To get a U.S. visa in Costa Rica, you apply through the U.S. Embassy in San José: complete the DS-160 online application, pay the visa fee, book an interview through the embassy’s appointment system, and appear in person with documents proving your purpose of travel and your ties to Costa Rica. Plan far ahead. Recent State Department data shows the next available B-1/B-2 interview appointment in San José is roughly 13 months out.
Pick the Right Visa Category First
Everything else follows from this choice. The most common category for Costa Ricans is the B-1/B-2 visitor visa, which covers tourism, business travel, family visits, and medical care. Academic students use the F-1; exchange visitors in approved programs use the J-1. Employment-based classifications such as H, L, O, and P visas require a U.S. employer or sponsor to file a petition before you can apply.
Costa Rica is not part of the Visa Waiver Program, so a Costa Rican passport does not qualify you to travel to the U.S. on ESTA the way citizens of Chile or Spain can. Even a short vacation requires the full visa process.
Complete the DS-160 Online
Every nonimmigrant applicant files the DS-160 through the State Department’s Consular Electronic Application Center. It asks for biographical details, your travel itinerary, work and education history, and prior U.S. travel or visa applications. Budget at least an hour. The form times out, so write down the application ID it gives you and save often.
You’ll upload a digital photo during the process. Requirements are published on the State Department site, and the system rejects images that don’t meet them. When you finish, print the confirmation page with its barcode. You’ll need it for the interview.
Pay the Fees
The Machine Readable Visa (MRV) fee is non-refundable, whether or not your visa is approved. For most non-petition categories, including B, F, and J visas, it’s $185. Petition-based categories such as H, L, O, and P cost $205. You pay this through the appointment scheduling system before booking your interview.
Students and exchange visitors pay an additional I-901 SEVIS fee: $350 for F and M applicants, $220 for most J applicants, and either nothing or a reduced $35 for certain government-sponsored J categories. The SEVIS fee is separate from the MRV fee, and you’ll need the SEVIS ID from your Form I-20 or DS-2019 to pay it. Bring proof of both payments to your interview.
Gather Documents That Prove You’ll Return Home
Federal law presumes every nonimmigrant visa applicant is an intending immigrant until they prove otherwise. Your job in the interview is to overcome that presumption by showing strong ties to Costa Rica. This is where most applicants either build or lose their case.
No official checklist exists, because what counts as strong ties varies by person. Useful evidence generally includes:
- A letter from your employer confirming your position, salary, and approved leave dates. If self-employed, business registration documents and recent tax filings.
- Recent bank statements, pay stubs, or investment records showing you can cover the trip.
- Property deeds, lease agreements, marriage certificates, or birth certificates for dependents staying in Costa Rica.
- Enrollment verification if you’re a student returning to studies.
Your passport needs at least six months of validity beyond your planned stay in the U.S. Renew it before applying if it expires sooner.
Extra Papers for Students and Exchange Visitors
F-1 applicants need a Form I-20 issued by a designated school official at their U.S. institution. J-1 applicants need the equivalent Form DS-2019 from their State Department-designated program sponsor. These forms carry the SEVIS ID needed to pay the I-901 fee, so you must receive the form from your school or sponsor before you can pay the fee or book your interview.
Book the Interview in San José
Appointments are scheduled through the Global Support Services (GSS) website linked from the embassy’s visa page. You create a profile, enter your DS-160 confirmation number, pay the MRV fee if you haven’t already, and select an available date at the U.S. Embassy in San José.
Wait times swing week to week. In early 2026, the next open B-1/B-2 appointment was about 13 months out. Check the State Department’s wait time page before you settle on travel dates.
If you live in Costa Rica but hold another nationality, you can generally apply in San José, though the State Department advises applying in your country of nationality or residence. Third-country applicants sometimes face extra scrutiny, so bring documentation of your legal residency here.
At the Embassy on Interview Day
Security is tight. No cell phones, laptops, cameras, backpacks, large bags, food, drinks, or weapons of any kind. Only small purses are allowed, and the embassy has no storage, so leave everything else at home, at your hotel, or in your vehicle. Walk-ins are not admitted.
Bring your passport, DS-160 confirmation page, MRV fee receipt, and the supporting documents above. The consular officer will ask about your purpose of travel, your ties to Costa Rica, and your finances. The conversation is usually just a few minutes. Answer directly, don’t volunteer information you weren’t asked for, and let the documents carry the weight. The officer is deciding whether you’ve overcome the presumption of immigrant intent, so every answer should point back to why you’ll return.
After the Interview
If your visa is approved, the embassy keeps your passport to print the visa foil onto a page. You’ll pick it up at a courier location you chose during scheduling. Processing and delivery typically take several business days, though no guaranteed timeline is published. Don’t book a flight for the week right after your interview.
In some cases the officer may place your application in administrative processing under Section 221(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. That means more review is needed, and timelines vary. If the officer requested supplemental documents, you have one year from the refusal date to submit them, or you’d need to start over with a new application and pay the fee again.
If Your Visa Is Denied
The most common refusal is under Section 214(b): the officer concluded you didn’t show strong enough ties to Costa Rica. A 214(b) denial is specific to that application, not a permanent ban. There is no formal appeal, but you can reapply at any time by filing a new DS-160, paying the MRV fee again, and booking a new interview.
Reapplying with the same paperwork rarely works. The officer already saw that evidence and found it insufficient. What changes outcomes is genuine change in circumstances: a new job, a property purchase, a marriage, stronger financial records. If the officer flagged a specific weakness, focus the new application on filling that gap.
Renewing Without Another Interview
If you’ve held a U.S. visa before, you may qualify to renew through the embassy’s interview waiver program, which uses a courier drop-off instead of an in-person appointment. With regular appointments running more than a year out, this is worth checking first.
For B-1, B-2, or B-1/B-2 renewals, you generally need to meet all of these conditions:
- Your previous visa was issued at full validity and either is still current or expired no more than 12 months ago.
- You were at least 18 years old when the previous visa was issued.
- You’re applying in your country of nationality or usual residence.
- You’ve never had a visa refused, unless the refusal was later overcome or waived, and you have no apparent ineligibility issues.
- Your prior visa was not lost, stolen, or revoked.
H-2A temporary agricultural workers can renew under similar terms. If the scheduling system finds you eligible, it redirects you to the courier drop-off instructions. Consular officers can still require an in-person interview case by case, even when you technically qualify.
Emergency and Expedited Appointments
If you have a real emergency and can’t wait, the embassy offers a limited number of expedited interviews for Costa Rican citizens and residents. Tourism does not qualify. Situations that may warrant an expedite include:
- Urgent medical treatment at a U.S. facility.
- A funeral, critical family emergency, or similar unrepeatable event.
- Time-sensitive business travel.
- Air or sea crew needing transit through the U.S.
- Student or exchange program start dates falling before the next regular appointment.
To request one, first book the earliest regular appointment available through GSS. After booking, submit the expedite request with supporting evidence, such as a hospital letter or a program start date. Life-or-death cases are prioritized, and approval is not guaranteed even when your reason qualifies. The embassy typically responds within a few business days.