Visa requirement
Costa Rica visa for Indian citizens
Official-source answer with stay limit, cost, required documents and last verification date.
Do Indian citizens need a visa for Costa Rica?
Verified answer
Indian citizens need a visa to enter Costa Rica.
Last verified:
Confidence: High Verified against the official source.
This answer is for ordinary Indian passport holders travelling as citizens of that passport. Residence permits, long-stay visas or living in another country can change which embassy or rule applies.
Visa types at a glance
| Visa type | Availability | Stay |
|---|---|---|
| Tourist visa-free? | Conditional | Stay depends on the listed condition. |
| eVisa? | No | No eVisa route is stored for this corridor. |
| Visa on arrival? | No | No visa-on-arrival route is stored for this corridor. |
- 30 days
- 30 USD
- Apply for a visa before you travel
Before you travel
- 1 Entry step Apply for a visa before you travel Official route (opens in a new tab)
- 2 Stay limit 30 days
- 3 Official fee 30 USD
- 4 Passport validity 6-month validity after arrival. Full note below. See full note
- 5 Transit recommendation airside: conditional; landside: required. Full note below. See full note
- 6 Freshness Checked 23 Jul 2026; confidence: high
Shareable verdict: Indian citizens need a visa to enter Costa Rica. Checked 23 Jul 2026.
Open SVG cardCost note
Costa Rica's current consular tourist-visa page publishes a USD 30 visa fee; payment instructions depend on the responsible consulate.
Passport and transit notes
- Passport validity
- passport valid for at least 6 months after arrival; The Group 3 directive requires at least 180 days of passport validity.
- Validity source (opens in a new tab) Validity guide
- Transit recommendation
- airside transit: conditional; landside transit: required; The reviewed Costa Rican pages do not publish a blanket Indian-passport airside-transit exemption. Confirm the exact airport, through-ticket and baggage handling with the airline; crossing border control requires the consular visa or a qualifying document exemption.
- Related source (opens in a new tab) Transit guide
What you need
- Indian passport valid for at least 180 days
- Costa Rican consular visa issued before travel unless a published document exemption applies
- completed visa application
- return or onward ticket reservation
- current criminal-record certificate with the required Spanish translation
- evidence of sufficient funds for the visit
- proof of the consular fee payment
Why this verdict
Costa Rica's current legal visa directive and consular page place India in Group 3, which requires a consular visa. Once authorised, the visa must be stamped within three months and used within 60 days after stamping; the immigration officer decides the admitted stay.
Conditional rules
- Holder of a valid US or Canadian visa or residence document with at least 3 months remaining; US C1, C2 and C3 transit visas do not qualify Visa-free
Costa Rica's current visa-directive summary allows otherwise visa-required travellers to dispense with the Costa Rican visa when this document condition is met.
- Holder of a qualifying multiple-entry Schengen C or D visa, or qualifying residence or legal-stay document allowing multiple entry in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or an EU state, with at least 3 months remaining Visa-free
The current consular page and visa-directive summary publish these document-based exemptions. Refugee status does not qualify for the European-residence route described by the directive.
Frequently asked questions
Do Indian citizens need a visa for Costa Rica?
Indian citizens need a visa to enter Costa Rica. (Visa required.) Verified 23 Jul 2026 against the official source.
How long can Indian passport holders stay in Costa Rica?
Up to 30 days.
How much does entry to Costa Rica cost for Indian citizens?
The official fee is 30 USD. This page tracks the official government fee only, not agent markup.