No visa needed

Do citizens of Malta need a visa for Costa Rica?

Citizens of Malta 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 Malta: the passport opens 123 countries visa-free; Valletta — San José: ≈ 10,120 km, about 13 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 Malta passport?

Yes, citizens of Malta 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 Malta passport you can visit 123 countries visa-free, 25 with a visa on arrival and 36 with an e-visa; 14 more require an embassy visa.
By the number of visa-free destinations, the Malta passport ranks 3rd of 199.
Malta passport: visa-free access to 123 countries; Costa Rica passport: 90.
Citizens of Malta and Costa Rica can travel together visa-free to 87 countries, for example: Tunisia, Italy, Vatican City, Albania, Montenegro, Greece, North Macedonia, San Marino, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Monaco, Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia, and Slovenia.
Citizens of Costa Rica, in turn, don’t need a visa for Malta. Malta visa for citizens of Costa Rica

Travelling to Costa Rica: good to know

Valletta — San José: about 10,120 km in a straight line; a direct flight takes roughly 13 hours.
Time difference with your country’s capital: −8 hours.
Local time: Valletta 12:00 — San José 04:00.
Local currency: Costa Rican Colón.
Languages: Spanish.
Exchange rate: $1.00 ≈ CRC 454.
Costa Rica is the 167th closest of 197 destinations open to citizens of Malta.