Document checklist
Saudi Arabia → Costa Rica: Short-stay tourist
What you need before you submit, checked against official requirements, not guesswork.
Checked by our automated verification on 20 Oct 2026: every source on this page resolves and the data is structurally complete. This does not confirm a person re-read the source text for accuracy.
Required documents
10 itemsIdentity
Machine-readable or biometric passport
RequiredYour passport or travel document must be machine-readable or biometric to ICAO standards, valid, and in good condition, with at least 180 days of validity remaining. Handwritten documents, loose pages, or passports showing pending/expired residence stamps aren't accepted.
Source: Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (via Procuraduría General de la República – SCIJ)
Visa application and its validity windows
RequiredApply through a Costa Rican consulate (restricted-visa nationalities go through the process that reaches the Restricted Visas and Refugee Commission). Once approved, you have 3 months to get it stamped into your passport, and then 60 business days from the stamp date to actually enter Costa Rica. It's valid for one entry only.
Source: Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (via Procuraduría General de la República – SCIJ)
Financial
Proof of funds
RequiredAt least USD $100 for each month, or part of a month, that you plan to stay.
Source: Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (via Procuraduría General de la República – SCIJ)
Purpose of travel
Which visa channel applies to you
RequiredCosta Rica sorts nationalities into two non-exempt groups: most need a consular visa, arranged through a Costa Rican consulate; a shorter list needs a restricted visa, which only the Migration Directorate's Restricted Visas and Refugee Commission can approve. Check which group your nationality is in before applying.
Source: Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (via Procuraduría General de la República – SCIJ)
Travel
Return or onward ticket
RequiredA ticket showing your return trip or onward travel out of Costa Rica, or, if you're arriving by boat, a navigation plan showing your port of destination.
Source: Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (via Procuraduría General de la República – SCIJ)
Other
Exact application documents
RequiredThis directive sets the visa's terms and validity windows but doesn't itself list every document the application needs (photo specifications, forms, fee amount), the consulate handling your case will specify those. Treat this checklist as a starting point, not the complete list.
Source: Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (via Procuraduría General de la República – SCIJ)
If you travel alone: your passport and a document from your parents or legal representative that lets you leave your country
Costa Rica's regulation on minors and migration says that a foreign or Costa Rican minor who travels alone and enters the country must carry a valid passport in good condition, plus the document in which their parents and/or legal representative authorize them to leave the country of origin or habitual residence. The regulation is published in the legal database of the Procuraduría General de la República. It also says that every foreign minor needs a valid passport or travel document to enter.
If you're under 18 and need a visa: proof of who legally represents you
RequiredCosta Rica's regulation on minors says that, for a foreign minor's entry visa, proof of legal representation is a mandatory requirement. A document in a language other than Spanish must come with an official translation. For the visa itself, a foreign minor follows Costa Rica's general visa regulation (Decreto Ejecutivo 36626-G).
No grounds for inadmissibility
RequiredImmigration can still refuse entry on grounds set out in Costa Rica's immigration law (for example a prior deportation or a security concern). The directive doesn't attach a specific document to this, it's assessed by the consulate and by the border officer.
Source: Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (via Procuraduría General de la República – SCIJ)
Possible exception if you already hold a US, Canadian, EU/UK or Schengen visa or residence
If you hold a valid multiple-entry US or Canadian visa or residence, EU/UK/Iceland/Norway/Switzerland residence valid for 90+ days, or a multiple-entry Schengen "C" or "D" visa valid up to 90 days, the directive may let you skip the separate Costa Rican visa. The conditions are specific (minimum remaining validity, entry type), confirm with a consulate before relying on this instead of applying.
Source: Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (via Procuraduría General de la República – SCIJ)
Why applications on this route get refused
Passport didn't meet the minimum validity for your group
Consular- and restricted-visa nationalities need at least 180 days of passport validity; even visa-exempt travellers need at least 90 days (or, for the 180-day-stay exempt group, just a passport that's still valid), and the stay you're actually granted can never run past your passport's own expiry.
How to avoid it: Check your passport's expiry date against your group's minimum before applying or travelling, and renew it if it's close.
Visa approved but not stamped or used in time
An approved consular or restricted visa must be stamped into your passport within 3 months of approval, and then used to enter Costa Rica within 60 business days of being stamped, miss either deadline and it's no longer valid.
How to avoid it: Track both deadlines from your approval date, not just your planned travel date, and get the stamp and book travel with margin to spare.
Couldn't show enough funds or a return/onward ticket
Entry requires proof of at least USD $100 per month (or part-month) of your planned stay, plus a return or onward ticket (or a navigation plan if you're arriving by boat).
How to avoid it: Carry proof of funds and your return or onward booking, and be ready to show both to the officer at the border.
Sources
- Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (via Procuraduría General de la República – SCIJ) · checked 28 Sept 2026
- Sistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica (SCIJ), Procuraduría General de la República: Reglamento para la Aplicación de la Ley General de Migración y Extranjería N° 8764 a las Personas Menores de Edad, Decreto Ejecutivo 36659 (latest version, 2 of 2) · checked 6 Oct 2026
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