Visa

There are two options with regards to getting a visa for Costa Rica if you are planning to stay for more than three months.

1. Arrive at Costa Rica on a tourist visa which lasts for 90 days. When the 90 days is up you will have to travel out of the country for a night (travelling to Nicaragua or Panama by bus is the most obvious and cheapest thing to do). You can return the next day and this will replenish your tourist visa which again gives you 90 days. I personally didn't want to be tied down to having to do this so I chose option 2.

2. Also arrive on a tourist visa but pay $200 to switch to a special student category visa. BEWARE - this option is long and a lot of hassle to sort out, but once it is sorted out you will be fine for a year. It's also really quite expensive, as 'Apostilles', certifications and translations cost a lot. Also, on top of the $200 for the visa, you have to pay $98 for an identification card of some sort (I haven't got mine yet). You will need to prepare a few documents before you go - get an 'apostille' (like an official authentication) for your birth certificate and police certificate (the certificate in itself needs to be requested at a price which I can't remember). You will also need a photocopy of your FULL passport - including blank pages which might sound weird but they ask for it. And make sure the photocopies come out well - I had to re-do mine when I got there. You will also need spare passport sized photos and a letter of solvency from a bank which proves you have enough money to live on during your time there. That then needs to be certified by a Costa Rican accountant, but that will happen when you get there. Theres not much else you can prepare before you go, but again I want to reiterate that while various websites will tell you that is costs $200, overall it costs A LOT more than that. Now I realise that I might have gone for option 1, but I've almost finished getting my special student category visa now.