For visa purposes Costa Rica classifies each country in the world according to the following list. Each group must comply with different requirements to request a visa for entry into Costa Rica and the periods of length of stay vary as well. Countries within the first and second group are excempted from the requirement of an entry visa.

It is advisable that nationals of the People's Republic of China check whether any of the situations in the list of exceptions, which seeks to facilitate the visa application process of avoid it all together.

Group 1

Nationals of countries within this group are not required apply for an entry visa for Costa Rica and may stay in the country for up to 90 natural days.

ANDORRA
ARGENTINA
AUSTRALIA
AUSTRIA
BARBADOS
BELGIUM
BRAZIL
BULGARIA
CANADA
CHILE
CROATIA
CYPRUS
DENMARK
ESTONIA
FINLAND
FRANCE
HELLENIC REPUBLIC (GREECE)
ICELAND
IRELAND
ISRAEL
ITALY
JAPAN
LATVIA
LIECHTENSTEIN
LITHUANIA
LUXEMBOURG
MALTA
MEXICO
MONTENEGRO
NETHERLANDS
NEW ZEALAND
NORWAY
PANAMA
PARAGUAY
POLAND
PORTUGAL
PRINCIPALITY OF MONACO
PUERTO RICO
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH KOREA
ROMANIA
SAN MARINO
SERBIA 
SINGAPORE
SLOVAK REPUBLIC
SLOVENIA
SOUTH AFRICA
SPAIN
SWEDEN
SWITZERLAND
CHINESE TAIPEI
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN  AND NORTHERN IRELAND
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
URUGUAY
VATICAN CITY
BAHAMAS
CZECH REPUBLIC
GERMANY
HUNGARY

Group 2

Nationals of countries within this group are not required apply for an entry visa for Costa Rica and may stay in the country for up to 30 natural days.

ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
BELIZE
BOLIVIA
DOMINICA
EL SALVADOR
FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA
FIJI
GRENADA
GUATEMALA
GUYANA
HONDURAS
KINGDOM OF TONGA
KIRIBATI
MALDIVES
MARSHALL ISLANDS    
MAURITIUS
NAURU
NORTHERN MARIANAS
PALAU
PHILIPINES
SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS
SAINT LUCIA
SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES
SAMOA
SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE

SEYCHELLES
SOLOMON ISLANDS
SURINAME
TURKEY
TUVALU
VANUATU
VENEZUELA 

Group 3

Nationals from countries within this group must apply for an entry visa from within their own country and may stay in Costa Rica for a period not exceeding 30 natural days.

ALBANIA
ALGERIA
ANGOLA
ARMENIA
AZERBAIJAN
BAHRAIN
BELARUS
BENIN
BHUTAN
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
BOTSWANA
BURKINA FASO
BURUNDI
CAMBODIA
CAMEROON
CAPE VERDE
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
CHAD
COLOMBIA
COMOROS 
CÔTE d'IVOIRE
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
DJIBOUTI
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
EAST TIMOR
ECUADOR
EGYPT
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
GABON
GAMBIA
GEORGIA
GHANA
GUINEA
GUINEA BISSAU
INDIA
INDONESIA
 
JORDAN
KAZAKHSTAN
KENYA
KUWAIT
KYRGYZSTAN
LAOS PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
LEBANON
LESOTHO
LIBERIA
LIBYA
MADAGASCAR
MALAWI
MALAYSIA
MALI
MAURITANIA
MOLDOVA
MONGOLIA
MOROCCO
MOZAMBIQUE
NAMIBIA
NEGARA BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
NEPAL
NICARAGUA
NIGER
NIGERIA
OMAN
PAKISTAN
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
PERU
QATAR
REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
RWANDA
SAHARAHUI ARAB REPUBLIC
SAUDI ARABIA
SENEGAL
SIERRA LEONE
SUDAN
SWAZILAND
TAJIKISTAN
TANZANIA
THAILAND
TOGO 
TUNISIA
TURKMENISTAN
UGANDA
UKRAINE
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
UZBEKISTAN
VIET NAM
YEMEN
ZAMBIA
ZIMBABWE 

Group 4

Nationals from countries within this group must request an entry visa into Costa Rica to the consulate in their respective countries and are centrally approved by the Costa Rican immigration authorities. In cases such as these, the Consulate's personnel act as auxiliary agents of the immigration authorities and thus have no direct power to authorize individual visas.

AFGHANISTAN
BANGLADESH
CUBA
DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA (NORTH KOREA)

ERITREA

ETHIOPIA
HAITI
IRAN (ISLAMIC  REPUBLIC OF)
IRAQ
JAMAICA

MYANMAR (BURMA)
PALESTINE

PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
SOMALIA
SRI LANKA
SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC

All applicants are informed that the Costa Rican Consulate in Beijing requires a previous appointment for the issuance of the visa after its issuance has been authorized.

All of the information contained herein may also be inquired in notice DG- 3309-2009 of November 5, 2009, issued by the General Direction of Migration and Foreignship. The same became effective as of December 1, 2009.