In this guide, I’ll take you through the entire process of crossing the border from Costa Rica to Nicaragua, Penas Blancas border by foot. You will find everything you need to know about exiting Costa Rica, entering Nicaragua, exiting Nicaragua and entering Costa Rica at the Penas Blancas border.
Costa Rica Nicaragua Penas Blancas Border Crossing Guide
Click on the section to skip to it.
- What You Need (Required documents, taxes, etc.)
- Getting to the Border
- Leaving Costa Rica
- Entering Nicaragua
- Leaving Nicaragua
- Entering Costa Rica
- Fees
- Safety Tips
What You Need for Crossing the Border Between Costa Rica and Nicaragua
- A valid passport that is not within 6 months of expiring (Nicaragua is strict about this)
- Costa Rica Exit Tax Receipt (if you are leaving Costa Rica)
- You must not have overstayed your tourist visa for either Costa Rica and Nicaragua
- Check if you need a visa to enter Nicaragua. (USA and Canada does not)
- A printed plane ticket out of Costa Rica if you are entering Costa Rica
- Small USD bills. All taxes are paid in USD.
How to get to the Penas Blancas Border Crossing in Costa Rica
- Car – You can drive your car to the border but that is as far as you can go as Costa Rican rental cars are not allowed to cross land borders. In this case, you will need to leave it at the house in the front. The family that lives there will watch it for you for a ~$5 USD a day. Do not leave any valuables inside! You’ll start seeing a huge line of trucks when you get close to the border. Don’t stay in this line. Keep going and you’ll be able to cross the over and park by the Costa Rica exit office.
- Private shuttle or taxi – You can book a private shuttle in Costa Rica to take you to the border. Depending on where you are traveling from, this private transfer (~$180 USD from the Guanacaste beaches). The shuttle will drop you off right at the border which then you will cross on your own by foot.
- Bus – You can take the public bus to the Penas Blancas border from Liberia (5 AM – 6:30 PM every 45 minutes with Grupo Transbasa) or San Jose (3:20 AM – 7 PM every hour with Caribenos), get off and cross the border by foot. You can also take a bus like Ticabus that goes from San Jose to Managua and to the rest of Central America. You will do the border crossing with Ticabus.
- Visa Run – If you are crossing the border purely for a visa run and don’t have your own transportation, check with Native’s Way (Tamarindo) as they offer visa runs (transportation only).
Leaving Costa Rica
To leave Costa Rica, you first need to pay the exit tax which you can pay at the border directly.
Costa Rica Exit Tax
Costa Rica charges an exit tax for all land crossings. There are buildings right when you enter at the border to pay your exit tax with lots of signs. With the Costa Rica exit office ahead of you, all the exit tax offices are to the right.
You must pay this exit tax before you exit Costa Rica which can be paid at one of these offices pictured above. They charge a little more for a “convenience fee” so the total will be $10 USD. You can also pay this online on the Banco de Costa Rica website for $8 USD. Print out your receipt and bring it with you.
Costa Rican Exit Office
As you walk towards the border, you’ll see lots of trucks. Costa Rica is the only country who didn’t sign the Central America Marchamo so you will see tons of big rig trucks waiting in line to cross. If you’re driving, you can go around them. Every time I’ve been to the Costa Rican exit office, it’s fairly empty with no line.
Go inside with your passport and exit tax receipt and hand your passport to the officer who will check it. They didn’t ask me any questions but they asked the lady in front of me where in Costa Rica they were staying before they left.
There is a bathroom outside to the left of the exit office (free).
Entering Nicaragua
Now, walk outside and follow the buses and groups of people towards Nicaragua.
After a few hundred meters, you’ll reach the office to enter Nicaragua. You’ll go through one main check point at the border where they will check for your Costa Rican exit stamp. However, any officer can stop you on the road to check your stamp.
Sometimes the officers will ask questions, sometimes not. They’re pretty friendly in all my experiences and don’t worry if you don’t know Spanish. Just show them your passport if they ask for it.
Nicaragua Entrance Office
Continue after this checkpoint and follow the signs to the Nicaraguan immigration office. You’ll see lots of people selling souvenirs, clothes, food and asking if you need change.
The Nicaragua immigration office is quite new and very nice with air conditioning. When you get inside (look for Entrada), get in line.
Then, you will get in the entrance line and pay a $12 USD tax to the immigration officer who takes your passport. When he has stamped it, he will write out a large receipt which you can keep. He will normally ask you where you are going in Nicaragua. Let him know the city and if you booked a hotel, tell him the first hotel you’re staying at in Nicaragua. Sometimes the officer doesn’t ask anything at all.
After you’re done, put any luggage or belongings through the luggage scanner for customs. After that, you are now officially in Nicaragua!
There there is a lady who will ask for a $1 USD municipality entrance fee.
If you continue walking outside, there are some restaurants and taxis if you need one. It’s about a thirty minute taxi ride to San Juan del Sur which costs around $30 USD. Also just in case, here is the bus schedule to Rivas and Managua below.
Leaving Nicaragua
Leaving Nicaragua is about the same process. The exit office is the same office as the entrance, just on the other side.
When you get inside, you have to pay another $1 USD municipality tax (to the small booth to the right) and $3 USD to exit to the officer who takes your passport. Put the location as your first hotel/hostel and town in Costa Rica. If you need the bathroom, it is to the left of the immigration office building and costs $1 USD.
After you get your Nicaraguan exit stamp, walk back on the main road towards the Costa Rican side. Like before, you’ll be stopped a couple times by officers to check your passport. Once you reach the Costa Rican side, head to the right side of the building to go through immigration to enter Costa Rica.
Entering Costa Rica
You’ll see a bunch of orange blocks making a line for the entrance. Try to get in line as fast as you can and while you are in line, get all your documents ready to present to the officer.
The next part is very important for foreigners when it comes to Costa Rica land entry requirements.
Costa Rica Entry Requirements
You will need to present to the immigration officer your flight out of Costa Rica if you’re a tourist. Tourist visas last 90 days for Group 1 countries and you must show proof you are leaving the country before your visa expires.
*IMPORTANT AS OF SEPTEMBER 2023. Costa Rica has now extended tourist visas for Group 1 countries from 90 days to 180 days. The officer will now probably ask you for a ticket out of 180 days. Group 1 countries are USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Germany, Chile… if you are not sure what group your passport is, please check with the Costa Rican embassy/consulate in your passport country.*
Proof of Onward Travel Out of Costa Rica
To emphasis this point, every foreigner must present a return flight ticket home or a ticket out of Costa Rica. Costa Rica is fairly strict about this in all of my experiences. Of all the times I have crossed the border, I’ve been asked for my flight out every single time.
There is a possibility that you can use a bus ticket, instead of a flight. However, this is not guaranteed to be accepted. I’ve known people who were denied entry with a bus ticket and the officer made them purchase a flight. So even though sometimes a bus or shuttle ticket may work, it honestly depends on the immigration officer you get. Some are super strict, some are more lenient.
They are more strict about perpetual tourists (people who “live” in Costa Rica as a tourist and do a border run to renew their tourist visa) so it is best to present a flight itinerary confirmation.
I never want to run into any hassles or problems at the border so I always present a printed confirmed flight ticket. If I’m not actually flying out, I’ll purchase a refundable ticket or many airlines have a 24 hour window where you can cancel without penalty regardless the fare type (like American Airlines). A lot of people use Onward Ticket to rent a ticket.
Getting Your New Costa Rica Stamp
Go up to the window and give the officer your passport first. He will probably ask you where you’re going, your occupation, and how long you are in Costa Rica for. Then when asked, show him your proof out of Costa Rica within 90 days.
Once approved, they will stamp your passport with your tourist stamp and write in how many days your tourist visa is valid for (normally 90).
And there you go! Exit the building, put your luggage or backpack if you have any through the machine and you are good to go! That is the complete guide to crossing the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua at Penas Blancas.
Peñas Blancas Border Crossing Fees
To sum up, here are all the fees you need to pay when you are crossing the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. These prices are quoted in USD so pay in dollars but bring small bills because most of the time, they will not have any change.
Please note that Costa Rican currency is not accepted in Nicaragua and Nicaraguan currency is not accepted in Costa Rica. USD works in both countries and since prices are quoted in USD, pay in USD. Small bills only!
- $8 or 10 Costa Rica exit tax (price depends on where you pay for it)
- $12 Nicaragua (to the entrance immigration official)
- $1 Nicaragua entrance municipality tax
- $1 Nicaragua exit municipality tax (in the small booth of the exit office)
- $3 Nicaragua exit tax (to the exit immigration official)
Safety Tips for Crossing the Penas Blancas Border
I’ve heard about some people having trouble or being scared at the border but luckily I, a Asian-American female have never had a major problem and I have crossed alone and with other people. However, there are always people who will target tourists and try to scam you. Here are our tips and things to watch out for.
Do not accept any offers from people trying to help you
These people will pretend to help you for free and then try to charge you something ridiculous when you’ve crossed over. They are persistent and will follow you too.
Also do not accept any offers from someone claiming they can do the border crossing for you. It’s tempting but never let anyone walk away with your passport. Never. You don’t know what condition it will be when it comes back or what they did with it meanwhile.
If you have questions or are lost, ask the Costa Rican immigration officers or the police.
If you’re a solo traveler, look for other travelers and talk to them to see if you can cross together. You may need to write down some Spanish phrases because not all the officers speak English, especially on the Nicaraguan side. Check our Costa Rican Spanish guide for travelers to learn them.
No more custom forms
Some people might try to sell you these so walk away and find an immigration officer. I stopped a woman once who was about to pay $20 for a form! That is one of the common Costa Rica tourist scams.
Bring small USD bills
The immigration officers usually do not give change so make sure you pay in small bills for the taxes and fees. ($1 and $5). Never pull out a huge wad of cash either.
Do not leave your passport hanging out of your backpack or leave any belongings unattended
You do need to show it several times when crossing to the officers, but always put it away in a safe secure spot each time.
If you’re a solo traveler, try to find another group of travelers to join
Usually officers will bother you less if you’re in a group. If you go by yourself, they tend to bother the solo travelers more.
What to do if you overstay your visa
If you overstay, your passport will be marked and you will need to talk to your country’s embassy to figure out what to do. Usually if this is a one time occurrence and the overstayed time wasn’t very long, they can help you sort things out and it’s not a big deal.
However, if you overstay for a long time or multiple times, don’t think you will go undiscovered. Immigration will probably find out at some point, especially as they’re trying to crack down more on perpetual tourists. Once immigration finds out, you will be kicked out of the country and be denied entry for an undisclosed period of time (depends on your situation). We recommend to contact your country’s embassy/consulate in Costa Rica ASAP.
Do not overstay your visa, Costa Rica and Nicaragua do take this seriously. Nicaragua especially is very strict.
Read more Costa Rica travel tips below!
Driving in Costa Rica: In depth guide with tips and advice for driving in Costa Rica. Includes safety tips, information about how Costa Ricans drive, road sides, and more.
Renting a car in Costa Rica: Tips for renting a car in Costa Rica. What you need to know about car rental insurance, reputable companies, recommendations if you should or shouldn’t rent a car and more. You can also get our Costa Rica car rental discount.
jesse says
hey Sammi, I am also in coco. a 24 year old guy, and i’m by myself crossing in about 2-3 weeks and im very nervous! help me relax! lol, also, could you provide me with an airline that allows for refundable tickets? i am also planning to go by foot, and i think that if I have a plane ticket I should be trouble free? thanks
Sammi says
Hi Jesse! Border crossing on foot is not as bad as it seems. I detailed everything in the post including pictures but if all else fails, follow the crowd 🙂 Remember not to take any bribes or take any forms from people who are not officers. If you are confused/lost, ask ONLY the officers.
There are several checkpoints so have your passport handy. You will need to bring cash – dollars in small bills as you have to pay $1 municipality tax, $12 entrance tax to Nicaragua and then going back to Costa Rica, another $1 municipality tax. If you are going to San Juan or Rivas, you can pay in dollars and it is a $20 taxi ride to San Juan.
When you cross back into Costa RIca they’ll ask for a plane ticket out. I usually buy a refundable ticket the morning of and refund it once I get back to the border. Print out the ticket (I’ve showed it on my phone a few times and it was OK) and show it to them.
Erica Roulier says
Thank you for the information! We tried to pay the exit fee at the Coopealianza in Canas, but they told us that we could only pay at the locations in Liberia or La Cruz. We successfully paid the fee in Liberia.
Sammi says
You are very welcome! I know there is a lot of confusion about the new tax and I think the government is still trying to figure it out themselves haha. But it’s always helpful to find information from someone who’s done it all. Hopefully they get a system so we can pay at the border soon
Mike says
Hi Sammi, I posted detailed steps on how to bring your own car across here. I added your info on the new tax – thanks!
Mike
yeison says
Hi Mike !
Good job on that post 😉
Adrian Carswell says
I purchased a airplane tix to leave C/R in February but my 90 days are up in January. Money is tight and I would like to know how long am I required to leave Costa Rica and where is an inexpensive place to lodge for the time required to be out of country.
What is the penalty if I just wait until February and leave for the states?
Sammi says
Hi Adrian!
Where are you staying in Costa Rica and which country are you planning to go to? If you can, I would go to Nicaragua, it is very easy.
The official rules is that you need to be out of the country for at least 3 hours. I know the customs form will say 3 days and I know that everybody else will tell you 3 days, but I have done a visa run more than enough times and my friend (Italian guy) and I who go together have talked to nearly every immigration official because we’re tired of staying 3 days, we don’t want to keep spending money either. Everyone told us 3 hours and it was perfectly fine.
So you can cross the border to Nicaragua at Penas Blacas, grab a taxi to San Juan ($20 each way), hangout for a few hours, come back in the evening and get your new 90 days stamp. I know some people who don’t even want to spend that $20 and just hang out at the border/duty free story all day.
I would not overstay because believe it or not, as easy it is to get into Costa Rica, if you break any laws or overstay your visa, it’s very very difficult to get back in. Yeison is always checking when my 90 days are up or else I wouldn’t be allowed back in the country.
If you are closer to Panama, you can go through Paso Canoas and head to Panama City. It’s cheap there (lodging- $30, food). You can stay for a day, see PC and come back. If you are at Sixaola, there’s pretty much nothing there… you can walk around and check it out for awhile.
Thuy Nguyen says
Hi Sammi,
Thank you for this post! This will definitely be helpful for my trip. I am arriving in San Jose, Costa Rica on the 28th at 2:00 pm, I think it’s pretty much doubtful that I can make it to Nicagauara that same day..
What would you recommend is the best route for me to get there as soon as I can? I am not backpacking (unfortunately) so I will have one luggage with me.I would like to make it across as soon as possible as I have booked a room for the night of the 28th which I will not be able to make it to.
I also hear it’s terrible to cross the border around this time! Any recommendation will be very helpful. I am a young (24 yr old) Asian-Canadian doing my first trip to Central America on my own. At this stage, price isn’t an issue as I do realize it’s last minute/busy busy time of the year.
Thank you in advance!
Sammi says
Hi Thuy!
Where are you going to in Nicaragua? Because the best way, especially at the time you are coming (you are right holidays are terrible border crossing time) is to take a charter bus.
There are quite a few companies you can choose from and most of them stop either in Managua or Grenada in Nicaragua.
And you can also book your ticket online. You’ll see that you can actually grab a night bus to Nicaragua the day of your arrival and then arrive in Nicaragua the next morning if you want to! The ride will be around 10 hours depending if you go to Grenada or Managua and how long the border takes. It’s quite a bit of travel with the flight + bus ride but you could make it to Nicaragua by the following day.
The buses are very safe, comfortable, AC and depending on which class you book, provide breakfast and lunch. They will take care of the border crossing for you as well and they store your luggage on the bottom so it is safer.
The regular ticket is around $30 and the executive is around $45 which is actually not that bad. We have taken Tica bus before and have been pleased with the service. They have a bus station in San Jose that you can just grab a taxi to from the airport and a terminal where you can sit and wait.
Sammi says
Sounds great! Yes you definitely should, we love meeting up with other travel bloggers 🙂
For your question, do you mean do they accept bus tickets when you show them at the airport as you fly into Costa Rica? At the airport, they just ask you how long you’re staying, they’ve never asked me to show a ticket.
Or are you talking about a bus ticket to show you are leaving Costa Rica when you cross the border into Costa Rica because that’s very different. Land crossings will always always ask you for a plane tix OUT of CR and I wish I could say yes or no to the bus tix because I’ve been in situations where they accept my bus tix and then many situations where they will NOT and this has happened to many other people =/ I stopped presenting bus tix and just showing refundable airplane tix. I have been hearing they are getting more strict on it.
Lunaguava says
Great stuff, guys! I love these border crossing posts full of detailed information – and updated to boot! After our Mexico to Guatemala post, we’ve decided to keep doing it for every land crossing we do. There’s a lot of info out there, but a lot of it is outdated or just wrong. As a traveler thinking of other travelers, I find these extremely useful. We’ll be coming back to this one if we ever make it to Costa Rica. Thanks and good luck!
Sammi says
Thanks guys! I know it can get really confusing with all the information thrown at you and all the things you hear about the border crossings. In reality it’s actually not that bad but it’s always helpful to have good solid updated information from people who actually have done it.
Claudia says
Hi! I also have a question… I will be travelling through Central and South America, and I will be getting to Costa Rica from Nicaragua, then move on to Panama etc. I fly into Guatemala, back from Chile. Is this proof enough that I am leaving the country, although there is no actual flight or bus booked from Costa Rica, or am I really forced to buy something from San Jose to somewhere in Panama or Nicaragua to show proof? I thought this kind of restrictions were only going to happen at airports… but since I am travelling via land…
Sammi says
Hi Claudia,
If you ask around, some people will say yes you do, some people will tell you no a bus ticket is enough.
In my personal experience, I have been asked every single time at the border to show an airplane ticket out of Costa Rica. And it’s not just me, they ask everyone who is NOT a Costa Rican citizen for proof. Lately, a bus ticket doesn’t cut it and I have many friends who tried to show a bus ticket and immigration didn’t accept it. But it honestly depends on the officer you get, sometimes they care, sometimes they don’t.
I just buy a refundable airplane ticket and refund it afterwards. Also it needs to be on paper. I’ve shown them on my cell phone a couple times and they accept it, a few times they didn’t. So my advice is to buy a refundable airplane ticket or you can try your luck at a bus ticket but I’ve tried that so many times where they have rejected it that I don’t even try my luck anymore.
You can buy a refundable ticket from any airline, just make sure it’s within 90 days of your entrance date.
As per volunteering, I don’t know too many off the top of my head since there are so many organizations. I know most people who do that just figure it out when they’re actually in Costa Rica because positions open and fill very fast. We can look more into that for you since I don’t know all the names.
Hope this helps!
Lindsey Monge says
Sammi, since you are staying in Costa Rica, what kind of proof do you give for your exit from Costa Rica when they check it on your way back in? Do you pre-book a bus to Nicaragua every 90 days or is it a plane ticket out that they look for?
Sammi says
That’s a good question. I actually show a plane ticket because I’ve had situations where they didn’t accept my bus ticket. It all depends on luck whether you get someone who cares or not but I’d rather not take the risk. I usually buy a refundable ticket and then refund it once I get across the border.
Freya says
Hi Sammi!
Can you tell me from which airline you buy a refundable ticket?
I’m leaving in a couple of weeks and I’m planning on doing the same but I’m not sure which airline I should take. Thanks in advance!
Sammi says
Hi Freya! You can do it from any airline just make sure you’re buying a refundable ticket. I like jetblue personally.
John says
My 18 year old son and I crossed the border yesterday. We were traveling on a TICA bus. We presented Immigration with a future TICA bus ticket from San Jose, CR to Panama City, Panamas. We had not a single problem. WE did NOT need an airline ticket. I am glad I read this blog because it reminded me that I needed to show proof of exit from the country, but unfortunately it also caused me a lot of stress and anxiety about the inaccurate information stressing the “likely” requirement of an airline ticket.
Sammi says
Hi John! Glad to hear it all worked out well for you guys! The reason why I always recommend travelers to have a airplane ticket is because it is never a 100% guarantee when it comes to border crossings and a plane ticket is the safest most hassles free option. I’ve actually heard Panama is easier than Nicaragua, it’s also easier if you are on a chartered bus such as Tica Bus than if you crossed on foot. But speaking from my own experience, I’ve had officers who couldn’t care less if I was leaving Costa Rica, I’ve had officers who demanded a ticket ONLY on paper, I’ve been able to use my phone, I’ve been given a hard time about a bus ticket so it also depends on the mood of your officer. Costa Rica is cracking down on immigration and is getting stricter but in my opinion, there shouldn’t be any problem using bus tickets! So I’m happy to hear you guys didn’t run into any problems 🙂
Anne says
Hi Sanne,
Thank you for the extended information for the border cross, it made our travel from La Cruz to Ometepe very easy ! 🙂
I do have some questions for the way back. My sister has to catch a flight at 21:00 in Liberia the 4th of January. She will be in Rivas around 14:00 and we couldn’t find any shuttle options from there (do you perhaps know any?). We learned a cap from there to the border is +/- 20 $ and about half an hour ( so14:30 at the border). How busy is it the 4th of January at the border? Are there a lot of people living in Costa Rica coming back from Nica at that time? I mean, if it takes 3 hours, being 17:30, taking a cab to Liberia is maybe the only option then to get on time at the airport? How much time in advance is adviced to be at the airport of Liberia? And how much would that long cab drive take?
Thank you so much!!
Best,
Anne
Sammi says
I don’t know of any shared shuttles options from the border so I think the best option will be private or according to the Moovit app and Centro coasting website, there are public buses from the border to Liberia on Saturday and Sunday every 45min from 5am until 8:45pm.
You need to be at least 2 hours before your flight at the airport