Do Hong Kong passport holders need a visa to visit CR?

No visa needed. Holders of an ordinary HKSAR passport are given Costa Rica's "first group" treatment and may enter visa-free for tourism for up to 180 days. Costa Rica's Directorate General of Migration and Foreigners (DGME) sorts visitors into four groups. Group 1 nationalities enter without any visa and may stay up to 180 calendar days (non-extendable). Multiple sources — including Costa Rica's embassy in China and Spanish-language reporting on the DGME directives — confirm that holders of an ordinary Hong Kong SAR passport (and Macao SAR passport) receive "first group" treatment, so no visa is required for a short tourist visit. A November 17, 2025 DGME update refined the four-group system but did not move Hong Kong out of the visa-free track; some general news commentary speculated Hong Kong might fall into Group 4, but that was explicitly noted as "not explicitly mentioned" guesswork and is contradicted by the official embassy guidance giving HK/Macao first-group status. (Note: a British National Overseas (BNO) passport is treated differently, with only a 30-day visa-free stay — this guide covers the ordinary HKSAR passport.) On arrival travelers must show a passport valid for the trip, an onward/return ticket, and proof of economic means of at least US$100 per month of stay. Costa Rica is not in the Schengen area, so Schengen 90/180 and ETIAS rules do not apply.