Important for Costa Rican passport holders: an NZeTA does not let you enter New Zealand as a tourist when you arrive by plane. It covers airside transit at Auckland, or a visit when you arrive by cruise ship.
Three ways Costa Ricans travel through New Zealand
Costa Rica appears on New Zealand's list of transit visa-waiver countries. That status gives Costa Rican citizens a simpler option for connecting flights, but it is not the same as the full visa waiver enjoyed by, for example, Chile. Your situation will fall into one of these three groups.
Transit by air
Changing planes in Auckland on the way to another country. You need a transit NZeTA.
Arriving by cruise
Your ship sails into a New Zealand port. You can apply for an NZeTA as a visitor.
Visiting by air
Flying in to holiday, visit family or do business. You need a visitor visa, not an NZeTA.
Connecting via North America
There is no direct air service between Costa Rica and New Zealand. Most travellers leave Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José, or Liberia in Guanacaste, and connect in a US city such as Houston, Los Angeles or San Francisco, all of which have nonstop flights to Auckland. Other routes run south through Santiago or Lima.
Each country on your route has its own rules. A connection in the United States needs the US travel documents that apply to Costa Rican citizens, and your final destination after Auckland, for example Australia, Fiji or Tonga, may require its own visa. The NZeTA only deals with the New Zealand part of the journey.
Expect a long trip. Costa Rica is 18 to 19 hours behind New Zealand and you will cross the International Date Line, so you will lose a calendar day flying west. Factor this in when you check that your Auckland connection is under 24 hours.
Transit checklist for Costa Rican passports
Before you book a route through New Zealand, confirm each point below.
- Your connection is at Auckland International Airport, not another New Zealand airport
- You arrive and leave on international flights within 24 hours
- You hold a confirmed onward ticket to a third country
- Your Costa Rican passport is valid, and is the one you used to apply
- You have any visa your final destination requires
- You have an approved NZeTA before your first flight
Not sure whether your itinerary counts as transit? Read our New Zealand transit guide or contact our support team before you pay for flights.
What happens at Auckland Airport
When you land, follow the signs for international transfers rather than arrivals. You will go through a security screening and then wait in the international transit area for your next flight. You do not pass through New Zealand immigration and you don't collect your checked bags, as long as they were checked through to your final destination.
If your airline cannot check bags through, or your two flights are on separate tickets, ask the airline before travel. Needing to collect and recheck luggage usually means passing through immigration, which a transit NZeTA does not allow.
No IVL for transit. The International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy is not charged to transit passengers. Cruise visitors pay it as part of their NZeTA application.
Cruise passengers from Costa Rica
Many Pacific cruises start in Sydney or Brisbane and spend several days in New Zealand ports such as Auckland, Napier, Akaroa and Milford Sound. If you join such a cruise and arrive in New Zealand on the ship, you can apply for an NZeTA as a visitor. The same applies to round-the-world voyages that call at New Zealand.
If your cruise starts in Auckland and you fly there to board, you arrive by air and need a visitor visa. Our cruise NZeTA page explains the difference in more detail.
Want to stay longer? Apply for a visitor visa
Costa Ricans who want to explore New Zealand after flying in need a visitor visa from the New Zealand immigration authorities. It is a separate application that we do not handle. Allow extra time for it, as it involves more documents than an NZeTA.
How to apply for a transit NZeTA
Pick the visa type
Select "Transit Visa", or "Visit Visa" if you arrive by cruise ship.
Add travellers
Enter passport details for each person, using both surnames where shown.
Answer the questions
Complete the short health and character section.
Photo and payment
Upload a face photo for each traveller and pay by card.
Choose Normal (48–72 hours), Emergency (24–48 hours) or Rush (12–24 hours) processing. Current prices are on our NZeTA fees page.
Start a transit NZeTA application for Costa Rica
Costa Rica NZeTA FAQs
Costa Rica is a transit visa-waiver country. Costa Rican citizens can transit through Auckland International Airport with an NZeTA, but they need a visitor visa to enter New Zealand after arriving by air.
No. A transit NZeTA only lets you stay in the airport's international transit area for up to 24 hours. Leaving the airport would require a visa.
Then you do not meet the transit conditions. Change your booking to a shorter connection, or apply for a visa that allows entry to New Zealand.
Yes. Every cruise passenger needs one. Costa Rican citizens arriving by cruise ship can apply for an NZeTA as a visitor, and the IVL is included in that application.
Yes. Each traveller needs their own NZeTA, including babies. You can add up to 10 people to one application on our site.
Apply at least 72 hours before your first flight from San José. Rush processing of 12–24 hours is available if your trip is close.