Tourist Extension (Extension of Stay for Tourists)

A foreign person who entered Costa Rica as a tourist and wants to stay longer than the period granted upon entry can apply for a tourist extension at the Direccion General de Migracion y Extranjeria, instead of leaving and re-entering the country.

Stay periods by country group (effective from directive AJ-484-11-2025, dated November 17, 2025): Costa Rica distinguishes countries into two groups with different initial stay periods and passport requirements. The group with the shorter initial period is granted up to 30 days, extendable to a maximum of 90 days with an extension; other groups may receive up to 90 days from the start, also extendable up to an additional 90 days depending on the case.

General requirements:

• The application must be submitted DURING the authorized stay period that was indicated to the person upon entry — it cannot be requested after that period has already expired.
• Only one tourist extension can be requested, according to the maximum corresponding to the person's country group.

Note: since the exact deadlines and requirements depend on each person's nationality and changed recently (November 2025), the most reliable approach is to confirm the specific case by calling the Migration information line (1311) or by consulting directly at migracion.go.cr before the stay period expires — do not wait until the last day to verify.