A Costa Rican passport ( es, pasaporte costarricence) is an identity document issued to Costa Rican citizens to travel outside
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
. Currently, it is valid for 6 years (10 years before 2006). It is issued to people born on Costa Rican soil (who are
citizens
Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection".
Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...
by default), and to children of Costa Rican citizens born abroad, who are reported to the nearest Costa Rican
consulate
A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth coun ...
(whose birth, immediately after such report, is recorded in the civil registry). Children born overseas to a Costa Rican citizen are Costa Rican by birth, not by naturalisation, as stated in the
Constitution of Costa Rica.
As of 1 October 2019, Costa Rican citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 150 countries and territories, ranking the Costa Rican passport 27th overall and first among
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
n countries, in terms of travel freedom according to the
Henley Passport Index.
In 2017, the Costa Rican government confirmed plans to begin issuing
biometric passports by 2020.
Biometric passports for Costa Rica citizens by 2020
/ref> Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic the government of Costa Rica postponed the plans until 2022.
As of early 2022 the Costa Rican government began issuing the new biometric passports. The new passports showcase four important elements of the country: Biodiversity, Renewable Energy, Education and Peace, and Talent.
Appearance
It is dark blue on the outside, with letters and the Costa Rican coat of arms in gilded-looking letters.
Gallery of historic images
File:Current cover Costa Rican passport.jpg, Costa Rican passport issued in 2017
File:Portada del Pasaporte Costarricense desde 2022.png, Costa Rican passport issued in 2022
See also
*List of passports
A passport is a booklet issued by countries to their citizens, permitting the person to travel to other countries. In some cases countries issue travel documents similar to passports to their residents. International organizations also issue travel ...
* Visa requirements for Costa Rican citizens
External links
Images of a 1980 Costa Rican passport
from www.passportland.com
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Costa Rican Passport
Government of Costa Rica
Passports by country