Costa Rica visit visa for Pakistan passport holders

Costa Rica is famous for cloud forests, volcanoes, sloths and two coastlines, from the Arenal volcano and Monteverde to the beaches of Guanacaste and Manuel Antonio. It is a peaceful, nature-focused trip that suits families and adventurers alike. For Pakistani travellers, though, it is one of the harder visas to get, so plan early. Costa Rica's General Visa Directives, published in the official gazette La Gaceta in November 2025, place Pakistan in the fourth group, whose nationals need a restricted visa.

A restricted visa is not decided by the consulate. You hand your documents to a Costa Rican consulate, the consul creates a file and sends it to the Directorate General of Migration in San José, and the Commission for Restricted Visas and Refuge approves or refuses it. The request can be signed by you, by a relative who lives in Costa Rica or by your legal representative, and it should name the consulate that will receive the answer. Costa Rica's Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists its embassies and consulates on rree.go.cr, so check with the nearest one before you prepare anything.

The paperwork needs care. Expect to provide a passport valid for at least six months (the directives say 180 days) with a copy of every page, proof of funds, a police certificate from Pakistan or any country you have lived in for the past three years, a civil status certificate and, if a relative is sponsoring you, proof of your relationship. These documents must be legalised or apostilled and translated into Spanish. The Ministry's general entry guidance asks visitors to show US$100 for each month of stay and a return or onward ticket, so reserve flights but do not pay for them yet.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the restricted visa takes at least six weeks once your file reaches the Commission, and it can take longer. The fee follows Costa Rica's consular fee schedule and must be paid before the file is opened, so confirm the current amount with the consulate. If you are approved, you have three months to get the visa stamped, then 60 days to use it. It allows one entry and a stay of up to 30 days, which can be extended up to 90 days in total.

Costa Rica does not publish an official approval or refusal rate for Pakistani applicants. Even a connection through San José needs planning, because the directives require fourth-group nationals to hold an airport transit visa to change planes there. There is one important exception in the same directives: nationals who need a restricted visa can enter without one if they hold a multiple-entry US or Canadian visa or residence permit, or a multiple-entry Schengen C or D visa, valid on the day they arrive. Residence in the UK, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland or an EU country also counts. US transit visas (C1, C2, C3) do not count, and your stay cannot run past the visa's expiry. Otherwise, start early, keep your documents consistent and translated, and wait for the approval before booking anything you cannot cancel.