To apply for an entry visa into Costa Rica, the citizens of countries classified in the fourth group must comply with the requirements detailed  herein.

1. File an application:

Persons who wish to enter Costa Rica and belong to countries of the fourth group must file a written application in Spanish before the Costa Rican Consulate in Beijing.

The application must contain the following information as a minimum:

a) Full name and surnames of the applicant
b) Nationality of the applicant
c) Profession of occupation of the applicant
d) Passport number of the applicant
e) Full name and surnames of the applicant's father and mother 
f) Exact address of the applicant's residence in his country of origin
g) Date and place of birth of the applicant
h) Purpose of the trip (e.g. business, tourism, studying)
i) Expected length of stay in Costa Rica
j) Expected place and date of departure from Costa Rica
k) Exact address of the place of residence or temporary domicile in Costa Rica
l) Fax or email to receive communications and notifications
m) Date of the application
n) Signature

2. Documents that must be filed together with the application:

The application must also be accompanied by the documents indicated herein.

Kindly take note that non-original documents issued from within the People's Republic of China or otherwise need to be certified and legalized by the Consular Department of the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry prior to filing before the Consulate.

Also, all documents must be written in Spanish or accompanied by their corresponding official translation into Spanish. For information on translations originating from within Costa Rica, please refer to the official translators list approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

The required documentation includes:

a) Original passport or travel document, with at least 6 months of validity left

b) Legalized photocopy of the biographical data page of the passport or travel document, along with an official translation into Spanish 

c) Booked ticket for entrance into Costa Rican via air, land or sea. The booking must include a set date for departure from Costa Rica.

Given the fact that not all visa applications are approved, the applicant is not required to show the non-reimbursable ticket itself. 

d) Proof of the applicants economic means of living following entry into Costa Rica and for the entire duration of permanence within the country.

Actual proof may be provided through the following documents:

• Letter or certification issued by the employer stating the position of the employee, salary and length of time working
• Bank statements for the last three months

It is important that the filed documents prove not only the economic solvency of the applicant, the must also prove that the applicant has ensuing ties to his or her home country.

For such an end, the Consulate's authorities also have powers to request from the applicant any or all the following:

• Income statement issued by a public accountant, no more than 6-months old. Like all documents not issued in Spanish, the same must be legalized and translated before filing.
• Travelers checks issued in the name of the applicant
• International credit or debit cards

e) Certificate of criminal record, duly legalized and translated. The certificate must be issued by the corresponding public authorities on the applicant's home country or those of his place of residence of the 3 years prior to the date of the visa application.

Only in exceptional and very limited cases where it is completely impossible to obtain the certificate of criminal record, the applicant might be exempted from complying with such requirement. 

f) Two passport-sized photographs.

The photographs shall include only the full face of the applicant, with eyes open and no clothes or other accessories that might difficult identification of the person. The background must also be white and they must be taken in adequate conditions of lighting, contrast and clearness.

3. Payment of the fee:

Upon entrance to Costa Rica the customs officials will charge the applicant the corresponding visa fee, which shall be paid in the act.