*If you are not a U.S. citizen, you will need to check with your local embassy or consulate to verify entry requirements. Some citizenships receive tourist visas valid for 30 days instead of 90 days.*

Month, Summer, Trimester, Semester Students (Any Programs Under 6 Months)
All students will be required to obtain a visa once on-site in Costa Rica. This visa is called a Visa Estancia and is the correct visa for students to study legally in Costa Rica on short-term programs. Students should budget approximately $300-400 to apply and pay for this visa.

You should follow the steps below to correctly enter the country, apply for and receive this visa:
1) For all U.S. Citizens, and citizens of other countries holding a visa for the U.S., upon arrival into Costa Rica you will enter the country as a tourist and receive a tourist visa valid for up to 90 days. When entering the country you will be required to fill out an entry form to give to immigration. There will be a box that asks why you are in Costa Rica. Be sure to indicate you are entering the country as a tourist. Please keep in mind that you may not be permitted to enter Costa Rica if you say you are a student, since that status can only be obtained once in country. Note, also, that many airlines do not recognize that a student status can only be obtained in country. Thus entering as a tourist will aid in alleviating this problem.
2) Once you have entered the country as a tourist you will begin the process of applying for the Visa Estancia. To apply for this visa you will need the following:
a. Four original (4) passport-sized photos of yourself;
b. A completed visa application form (will be received for completion upon arrival in CR);
c. Photocopies of the picture page of your passport as well as the pages that have previously been stamped;
d. A letter of enrollment/acceptance from the host university in Costa Rica (will be distributed upon arrival in Costa Rica);
e. The visa payment (made in cash to the bank account provided by immigration).
3) Once all documents and required items have been compiled, you will submit these to ISA staff on site. ISA staff will assist you in the process of applying for the visa through the Immigration office.
4) When the visa is issued ISA staff will let you know and you can pick up your passport from the ISA office.

Year Students and Fall + Winter Trimester Students (Any Programs Over 6 Months)
Students studying on programs of over 6 months should budget approximately $550 to complete the entire visa process. For students studying on programs of over 6 months the process will be the same as above, but students must receive additional documentation in the United States, prior to departure for Costa Rica. Students will receive the normal Visa Estancia, but will then have to apply for an extension of the Visa Estancia, which requires additional documentation and payment. The following items must be obtained by the student prior to departure and must be authenticated/certified for foreign use (no apostilles) by the Secretary of State in which the document was issued as well as "consularized" by the Costa Rican Consulate:
• Official Copy of Birth Certificate
• Proof of Clear Criminal Record (state or FBI only, no local police departments) for the past three years

Both of these documents must be issued no earlier than six months prior to the time of the visa extension application in Costa Rica, so make a note of timing when receiving these documents. The authentication process will cost approximately $50, so budget accordingly. Both of these documents must be professionally translated into Spanish. You will bring these documents with you to Costa Rica and will be required to submit them when applying for the visa extension.

Upon arrival into Costa Rica you will follow the same process outlined above for students on programs of under 6 months. Please read above for that process. At some point during your program, before 6 months passes, you will have to apply for an extension of your Visa Estancia.

When applying for the extension of the Visa Estancia you will have to present the following in your application for extension to immigration:
• Official Copy of Birth Certificate
• Proof of Clear Criminal Record
• Four (4) original passport photos
• Copy of Passport photo page and any pages with stamps
• Approximately $200 for payment for the visa extension

Note: Embassy and consulate contact information is subject to change without notice. Please refer to the website of the embassy or consulate to verify information.

In order to find contact information for your specific consulate, please choose the state or region of your permanent residence from the dropdown box below, and click submit to continue.