Costa Rica Info
Joined: 14 Nov 2006
Posts: 17
Home Country: costarica
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 Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2006 5:01 am Post subject: VISA TO COSTA RICA / COSTA RICA VISA GUIDE |
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VISA TO COSTA RICA
REQUIREMENTS
The required paperwork to enter Costa Rica depends on the purpose of your visit and your nationality. Costa Rican consulates handle tourism visas whereas all other applications will be send to the Department of Immigration in Costa Rica.
Take into account that the Costa Rican Immigration Department can require additional documentation for each application and policies change frequently. To avoid problems, we recommend you make preparations some time in advance and check with the nearest Costa Rican consulate what requirements apply. The documents that are most often required for visa applications are:
* Application Form: This needs to be correctly completed and addressed to Director General of Migration.
* Special Authority to Representative: Authority should be granted to a person in Costa Rica to represent the applicant. Personal data and an address of the representative within the judicial perimeter of San José should be indicated in this statement.
* Birth Certificate. A certified copy of you and your dependent is required. Every birth certificate should have the parent’s names on it. Birth certificates have to be authenticated.
* Photocopies of passport. The pages of the passport will have to be certified by the Consul, a Costa Rican notary public or a notary public of your country of residence. If the passport is certified by a notary public in your country of residence, the copies will have to be authenticated as well.
* Marriage Certificate. This certificate has to be certified and authenticated.
* Proof of Income. This can be a letter from your bank or from the government of your country of origin.
* Police Statement of Good Conduct. This statement is issued by the authorities in your country of residence and valid for six months. If the six month period expires while you are still in you application procedures you have to obtain a new statement.
* Background Check. Depending on the visa you apply for you might have to visit the Costa Rican Ministery of Security. They will take your fingerprints and run a background check.
* Photographs. Four passport size photos are required but it is recommended to have several more.
* Diplomas. If you want to practice a profession in Costa Rica you should provide copies of your diplomas and qualifications.
Costs
Below are estimates of the prices Costa Rican Consulates and Authorities charge.
* Authentication US$ 40 per page
* Certifications US$ 40
* Declarations US$ 50
* Patents US$ 80
* Power-of-Attorney US$ 80
* Trademarks US$ 80
* Consular Tourist Visa US$ 20
SHORT TERM VISA
A short-term stays is considered to be up to 90 days. The travel purposes dealt with in this section are tourism, short-term business visits and multiple entry visas.
Tourism
When visiting Costa Rica for tourism purposes, the general requirements for to the country are:
* a valid passport, with a validity of at least 30 days upon arrival and one blank page in it.
* A return ticket. If you do not have a return ticket you must show proof of sufficient funds, which is approximately US $ 1,000. This does not have to be in cash, credit cards and cheques are also acceptable.
Visits without consular visa
Citizens of the following countries do not need a consular visa when entering Costa Rica.
90-day stay:
Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Republic of South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, United States of America and Uruguay.
30-day stay:
Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Chile, Dominica, El Salvador, Estonia, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Ireland, Iceland, Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Philippines, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Marino, Saint Vicente & Granada, Santa Lucia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Surinam, Taiwan, Turkey, Vatican and Venezuela.
30-day stay with a consular visa
Citizens of the following countries need a consular visa when entering Costa Rica, this visa permits a 30-day stay:
Andorra, Belarus, Colombia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Nicaragua, Peru, Slovenia, Thailand and Zimbabwe.
Limited Stay with a consular visa
Residents of the following countries always need a consular visa to enter Costa Rica. For further requirements the nearest consulate has to be contacted. If residents of the following countries have a permanent residence permit of countries that are mentioned under the 90-day stay without consular visa, they will only need a consular visa to enter Costa Rica.
Residents of Afghanistan, Algeria, China, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Palestine, Pakistan, Sudan and Syria always need a visa, regardless if they have a permanent residence permit of any other nation. Countries not mentioned so far are to be considered part of the group that needs a consular visa. Residents of overseas territories qualify for the same treatment as the dependent nation.
AFGHANISTAN; ALBANIA; ANGOLA; SAUDI ARABIA; ALGERIA; ARMENIA; AZERBAIJAN; BAHRAIN; BANGLADESH; BENIN; BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA; BOTSWANA; BRUNEI-DARUSSALAM; BURKINA FASO (UPPER VOLTA); BURUNDI; BHUTAN; CAPE VERDE; CAMBODIA; CAMEROON; CHAD; COMOROS; COTE D’IVOIRE; CROATIA; CUBA; UNITED ARAB EMIRATES; ERITREA; ETHIOPIA; FIJI; GABON; GAMBIA; GEORGIA; GHANA; GUINEA; GUINEA BISSAU; EQUATORIAL GUINEA; HAITI; INDIA; INDONESIA; IRAN; IRAQ; NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS; MARSHALL ISLANDS; SALOMON ISLANDS; LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA; JORDAN; KAZAKHSTAN; KIRIBATI; KYRGYZ REPUBLIC; KUWAIT; LESOTHO; LATVIA; LEBANON; LIBERIA; MACAO; MADAGASCAR; MALAWI; MALDIVES; MALI; MOROCCO; MAURITIUS; MAURITANIA; FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA; MOLDAVIA; MONGOLIA; MOZAMBIQUE; MYANMAR (BURMA); NAMIBIA; NAURU; NEPAL; NIGER; NIGERIA; OMAN; PAKISTAN; PALAU; PALESTINE; PAPUA NEW GUINEA; QATAR; TONGA KINGDOM; SAHARAWI ARAB DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC (WESTERN SAHARA); SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC; CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC; REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA; REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO; DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (FORMERLY ZAIRE); LAOS; PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (CONTINENTAL CHINA); POPULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF NORTHERN KOREA; RWANDA; SAMOA; SAO TOME & PRINCIPE; SENEGAL; SERBIA & MONTENEGRO (YUGOSLAVIA); SEYCHELLES; SIERRA LEONE; SOMALIA; SRI LANKA; SUDAN; SWAZILAND; TANZANIA; TAJIKISTAN; EAST TIMOR; TOGO; TUNISIA; TURKMENISTAN; TUVALU; UKRAINE; UGANDA; UZBEKISTAN; VANUATU; VIETNAM; YEMEN; YIBUTI; ZAMBIA
Short Term Business Visit
Coming to Costa Rica for short term business visits does not automatically imply that you need a visa. If you are visiting Costa Rica for short term business purposes, the general tourism requirements apply.
Multiple Entry Visa
If you are coming to Costa Rica several times a year it is possible to apply for a multiple entry visa. Application for a multiple entry visa can be made at the Costa Rican National Direction of Migration or at the Costa Rican Consulate.
The following documents are required when applying:
* Completed multiple visa application form. This form is issued by the Consulates but can also be downloaded from the web pages of several Costa Rican embassies.
* Birth Certificate. The names of both parents should be on the certificate.
* Statement of good conduct issued by the police in the country of origin or residence.
* Certified copies of all passport pages.
* Businessmen and travel agents should provide documentation that proving their condition.
* Proof of economic resources.
* Documents proving family relations with Costa Rica or documents proving a contractual relationship between the applicant and a company or institution in Costa Rica.
Take notice that the Costa Rican National Direction of Migration may ask for additional documentation which can vary per applicant. If documents are issued outside Costa Rica, the Costa Rican consulate should authenticate all those documents.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
If you need to apply for a consular visa, this section will help you get started. Short term visas are visas with a duration ranging from 30 to 90 days.
Required Documentation
* Valid passport with an expiration date at least 6 months after entry to Costa Rica
* Application form
* 2 passport size photographs
* Proof of sufficient funds
* Round trip ticket
PROCESSING TIME
Depending on your nationality, the processing time of you visa ranges from 1 to 2 weeks. Some visas need approval of the Costa Rican National Direction of Immigration. If approval is required, the application period may be longer. The costs of a visa application are approximately US$ 20. |
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