This is one of the top questions I get on Facebook, and I can confirm it for you. We Costa Ricans can travel to the US without our passports having at least 6 months of validity. Costa Rica is on the official list of exempt countries: your passport just has to be valid for your entire planned stay.
In this article
What Passport Validity Does the US Require of Costa Rica?
The general US rule is that your passport must be valid for 6 months beyond your planned stay, but U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) publishes the exceptions in the Six-Month Club, and the list from December 18, 2025 includes Costa Rica. The exemption goes by citizenship, so it applies whether you travel from Costa Rica or from another country.
My Passport Expires in 5 Months. Can I Travel to the US?
Yes, if you’re traveling on a Costa Rican passport and you return before that date. Even if there are only a few days left before it expires, you can still travel! That said, your passport can’t expire during your stay in the US. When you search for flights, use the expiration date as your guide and leave some margin, since if it’s tight, it’s a good idea to renew first in case your return gets delayed.
What About Your Visa?
A visa works differently from a passport. It must be unexpired when you arrive in the US, and your status there ends on the Admit Until Date on your I-94, which you can look up at cbp.gov/I94. If your visa expires while you’re there, or is close to expiring, confirm your case with the US Embassy before you travel.
There’s also the case of a valid visa in an expired passport. CBP says it works in its FAQ on private flights: the visa must be valid and undamaged, both passports must be from the same country and of the same type, and you must carry the new passport and the expired one with the visa. You don’t need to apply for another visa unless the visa itself has expired. If you’re flying a commercial airline, confirm it with them before you leave.
When you renew at Banco de Costa Rica, they remind you of the same thing: if your visa is in your old passport, you can travel with both passports, and there’s no need to transfer it to the new one. Here’s more on how the biometric passport process works.
This 6-Month Exemption Only Applies to the US
For travel, passport validity of at least 6 months is required in many cases. So it’s always important to look up the requirements of the country you’re visiting, including layovers. If you’re continuing on from the US to a third country, check its rules too.
So I hope this information is useful for all travelers and that you can travel to the US with peace of mind about your passport.
