Are Visas Required For Visitors From Serbia?

I’m from Serbia and Montenegro; do I need a visa to visit Costa Rica and if so, where is the nearest Costa Rican Embassy if not in Belgrade (the capital of Serbia)?

Stjepan Simudvarac

Novi Sad, Serbia and Montenegro

Citizens of Serbia and Montenegro require visas to enter Costa Rica and must apply for them through Costa Rica’s General Immigration Administration.

To obtain a visa, prospective visitors must send the required information and official documents directly to the Immigration Administration through someone they know in Costa Rica, or to the nearest Costa Rican consulate to be forwarded to Immigration, according the Immigration and Foreign Ministry Web sites, which also list the required information. Belgrade has no Costa Rican Embassy.

The nearest Costa Rican embassies are in Rome, Italy, and the Vatican City. Other embassies in Europe that could be of assistance include those in Paris, Prague and London.

Once all required documents are submitted to Immigration in Costa Rica, they will be reviewed by a visa committee that will either grant or deny the visa.

The committee has a maximum of two months to process the application, as established by an executive decree that took effect in March 2005, according to Immigration spokeswoman Heidy Bonilla.

For a list of Costa Rican embassies and consulates around the world and their contact numbers, and a list of all countries that require entry visas to Costa Rica, see the Foreign Ministry Web site: www.rree.go.cr.

For visa information and application requirements, see the Immigration Web site at www. migracion.go.cr.