Costa Rica

About this visa

Canadians can with this working holiday visa work and travel in Costa Rica for up to one year.

Participating countries

Costa Rica has made Working Holiday visa agreements with the following 1 participating countries:

• Canada

If you are a Citizen of Costa Rica and are considering a Working Holiday experience in one of the participating countries above, contact the Embassy of the country in question for more information.

With this visa you can

This visa allows you to:

• Live in Costa Rica for up to one year
• Study during your stay
• Work during your stay
• Re-enter Costa Rica when you have traveled to other Central American countries during the visa period

Things to note

You can participate in Costa Rica’s Youth Mobility program twice.

You can participate in Costa Rica’s Youth Mobility program twice. Your second participation must be in a different category and there must be a break of at least three months before submitting a new application.

The other two categories than the working holiday visa category are;

Young Professionals

Post-secondary graduates who want to gain work experience, training and career development in Costa Rica under a pre-arranged contract of employment.

Internship

Registered students at a post-secondary institution in Canada who want to complete part of their academic curriculum through a pre-arranged internship or work placement. This includes inter-institutional arrangements between post-secondary institutions.

Conditions

• be a Canadian citizen
• be 18-35 years old (inclusive), and
• have a valid Canadian passport

Note: The visa conditions outlined above are subject to change without notice.

How to apply

Young professionals and Internship category:

1. Apply for a visa in person at a Consulate in Ottawa, Toronto or Vancouver
2. When you arrive in Costa Rica, apply for temporary residence at the General Direction of Immigration in San José

Working Holiday category:

1. Apply for a visa by mail (concr-ca-on@rree.go.cr)
2. If your application is approved, you’ll be given an in-person appointment at the consulate
3. When you arrive in Costa Rica, apply for temporary residence at the General Direction of Immigration in San José

If you don’t have a work or internship contract yet:

You can travel to Costa Rica as a tourist. You can stay in Costa Rica for 90 days without a visa but you must get a work/internship contract in order to stay longer than 90 days.

After getting a work/internship contract, apply to the Immigration Authority in Costa Rica for one of the three temporary residence permits. You will need to:

• pay US$200 to change your status from a tourist to a provisional visa special category holder
• bring a legalized birth certificate
• bring a criminal record certificate that was issued within the last six months

The immigration authority in Costa Rica for processing Working Holiday visa's is Immigration Department of Canada.

Go to: Immigration Department of Canada

Need more help?

If you are seeking advice about Working Holiday visa's drop a comment below and we will be happy to answer any Working Holiday & Youth Mobility visa question you have! We are travellers too! 🙂

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