Guatemala or Costa Rica? US Level 3 vs Level 2, 90 vs 180 Visa-Free Days and the US$30 vs US$29 Departure Tax

On the governments’ own pages, Costa Rica gives tourists twice the stay (up to 180 days against Guatemala’s 90) and a lower US advisory level (Level 2 against Guatemala’s Level 3); the air departure tax is almost identical, US$29 against US$30. Canada advises a high degree of caution for both countries. Everything below is taken from US, Canadian, UK and Costa Rican government pages read on 9 November 2026. This page compares rules, not prices.

In short: US Level 3 (Guatemala) vs Level 2 (Costa Rica). Visa-free stay for US, Canadian and UK tourists: 90 days in Guatemala, shared across the CA-4 countries, vs up to 180 days in Costa Rica. Costa Rica requires a return or onward ticket and, per its tourism board, proof of US$100 per month of stay. Guatemala requires an online immigration form before arrival and departure. Air departure tax: US$30 vs US$29; the UK FCDO says both are normally or mostly included in the fare. Currencies: quetzal (GTQ) and colón (CRC).

Comparing living costs for a move rather than a trip? See Guatemala vs Costa Rica vs Mexico and the retirement cost comparison.

Side by side

Entry rules in detail

Length of stay. The State Department says US citizens are usually allowed 90 days in Guatemala, with a possible extension if they ask; Canada and the UK give their citizens the same 90 days. For Costa Rica, the State Department says authorities may allow up to 180 days without a visa but that this is not guaranteed; Canada and the UK also give 180 days and say the officer on arrival decides the exact period. The Costa Rican tourism board (ICT) explains that the stay depends on which of four country groups a passport belongs to, with the first group allowed up to 180 calendar days, non-extendable.

Guatemala’s 90 days cover four countries. The UK FCDO says the 90 days start when you enter any of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras or Nicaragua and do not restart at each border. The two governments describe the extension differently: the UK says up to 30 more days for a fee paid before the 90 days run out, while Canada says you may request an extension equal to the days you were first authorised, paid at the Guatemalan Migration Institute, and that the total stay in Guatemala cannot exceed 180 days. The extension process is on the IGM prórroga checklist.

What Costa Rica asks for at the border. The ICT, citing Article 42 of the General Law on Immigration (Ley 8764) and Article 30 of Executive Decree 36769-G, lists a valid machine-readable passport, a visa where required, proof of economic means of at least US$100 per month or partial month of stay, and a return or onward ticket. The State Department also lists the return or onward ticket.

What Guatemala asks for. The State Department, Canada and the UK all say you must complete Guatemala’s electronic immigration form before arriving and before leaving; the State Department adds that some airlines may ask for proof before check-in. The UK FCDO warns that officials at Guatemalan land borders sometimes ask for an entry fee, which it describes as illegal.

Passport validity differs by government. For Guatemala, the State Department says a US passport only has to be valid on arrival, with one blank page, and its Guatemala entry page does not set a minimum validity period; the UK tells British travellers they need 6 months after arrival and two blank pages, and Canada tells Canadians 6 months beyond the date they leave. Check the rule from your own government. For US citizens, the Guatemala visa requirements page has the details.

Yellow fever. The UK FCDO says both countries require a yellow fever certificate from travellers arriving from a country listed as a transmission risk.

Travel advisories, read on 9 November 2026

The US State Department’s feed rates Guatemala Level 3, Reconsider Travel, due to crime and terrorism, and names four Do Not Travel areas: San Marcos Department, Huehuetenango Department, Zone 18 in Guatemala City and the city of Villa Nueva. It rates Costa Rica Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, due to crime.

Canada’s Guatemala page lists avoid-non-essential-travel areas in Guatemala City (zones 1, 3, 5-7, 18 and 21), in the municipalities of San Pedro Ayampuc and Villa Canales (Guatemala Department) and San José, Siquinilá and Tiquisate (Escuintla), and at border crossings including La Mesilla, Tecun Uman, El Carmen, El Florido, Agua Caliente and Melchor de Mencos. Its Costa Rica page has no regional advisory. The UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel within 5 km of the Mexican border, from the Pacific coast up to and including the Gracias a Dios crossing, and to Santa Ana Huista, San Antonio Huista and La Democracia in Huehuetenango.

Departure tax and money

The UK FCDO says Guatemala’s airport departure tax is US$30, or the same amount in quetzales, and that it is normally included in the ticket. It gives Costa Rica’s as US$29 when leaving by air, mostly included by airlines, and payable in cash or by card if not. Land-border exit costs from Guatemala are on border run costs.

Canada’s travel advice names the currencies as the Guatemalan quetzal (GTQ) and the Costa Rican colón (CRC). It says US dollars can be exchanged at most major banks in Guatemala and are easier to exchange in Costa Rica, that Canadian dollars cannot be exchanged in Guatemala and are extremely difficult to exchange in Costa Rica. The UK FCDO says British pounds are often impossible to exchange in Guatemala. Costa Rica requires a declaration for cash, travellers’ cheques or goods worth US$10,000 or more, according to the UK FCDO.

The other comparisons

The same side-by-side format covers Guatemala or Belize and Guatemala or Honduras.

Sources

• US State Department: travel advisory feed (JSON) — read 9 November 2026; advisory pages: Guatemala, Costa Rica.
• US State Department: country travel information, entry and exit (JSON) — read 9 November 2026; Guatemala entry last updated 11 June 2026, Costa Rica entry last updated 11 August 2025.
• UK FCDO: Costa Rica entry requirements — updated 19 May 2026, read 9 November 2026.
• UK FCDO: Guatemala travel advice and entry requirements — updated 5 November 2026, read 9 November 2026.
• Government of Canada: Costa Rica travel advice — updated 14 October 2026, read 9 November 2026.
• Government of Canada: Guatemala travel advice — updated 13 October 2026, read 9 November 2026.
• Instituto Costarricense de Turismo: entry requirements — read 9 November 2026.