Flag of Costa Rica
Passport · data reviewed 2026-10

Visa-Free Countries for Costa Rica Passport Holders (2026)

Costa Rica passport holders can visit 163 of 246 destinations without arranging a visa in advance: 124 visa-free, 12 with an electronic travel authorization and 27 with a visa on arrival. 42 more offer an e-visa you apply for online. 37 require a visa before travel. That puts the Costa Rica passport at #25 of 208 in our ranking.

  • Visa-free 124
  • ETA 12
  • On arrival 27
  • E-visa 42
  • Visa 37
  • Special 4
Check a destinationPrice an award flight

Visa-free access

163

Visa-free, ETA or on arrival

Passport rank

#25 of 208

E-visa online

42

Visa required

37

Visa-free for Costa Rica passport holders

124 destinations. No visa or online approval needed. Show your passport at immigration.

Albania90 daysAndorra90 daysAnguilla90 daysArgentina90 daysAruba90 daysAustria90 daysBahamas90 daysBarbados30 daysBelgium90 daysBelize30 daysBermuda180 daysBolivia90 daysBonaire90 daysBosnia and Herzegovina90 daysBotswana90 daysBrazil90 daysBritish Virgin Islands30 daysBrunei14 daysBulgaria90 daysCayman Islands180 daysChile90 daysColombia90 daysCook Islands31 daysCroatia90 daysCuraçao90 daysCyprus90 daysCzechia90 daysDenmark90 daysDominica180 daysDominican Republic30 daysEcuador90 daysEl Salvador180 daysEstonia90 daysFaroe Islands90 daysFinland90 daysFrance90 daysFrench Guiana90 daysFrench Polynesia90 daysGeorgia360 daysGermany90 daysGibraltar180 daysGreece90 daysGreenland90 daysGrenada90 daysGuadeloupe90 daysGuatemala90 daysGuyana30 daysHaiti90 daysHonduras90 daysHong Kong30 daysHungary90 daysIceland90 daysIreland90 daysItaly90 daysJamaica30 daysJapan90 daysKiribati90 daysKosovo90 daysLatvia90 daysLiechtenstein90 daysLithuania90 daysLuxembourg90 daysMalta90 daysMartinique90 daysMayotte90 daysMexico180 daysMicronesia30 daysMoldova90 daysMonaco90 daysMontenegro90 daysMontserrat180 daysNetherlands90 daysNew Caledonia90 daysNicaragua90 daysNiue30 daysNorth Macedonia90 daysNorthern Cyprus90 daysNorway90 daysOman14 daysPalestinePanama90 daysParaguay90 daysPeru90 daysPhilippines30 daysPitcairn Islands14 daysPoland90 daysPortugal90 daysRéunion90 daysRomania90 daysRussia90 daysSaba90 daysSaint Barthélemy90 daysSaint Helena90 daysSaint Lucia42 daysSaint Martin90 daysSaint Pierre and Miquelon90 daysSaint Vincent and the Grenadines90 daysSamoa60 daysSan Marino30 daysSerbia90 daysSingapore30 daysSint Eustatius90 daysSint Maarten90 daysSlovakia90 daysSlovenia90 daysSouth Africa30 daysSpain90 daysSuriname90 daysSvalbardFree movementSweden90 daysSwitzerland90 daysTajikistan30 daysTransnistria45 daysTrinidad and Tobago90 daysTunisia90 daysTurkey30 daysTurks and Caicos Islands90 daysUnited Arab Emirates90 daysUruguay90 daysUzbekistan30 daysVatican City90 daysVenezuela90 daysWallis and Futuna90 daysZambia90 days

Online travel authorization (ETA) needed for Costa Rica passport holders

12 destinations. No visa, but you need an online approval before you board.

Cambodia30 daysCape Verde30 daysIsrael90 daysJeju Island90 daysKenya90 daysMalaysia30 daysPakistan30 daysSaint Kitts and Nevis90 daysSeychelles90 daysSouth Korea90 daysSri Lanka30 daysUnited Kingdom180 days

Visa on arrival for Costa Rica passport holders

27 destinations. Get the visa at the airport or border, usually for a fee.

Bahrain90 daysBangladesh30 daysBurundi90 daysComoros45 daysEgypt30 daysGuinea-Bissau90 daysJordan90 daysLaos30 daysLebanon30 daysMacau30 daysMadagascar90 daysMalawi90 daysMaldives30 daysMarshall Islands90 daysMauritius60 daysMozambique30 daysNepal90 daysPalau30 daysQatar30 daysRwanda30 daysSenegal30 daysSyriaTanzania90 daysThailand15 daysTimor-Leste30 daysTuvalu30 daysZimbabwe30 days

E-visa for Costa Rica passport holders

42 destinations. Apply online and get approved before you travel.

AngolaAntigua and BarbudaArmenia120 daysAscension Island90 daysAustraliaAzerbaijan30 daysBenin90 daysBhutan90 daysBurkina Faso30 daysCameroon180 daysChadCuba90 daysDjibouti31 daysDR Congo7 daysEquatorial Guinea90 daysEthiopia30 daysFiji120 daysGabon180 daysGuinea90 daysIndia180 daysIran30 daysIraq30 daysIvory Coast90 daysKyrgyzstan60 daysLesothoLiberiaLibya30 daysMauritania2 yearsMongolia30 daysMyanmar28 daysNew ZealandNigeria90 daysPapua New Guinea60 daysSao Tome and PrincipeSierra Leone30 daysSomaliaSouth SudanTogo90 daysUganda90 daysUkraine30 daysVanuatu120 daysVietnam90 days

Visa required for Costa Rica passport holders

37 destinations. Apply for a visa at an embassy, consulate or official visa center before you go.

AbkhaziaAfghanistanAlgeriaAmerican SamoaCanadaCentral African RepublicChinaEritreaEswatiniFalkland IslandsGambiaGhanaGuamIndonesiaKazakhstanKurdistan Region of IraqKuwaitMaliMoroccoNamibiaNauruNigerNorth KoreaNorthern Mariana IslandsRepublic of the CongoSaudi ArabiaSolomon IslandsSomalilandSouth OssetiaSudanTaiwanTokelauTongaTurkmenistanUnited StatesUS Virgin IslandsYemen

Special permits and unconfirmed entry

4 destinations. A special permit is needed, or entry on this passport isn't confirmed. Contact the destination's embassy.

BelarusBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryJan MayenWestern Sahara

Home: Costa Rica. Costa Rica passport holders don't need anything beyond their passport or ID to enter Costa Rica.

Costa Rica passport: common questions

How many countries can Costa Rica passport holders visit without a visa?

163 destinations: 124 visa-free, 12 with an online travel authorization (ETA) and 27 with a visa on arrival. Another 42 let you apply for an e-visa online.

Do Costa Rica passport holders need a visa for the United States?

Yes. Costa Rica passport holders need a visa for the United States, arranged before travel through an embassy, consulate or official visa center.

Do Costa Rica passport holders need a visa for the United Kingdom?

No visa, but Costa Rica passport holders need an electronic travel authorization (UK ETA, GBP 20 (from 2026-04-08)) before they travel to the United Kingdom, for stays of up to 180 days.

Do Costa Rica passport holders need a visa for France?

No. Costa Rica passport holders can visit France visa-free for up to 90 days.

Do Costa Rica passport holders need a visa for Italy?

No. Costa Rica passport holders can visit Italy visa-free for up to 90 days.

Do Costa Rica passport holders need a visa for Spain?

No. Costa Rica passport holders can visit Spain visa-free for up to 90 days.

Which countries need an ETA for Costa Rica passport holders?

Cambodia, Cape Verde, Israel, Jeju Island, Kenya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Seychelles, South Korea, Sri Lanka and United Kingdom. An ETA is an online approval, not a visa, but airlines check it before you board.

Which countries require a visa for Costa Rica passport holders?

37 destinations, including Abkhazia, Afghanistan, Algeria, American Samoa, Canada, Central African Republic, China, Eritrea, Eswatini and Falkland Islands. Apply at the destination's embassy, consulate or official visa portal well before you travel.

Compare with nearby passports

Ranked by destinations you can enter visa-free, with an ETA or on arrival.

Vatican City#24 · 165 destinationsAntigua and Barbuda#25 · 163 destinationsBermuda#25 · 163 destinationsMauritius#26 · 162 destinationsPeru#27 · 161 destinationsIsraeli Travel Document (Teudat Ma'avar)#28 · 159 destinations
See the full passport ranking

Tourist visits only. Requirements come from a dataset compiled in October 2025, with changes since then checked against official government sources on 2026-10-31. Rules change, so confirm with the destination's official site before you book and again before you fly.