No visa needed

Do citizens of the United Arab Emirates need a visa for Costa Rica?

Citizens of the United Arab Emirates 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 the United Arab Emirates: the passport opens 127 countries visa-free; Abu Dhabi — San José: ≈ 14,110 km, about 18 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 United Arab Emirates passport?

Yes, citizens of the United Arab Emirates 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 United Arab Emirates passport you can visit 127 countries visa-free, 34 with a visa on arrival and 26 with an e-visa; 11 more require an embassy visa.
By the number of visa-free destinations, the United Arab Emirates passport ranks 2nd of 199.
United Arab Emirates passport: visa-free access to 127 countries; Costa Rica passport: 90.
Citizens of the United Arab Emirates and Costa Rica can travel together visa-free to 85 countries, for example: Palestine, Tajikistan, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Cyprus, Turkey, Seychelles, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, and Russia.
Citizens of Costa Rica, in turn, don’t need a visa for the United Arab Emirates. United Arab Emirates visa for citizens of Costa Rica

Travelling to Costa Rica: good to know

Abu Dhabi — San José: about 14,110 km in a straight line; a direct flight takes roughly 18 hours.
Time difference with your country’s capital: −10 hours.
Local time: Abu Dhabi 12:00 — San José 02:00.
Local currency: Costa Rican Colón.
Languages: Spanish.
Exchange rate: $1.00 ≈ CRC 454.
Costa Rica is the 186th closest of 197 destinations open to citizens of the United Arab Emirates.