No visa needed

Do citizens of Sao Tome and Principe need a visa for Costa Rica?

Citizens of Sao Tome and Principe don’t need a visa for Costa Rica and can stay up to 30 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 Sao Tome and Principe: the passport opens 28 countries visa-free; São Tomé — San José: ≈ 10,090 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: 30 days

Can I travel to Costa Rica without a visa on a Sao Tome and Principe passport?

Yes, citizens of Sao Tome and Principe don’t need a visa for Costa Rica for up to 30 days. A valid passport is enough.

Costa Rica visa rules at a glance

With a Sao Tome and Principe passport you can visit 28 countries visa-free, 29 with a visa on arrival and 45 with an e-visa; 96 more require an embassy visa.
By the number of visa-free destinations, the Sao Tome and Principe passport ranks 150th of 199.
Sao Tome and Principe passport: visa-free access to 28 countries; Costa Rica passport: 90.
Citizens of Sao Tome and Principe and Costa Rica can travel together visa-free to 21 countries, for example: Zambia, South Africa, Palestine, Kosovo, Seychelles, Barbados, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, Haiti, Bahamas, Ecuador, Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Malaysia.
Citizens of Costa Rica, in turn, need an e-visa to travel to Sao Tome and Principe. Sao Tome and Principe visa for citizens of Costa Rica

Travelling to Costa Rica: good to know

São Tomé — San José: about 10,090 km in a straight line; a direct flight takes roughly 13 hours.
Time difference with your country’s capital: −6 hours.
Local time: São Tomé 12:00 — San José 06:00.
Local currency: Costa Rican Colón.
Languages: Spanish.
Exchange rate: $1.00 ≈ CRC 454.
Costa Rica is the 160th closest of 197 destinations open to citizens of Sao Tome and Principe.