Costa Rica Releases Full List of Over 90 Countries Whose Citizens Can Visit Without a Visa
- Costa Rica's General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners published a directive listing nationalities eligible for visa-free entry into the country
- The directive created two groups: one allowing up to 90 days of stay and another capped at 30 days, with South Africa included in the longer-stay group
- All visa-free travellers must carry a machine-readable passport, proof of at least USD $100 per month of stay, and a return or onward ticket
Costa Rica has released an official breakdown of which nationalities can enter the country without a visa.
The General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners has published a comprehensive directive that organises eligible travellers into two separate categories based on permitted length of stay.

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Countries Costa Rica allows for 90 days visa-free
The first group, as announced by Costa Rican authorities, covers citizens from 62 countries who may enter Costa Rica without a visa and stay for up to 90 calendar days. Passports need only be valid at the time of entry, with no additional buffer required.
African nations on this list include South Africa, while other notable entries span Europe, the Americas, and the Asia-Pacific region.
The full list includes:
- Andorra
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Chile
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Mexico
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- Puerto Rico
- Qatar
- Romania
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Uruguay
- Vatican City
Citizens of overseas territories and dependencies belonging to Argentina, Australia, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States also qualify under this group, provided they travel on a passport issued by the parent sovereign state.
Countries Costa Rica allows for 30 days visa-free
A second group of nationalities may also enter Costa Rica without a visa, but their initial authorised stay is limited to 30 calendar days, which can be extended to a maximum of 90 days in total. Travellers in this category must hold a passport valid for at least 90 calendar days from the date of arrival.
Countries in this group include:
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Belize
- Bolivia
- Brunei
- Dominica
- El Salvador
- Fiji
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Honduras
- Kiribati
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritius
- Micronesia
- Nauru
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Palau
- Philippines
- Russia
- Samoa
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Seychelles
- Solomon Islands
- Suriname
- Taiwan
- Tonga
- Turkey
- Tuvalu
- Vanuatu

Read also
Full list of African countries whose citizens can visit South Africa without a visa in 2026
Regardless of which group a traveller falls under, all visitors must present a valid machine-readable passport, demonstrate financial solvency of at least USD $100 per month of intended stay, and show a confirmed onward or return ticket out of Costa Rica before being granted entry.
Source: YEN.com.gh

