UAE citizens no longer need pre-entry visas for Costa Rica

All UAE citizens will now be granted a waiver from pre-entry visas when travelling to Costa Rica under a new agreement signed on Monday.

The two countries signed a protocol granting mutual exemption from pre-entry visas for holders of ordinary and special mission passports, official news agency WAM reported.

The protocol amends an existing agreement, which already exempts holders of diplomatic and special passports from the pre-entry visa requirements for both the UAE and Costa Rica.

The amendment was signed by UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Manuel Gonzalez Sanz, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Costa Rica.

Sheikh Abdullah emphasised the importance of strengthening UAE’s bilateral relations with Costa Rica, the report added.

Emirati citizens face the least amount of travel restrictions among their peers in the MENA region, offering visa-free or visa on arrival options for 122 countries worldwide.

The UAE passport was ranked as the 26 most powerful passport worldwide in a recent ranking – the highest in the GCC.

Read more: Revealed: World’s most and least powerful passports

In 2015, the UAE became the first Arab country and the second in the Middle East to receive an EU visa waiver.

Last year, the country also signed visa waiver agreements for its citizens with the Bahamas, Botswana and Belarus.

Also read: Why certain passports have more visa-free options