International students who wish to study in Costa Rica require a visa depending on their study period and nationality. Read on to know about the Costa Rican visa conditions and application procedure- As per the law for granting of entry visa to Costa Rica, all international students, irrespective of their nationality, must apply for a special category provisional visa. International students are issued a temporary student or a tourist visa, depending on the duration of the study and nationality. International students must apply for the temporary student visa at the Costa Rica embassy/consulate in their place of residence. Students that do not have a Costa Rica consulate in their country can carry the process once they enter Costa Rica. They must enter on a tourist visa and later their status is changed to a special category of student. As part of the visa process that is held in Costa Rica, the student must get the following documents in order to get the “Special Category of Student”: **Both the documents must be valid for 3 months and be translated in Costa Rica if issued in language other than Spanish. International students must request for “Special category of student” once in Costa Rica at the Office of International Affairs and External Cooperation (OAICE). The written request must include your complete name with surname, date of birth; stay duration, nationality, type of passport-validity and number, and accommodation address in Costa Rica. Also, attach the following documents with the written request: The OAICE prepares the Special category of student request from the General Direction of Migration and Immigration of the Government of Costa Rica. Citizens of the following countries are exempted from tourist visa for Costa Rica- Tourist visa is not needed for stays of up to 90 days by the following country nationals: Spain, Argentina, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom, Austria, Uruguay, Norway, Canada, France, Panama, United States, Chile, Italy, Romania, Luxembourg, Trinidad and Tobago, Israel, Paraguay, Germany, Netherlands, and South Korea. Tourist visa is not needed for stays of up to 30 days by the following country nationals: Monaco, Vatican, Hungary, Latvia, Australia, Puerto Rico, Sweden, Belgium, New Zealand, Czech Republic, Ireland, Ecuador, Brazil, Lithuania, Slovenia, Honduras, Portugal, Mexico, Guatemala, North Korea, Switzerland, Iceland, Romania and Liechtenstein. Following country nationals require tourist visa for stays up to 30 days in Costa Rica: Taiwan, Surinam, Grenadines, Andorra, St. Lucia, Haiti, Barbados, Greece, Bolivia, Malta, Dominican Republic, Saudi Arabia, Belize, Morocco, Chile, San Marino, Bermuda, Guyana, Paraguay, Uruguay, San Marino, Cyprus, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenadines, Peru, Jamaica, Serbia and Montenegro, Guadalupe, and St. Vincent. No tourist visa needed for transit passengers who are continuing their journey to a third country by the first or same connecting flight within 48 hours. For third and fourth group countries- Citizens of third and fourth group countries as determined by the General Direction of Migration and Immigration of the Government of Costa Rica must apply for the temporary student visa at the Costa Rica embassy/consulate in their place of residence that will allow then to enter the country under the respective category . Students when visiting the Costa Rica embassy must carry the following documents along: To know about the third and fourth group countries and other visa conditions, visit the official website of the General Direction of Migration and Immigration of the Government of Costa Rica. Visa issuance time varies depending on the nationality. To know more about the Costa Rica student visa application, contact the Costa Rica consulate in your place of residence. for more information : https://www.costaricaeducation.info/international-students/student-visa.html#:~:text=Students%20when%20visiting%20the%20Costa,of%20accommodation%20in%20Costa%20RicaStudent Visa for Costa Rica
Visa Conditions
Tourist Visa Conditions
Study Visa Application Procedure
Documentation
Visa Issuance Time