Costa Rica

Visas & Work Permits

Crews travelling on Western passports can enter Costa Rica visa-free for up to 90 days.

Please contact a local embassy, consulate or representative for more information. Alternatively, there are specialist companies that provide visa and immigration support to the media industry, and may be able to assist.


Film Location Permits

Permitting in Costa Rica is a very straightforward process.

Street closures or filming at the airport can usually be organised within a week. Special permits are required for filming in national parks. Costs and processing periods depend on the scope and nature of the shoot. Each nature reserve needs to be permitted separately. A small production might take a day to permit, whereas a large production might take up to a month.


Customs

For productions looking to bring in film equipment, Costa Rica is not an ATA carnet country.

All the standard camera, lighting and grip equipment is available locally in Costa Rica. However, more sophisticated equipment needs to be brought in from abroad, but bringing in gear is relatively easy.

When to Film

Costa Rica has a tropical climate with a diversity of microclimates.

The dry season runs from December to April. The rainy season lasts from May to November, with the heaviest rainfall in September and October. The rainy season is characterised by sunny mornings and rainy afternoons.

The Caribbean coast has its dry season in September and October, making that the best time to film beaches, jungles and island-style locations.

Costa Rica is a predominately Christian country, so those holidays are observed.


Public Holidays

Public holidays may affect timing, availability and costs. See here for public holiday dates in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica is one of the more expensive countries in Latin America. With that said, it is still a cost efficient option, when compared to other countries that offer a similarly impressive level of film infrastructure, pristine locations and safe conditions.

The standard VAT rate in Costa Rica, at the time of writing, is set at 13%.

Funding

DOCTV Latinoamérica

El Fauno – Fondo para el Fomento Audiovisual y Cinematográfica

Ibermedia


Tax Incentives

At the time of writing, this country does not have any filming incentives. However, up-to-date information on global filming incentives may be found on the Entertainment Partners' Production Incentives Map.