#39Visa free

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Policy briefings are compiled from public sources. They are not legal advice. Quotas, salary bars and visa-free lists move — always verify with the destination government and its missions.