Costa Rica visa requirements for Nicaragua citizens
Updated 2026-07-07 ยท verified against the Passport Index dataset
๐ Skip the visa with a third-country document
Costa Rica admits Nicaragua citizens on better terms if they already hold certain visas or residence permits of other countries:
Costa Rica: entry for up to 30 days (but no longer than the visa's validity) with a valid visa or residence of the US, Canada or Schengen.
Entry details
Travelling to Costa Rica on a Nicaragua passport, you need a visa obtained in advance. The Nicaragua passport currently ranks #91 of 199 worldwide, with 110 destinations reachable visa-free or via visa on arrival / eTA.
Costa Rica is moderately open to foreign passports, admitting 95 of the world's 198 other passports without a prior visa; its own passport ranks #63 with 130 open destinations. As fellow Americas countries, their rules are frequently tied to regional arrangements. Interestingly Costa Rica citizens have the better deal, facing only visa-free in the opposite direction.
In the opposite direction, Costa Rica citizens travelling to Nicaragua face: visa-free for up to 90 days.