Procedures for visa application to enter Costa Rica

 

This section details the requirements and general procedures to apply for an entry visa to Costa Rica. It is advisable to read the following information closely and seek our assistance only if you have any questions not covered by this information

The requirements are variable depending on the nationality of the applicant, the country of residence and the particular country in which the application is filed. The information herein contained only applies only to applicants at the Costa Rican Consulate in Beijing.

 

Requirements depending on the country of origin

All countries are classified in a list of 4 different groups, each with different requirements and procedures to apply for an entry visa to Costa Rica. The essential differences are summed up in the following chart:

 

Group
Requires visa
Maximum length of stay
1
No
90 days
2
No
30 days
3
Yes
30 days
4
Yes
30 days

Consult the full list of countries here 

Nationals belonging to a country of the first or second groups do not require to apply for a visa to enter the country of Costa Rica prior to their trip.

On the other hand, nationals from countries in the third of fourth group do require to apply for a visa to enter the country of Costa Rica prior to their trip.

The People's Republic of China is amongst the countries of the fourth group, thus Chinese nationals do require a visa to enter Costa Rica.

Nevertheless, in the case of China, it is advisable to review the list of exceptions, which seeks to facilitate the visa application process of avoid it all together.

 

General requirements for countries of the fourth group

Kindly visit the visa requirements page for countries of the fourth group, where the required content of each visa application is covered in detail, together with information on the documents that must accompany the same.

 

Visa procedures for countries of the fourth group

The People's Republic of China is amongst the countries of the fourth group. In these cases, the visa application (see requirements here) is filed directly before the Costa Rican Consulate in Beijing, but authorization is finally granted by the General Direction of Migration and Foreignship in Costa Rica, as the Consulate in these cases acts solely as a auxiliary agent of the migration authorities.

Due to the necessary coordination between the authorities in both countries, the procedure usually takes around two months. It is advisable to file the application with such length being taken into account.

Once the process of approval has been finalized by the General Direction of Migration and Foreignship, the applicant must request an appointment at the Costa Rican Consulate in Beijing for the issuance of the visa.

Issuance of the visa is only carried out after such an appointment and once the application has been duly approved by the corresponding authorities.

If you are a Chinese citizen and wish to inquire whether you application has been approved, soon you will be able to access the visa status page.

The appointment can be requested via telephone, fax or e-mail.

E-mail:     info@embajadacrchina.org
Fax:     00 (86-10) 6532 4546
Telephone:     00 (86-10) 6532 5661

 

Further information of migratory interest

We highly advise to also visit the visa section of the official website for the General Direction of Migration and Foreignship for further relevant information.

Logo de la Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería

www.migracion.go.cr
(Spanish only)