Students from most European countries, the USA, Canada & Japan receive a tourist visa for 90 days when they arrive in Costa Rica. For some countries the visa is for 30 days.
For updated information about visas go to the web site of the Costa Rican immigration office: http://www.migracion.go.cr.
If students want to stay longer they need to get a delinquency certification (from their country of origin) stating that they have not had any police record. That certification must be certified by the consulate of CR in the country of origin which costs $40 (price may change without previous notice). Once in Costa Rica foreigners can apply for a Visa. It costs $300 (for three months, price may change without previous notice) to get the paperwork done. This includes a fee for a lawyer.
They will also need a contract from the organization which is providing the volunteer opportunity or the internship. COSI helps with this.
In order to avoid that process some students (who stay longer than the provided visa) go to another country (usually Panama or Nicaragua) and when they come back they get another visa for the same length of time they got the visa the first time. |
General Description : 
Education
