No visa needed

Do citizens of the Vatican City need a visa for Costa Rica?

Citizens of the Vatican City 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 Vatican City: the passport opens 92 countries visa-free; Vatican City — San José: ≈ 9,800 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 Vatican City passport?

Yes, citizens of the Vatican City 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 Vatican City passport you can visit 92 countries visa-free, 33 with a visa on arrival and 39 with an e-visa; 34 more require an embassy visa.
By the number of visa-free destinations, the Vatican City passport ranks 65th of 199.
Vatican City passport: visa-free access to 92 countries; Costa Rica passport: 90.
Citizens of the Vatican City and Costa Rica can travel together visa-free to 75 countries, for example: Italy, San Marino, Monaco, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Tunisia, Albania, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Malta, Kosovo, Serbia, and North Macedonia.
Citizens of Costa Rica, in turn, don’t need a visa for the Vatican City. Vatican City visa for citizens of Costa Rica

Travelling to Costa Rica: good to know

Vatican City — San José: about 9,800 km in a straight line; a direct flight takes roughly 13 hours.
Time difference with your country’s capital: −8 hours.
Local time: Vatican City 12:00 — San José 04:00.
Local currency: Costa Rican Colón.
Languages: Spanish.
Exchange rate: $1.00 ≈ CRC 454.
Costa Rica is the 166th closest of 197 destinations open to citizens of the Vatican City.