No visa needed

Do citizens of Japan need a visa for Costa Rica?

Citizens of Japan don’t need a visa for Costa Rica and can stay up to 180 days. You need a valid passport; border officers may ask for a return ticket and accommodation. For a longer stay you need a visa or an extension.

For citizens of Japan: the passport opens 114 countries visa-free; Tokyo — San José: ≈ 13,180 km, about 17 hours of flying.

Checked by visa analyst Albert Brown, 13 years of experience · September 26, 2026

At a glance

No visa needed

Stay: 180 days

Can I travel to Costa Rica without a visa on a Japan passport?

Yes, citizens of Japan don’t need a visa for Costa Rica for up to 180 days. A valid passport is enough.

Costa Rica visa rules at a glance

With a Japan passport you can visit 114 countries visa-free, 37 with a visa on arrival and 31 with an e-visa; 16 more require an embassy visa.
By the number of visa-free destinations, the Japan passport ranks 35th of 199.
Japan passport: visa-free access to 114 countries; Costa Rica passport: 90.
Citizens of Japan and Costa Rica can travel together visa-free to 88 countries, for example: Philippines, Micronesia, Brunei, Kiribati, Malaysia, Singapore, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Finland, Georgia, Estonia, United Arab Emirates, Latvia, Sweden, and Lithuania.
Citizens of Costa Rica, in turn, don’t need a visa for Japan. Japan visa for citizens of Costa Rica

Travelling to Costa Rica: good to know

Tokyo — San José: about 13,180 km in a straight line; a direct flight takes roughly 17 hours.
Time difference with your country’s capital: −15 hours.
Local time: Tokyo 12:00 — San José 21:00.
Local currency: Costa Rican Colón.
Languages: Spanish.
Exchange rate: $1.00 ≈ CRC 454.
Costa Rica is the 150th closest of 197 destinations open to citizens of Japan.