Costa Rican visa for U.S. citizens

A visa is NOT required for U.S. passport holders visiting Costa Rica for a short-term stay: 180 days.

Visa requirements:

Visa type Purposes Visa requirements Allowed stay
Tourist visa For U.S. citizens to enter Costa Rica for a short-term tourism purpose. Not required 180 days
Evisa Costa Rica e-visa for U.S. citizens Not Available
Visa on arrival Costa Rica visa on arrival for U.S. citizens Not Available

Costa Rica tourist visa requirements:

  • Holding U.S. passport that is valid for six months beyond the period of the intended stay in Costa Rica.
  • Proof of onward travel (departure) from Costa Rica.

If you are looking for Costa Rica visa information, such as available types of visas, or how to apply from United States, we recommend you visit or contact the embassy or consulate of Costa Rica nearest your place of residence.

  • Washington: The Embassy of Costa Rica in Washington, United States (Working hours: Open now. Close in 5 hours 29 minutes)
  • Chicago: The Consulate of Costa Rica in Chicago, United States (Working hours: Open now. Close in 3 hours 29 minutes)
  • Atlanta: The Consulate General of Costa Rica in Atlanta, United States (Working hours: Open now. Close in 2 hours 29 minutes)
  • Austin: The Consulate General of Costa Rica in Austin, United States (Working hours: Open now. Close in 3 hours 29 minutes)
  • Boston: The Consulate General of Costa Rica in Boston, United States (Working hours: Open now. Close in 2 hours 29 minutes)
  • Dallas: The Consulate General of Costa Rica in Dallas, United States (Working hours: Open now. Close in 3 hours 29 minutes)
  • Houston: The Consulate General of Costa Rica in Houston, United States (Working hours: Open now. Close in 3 hours 29 minutes)
  • Los Angeles: The Consulate General of Costa Rica in Los Angeles, United States (Working hours: Open now. Close in 5 hours 29 minutes)
  • Miami: The Consulate General of Costa Rica in Miami, United States (Working hours: Open now. Close in 2 hours 29 minutes)
  • Tucson: The Consulate General of Costa Rica in Tucson, United States (Working hours: Open now. Close in 5 hours 29 minutes)
  • New York: The Consulate General of Costa Rica in New York, United States (Working hours: Open now. Close in 2 hours 29 minutes)
  • New Orleans: The Consulate General of Costa Rica in New Orleans, United States (Working hours: Open now. Close in 3 hours 29 minutes)
  • St. Paul: The Consulate General of Costa Rica in St. Paul, United States (Working hours: Open now. Close in 3 hours 29 minutes)
  • Denver: The Consulate General of Costa Rica in Denver, United States (Working hours: Close now Lunch time )

Costa Rica visa applications & requirements (For reference purposes only, please visit the nearest Costa Rica diplomatic mission offices to United States for guidance)

Tourism Statistics Chart

The line chart shows the number of visitors from United States traveling to Costa Rica from 2008 to 2018.

Year Number of visitors (United States) estimated Change (%)
2008 1,214,464 N/A
2009 1,201,813 -1.04%
2010 1,252,416 4.21%
2011 1,239,765 -1.01%
2012 1,328,320 7.14%
2013 1,252,416 -5.71%
2014 1,252,416 0.00%
2015 1,239,765 -1.01%
2016 1,201,813 -3.06%
2017 1,277,717 6.32%
2018 1,265,067 -0.99%

References: UNWTO.org, World Bank and multiple sources. (This data is for informational purposes only. Please see our disclaimer page for more information.)

Costa Rica & United States comparison

Costa Rica's area is approximately 51,060 km2 (19,714 sq mi), while the area of United States is approximately 9,147,420 km2 (3,531,837 sq mi). This means United States is 179.15 times bigger than Costa Rica.

As of March 2024, Costa Rica's population is ~5.3 million people - 333,532,732 fewer people than the population of United States.

We have highlighted Costa Rica & United States’s relative positions on world's map for your reference.

Costa Rica United States Difference
Population (est 2024) 5,281,581 338,814,313 333.5 million fewer people live in Costa Rica than United States
Number of diplomatic missions abroad (est) 98 273 Costa Rica has 175 fewer diplomatic representations abroad compared with United States.
Travel freedom (2024) 111 134 Costa Rica passport holders visit 23 fewer countries and territories without a visa.
Number of foreign missions hosted 52 1147 Costa Rican hosts 1095 fewer foreign missions than United States.

Frequently asked questions, answered

How many visitors from United States travel to Costa Rica in one year?

The number of visitors from United States visiting Costa Rica in 2018 was approximately 1,265,067.

Comments (0)

Be the first to comment on this page
captcha

Do you need a travel visa?

  • Afghanistan
  • Albania
  • Algeria
  • American Samoa
  • Andorra
  • Angola
  • Anguilla
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Argentina
  • Armenia
  • Aruba
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahamas
  • Bahrain
  • Bangladesh
  • Barbados
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Belize
  • Benin
  • Bermuda
  • Bhutan
  • Bolivia
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Botswana
  • Brazil
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Brunei
  • Bulgaria
  • Burkina Faso
  • Burundi
  • Cambodia
  • Cameroon
  • Canada
  • Cape Verde
  • Cayman Islands
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • Chile
  • China
  • Christmas Island
  • Colombia
  • Comoros
  • Cook Islands
  • Costa Rica
  • Côte d'Ivoire
  • Croatia
  • Cuba
  • Curacao
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Denmark
  • Djibouti
  • Dominica
  • Dominican Republic
  • Ecuador
  • Egypt
  • El Salvador
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Eritrea
  • Estonia
  • Eswatini
  • Ethiopia
  • Falkland Islands
  • Faroe Islands
  • Fiji
  • Finland
  • France
  • French Guiana
  • French Polynesia
  • Gabon
  • Gambia
  • Georgia
  • Germany
  • Ghana
  • Gibraltar
  • Greece
  • Greenland
  • Grenada
  • Guam
  • Guatemala
  • Guinea
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Guyana
  • Haiti
  • Honduras
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Ireland
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Jamaica
  • Japan
  • Jordan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kenya
  • Kiribati
  • Kosovo
  • Kuwait
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Laos
  • Latvia
  • Lebanon
  • Lesotho
  • Liberia
  • Libya
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Madagascar
  • Malawi
  • Malaysia
  • Maldives
  • Mali
  • Malta
  • Marshall Islands
  • Martinique
  • Mauritania
  • Mauritius
  • Mayotte
  • Mexico
  • Micronesia
  • Moldova
  • Monaco
  • Mongolia
  • Montenegro
  • Montserrat
  • Morocco
  • Mozambique
  • Myanmar
  • Namibia
  • Nauru
  • Nepal
  • Netherlands
  • New Caledonia
  • New Zealand
  • Nicaragua
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Niue
  • Northern Mariana Islands
  • North Korea
  • North Macedonia
  • Norway
  • Oman
  • Pakistan
  • Palau
  • Panama
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Philippines
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Puerto Rico
  • Qatar
  • Republic of the Congo
  • Reunion
  • Romania
  • Russia
  • Rwanda
  • Saint Helena
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Saint Lucia
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Samoa
  • San Marino
  • São Tomé and Príncipe
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Scotland
  • Senegal
  • Serbia
  • Seychelles
  • Sierra Leone
  • Singapore
  • Sint Maarten
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Solomon Islands
  • Somalia
  • South Africa
  • South Korea
  • South Sudan
  • Spain
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sudan
  • Suriname
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Syria
  • Tajikistan
  • Tanzania
  • Thailand
  • Timor-Leste
  • Togo
  • Tonga
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Tunisia
  • Turkey
  • Turkmenistan
  • Turks and Caicos
  • Tuvalu
  • Uganda
  • Ukraine
  • United Arab Emirates
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • Uruguay
  • U.S. Virgin Islands
  • Uzbekistan
  • Vanuatu
  • Venezuela
  • Vietnam
  • Wallis and Futuna
  • Yemen
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe
  • Afghanistan
  • Albania
  • Algeria
  • American Samoa
  • Andorra
  • Angola
  • Anguilla
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Argentina
  • Armenia
  • Aruba
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahamas
  • Bahrain
  • Bangladesh
  • Barbados
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Belize
  • Benin
  • Bermuda
  • Bhutan
  • Bolivia
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Botswana
  • Brazil
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Brunei
  • Bulgaria
  • Burkina Faso
  • Burundi
  • Cambodia
  • Cameroon
  • Canada
  • Cape Verde
  • Cayman Islands
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • Chile
  • China
  • Christmas Island
  • Colombia
  • Comoros
  • Cook Islands
  • Costa Rica
  • Côte d'Ivoire
  • Croatia
  • Cuba
  • Curacao
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Denmark
  • Djibouti
  • Dominica
  • Dominican Republic
  • Ecuador
  • Egypt
  • El Salvador
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Eritrea
  • Estonia
  • Eswatini
  • Ethiopia
  • Falkland Islands
  • Faroe Islands
  • Fiji
  • Finland
  • France
  • French Guiana
  • French Polynesia
  • Gabon
  • Gambia
  • Georgia
  • Germany
  • Ghana
  • Gibraltar
  • Greece
  • Greenland
  • Grenada
  • Guam
  • Guatemala
  • Guinea
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Guyana
  • Haiti
  • Honduras
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Ireland
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Jamaica
  • Japan
  • Jordan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kenya
  • Kiribati
  • Kosovo
  • Kuwait
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Laos
  • Latvia
  • Lebanon
  • Lesotho
  • Liberia
  • Libya
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Madagascar
  • Malawi
  • Malaysia
  • Maldives
  • Mali
  • Malta
  • Marshall Islands
  • Martinique
  • Mauritania
  • Mauritius
  • Mayotte
  • Mexico
  • Micronesia
  • Moldova
  • Monaco
  • Mongolia
  • Montenegro
  • Montserrat
  • Morocco
  • Mozambique
  • Myanmar
  • Namibia
  • Nauru
  • Nepal
  • Netherlands
  • New Caledonia
  • New Zealand
  • Nicaragua
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Niue
  • Northern Mariana Islands
  • North Korea
  • North Macedonia
  • Norway
  • Oman
  • Pakistan
  • Palau
  • Panama
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Philippines
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Puerto Rico
  • Qatar
  • Republic of the Congo
  • Reunion
  • Romania
  • Russia
  • Rwanda
  • Saint Helena
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Saint Lucia
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Samoa
  • San Marino
  • São Tomé and Príncipe
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Scotland
  • Senegal
  • Serbia
  • Seychelles
  • Sierra Leone
  • Singapore
  • Sint Maarten
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Solomon Islands
  • Somalia
  • South Africa
  • South Korea
  • South Sudan
  • Spain
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sudan
  • Suriname
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Syria
  • Tajikistan
  • Tanzania
  • Thailand
  • Timor-Leste
  • Togo
  • Tonga
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Tunisia
  • Turkey
  • Turkmenistan
  • Turks and Caicos
  • Tuvalu
  • Uganda
  • Ukraine
  • United Arab Emirates
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • Uruguay
  • U.S. Virgin Islands
  • Uzbekistan
  • Vanuatu
  • Venezuela
  • Vietnam
  • Wallis and Futuna
  • Yemen
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe

Today’s Forecast

The weather today in Washington D.C.:
6.44°C
Humidity 91%
Wind 5.66 km/h
Sunrise 17:58 PM

Useful Information

  • San Jose to Washington D.C.: 2992.19 km (1859.26 mi)
  • Travel time: 6 hours 14 minutes

This page was last updated on: March 2024