Costa Rica Immigration restricts admission of Schengen and Japan visa holders
For many years Costa Rica automatically admitted into Costa Rica the citizens of countries that had in their passport a Schengen visa or a visa issued by Japan.
The Schengen visa is granted by the 26 member countries of the E.U. Costa Rican immigration authorities began seeing an increase in citizens from restricted countries, mostly from India and China arriving in Costa Rica with fraudulent Schengen or Japan visas in their passport and seeking entry into Costa Rica.
As a result Costa Rica for national security reason Costa Rica issued resolution DG-0042-11-2016, which now eliminates admission of citizens from restricted countries that seek admission based on the fact that they have a Schengen visa or a visa issued by Japan.
Those citizens must now apply for a visa at a Costa Rican consulate in their country of origin. This DOES NOT affect the citizens of the European Union who may still enter Costa Rica without a visa.
