Costa Rica: passport and entry requirements
Costa Rica is visa-free for a holiday, and your passport only needs to be valid a day past the day you leave. The officer sets your exact stay when you arrive, up to 180 days.
On this page
Your passport
Your passport has to be valid for at least one day after the day you plan to leave, so in practice any in-date passport that covers the trip will do. Everyone travels on their own passport, every child included, and since a child's lasts five years against an adult's ten they rarely expire together. Check each when you book and renew anything close, as it takes weeks.
Getting in
You don't need a visa to visit Costa Rica. You're admitted under a visa waiver, and the immigration officer decides the exact length when you arrive, up to 180 days. If you stay past the date you're given, there's a fine of $100 for each month over (last checked August 2026), and it can count against you if you want to return, so keep to the date in your stamp.
Every child needs their own passport, whatever their age, valid as long as the adults'.
Official sources
Last checked 11 August 2026. Passport and entry rules change, so always confirm on GOV.UK before you book or travel.
