Information on the entry requirements of the seven Central
American countries is liable to sudden change, and it's crucial to
contact a consulate before travelling to check what's required of
you. Even when you've checked and armed yourself with the correct
paperwork you may find the requests of the immigration officer at
variance with the official policy.
That said, visas (with a few notable exceptions) are
usually not needed by citizens of EU countries, the US, Canada,
Australia and New Zealand to enter Central America as tourists,
although you may be required to purchase a tourist card on
entry. Visitors are usually permitted a stay from thirty to ninety
days, depending on the country; again, check with your
consulate.
All the Central American countries have consulates in Mexico
City ; there's also a Guatemalan consulate in Comitán;
Guatemalan and El Salvadorean consulates in Tapachula; and a
Belizean consulate in Chetumal.
If you're flying in on a one-way ticket (providing the
airline lets you board - some countries, Costa Rica for example,
refuse travellers with no return tickets) you may have to prove
your intention to leave the country; additionally you may have to
show "sufficient funds" for your stay, though these conditions are
rarely enforced.
Even if you don't officially require a visa or tourist card to
enter a particular country, the immigration official may ask you to
"buy" one, or pay some form of unspecified "fee" - usually
equivalent to a dollar or five (exceptions are Belize and El
Salvador, where you'll never be asked for illegal entry or exit
fees). How you deal with this depends on how good your Spanish is,
the amount of hassle you're willing to put up with and the attitude
of the official. It's certainly annoying to have to pay these
bribes and, if you know the rules, and stick to the "won't
pay" line you'll probably get waved through - eventually. However,
in places like Guatemala and Honduras, where there's a
semi-institutionalized requirement to pay officials Q10/L20 (around
US$1.50), it's usually more bother than it's worth to kick up a
fuss. Once you get your stamp (and visa/tourist card if required)
you should keep your passport with you at all times, or at
the very least carry a photocopy, as you may be asked to show
it.
Extensions to the permitted period of stay - whether you
need a visa/tourist card or not - can be obtained at the
immigration department ( migración ) in the country
concerned, sometimes only in the capital. The process often takes a
full day, so you may prefer to use the services of a
tramitador , an agency that, for a fee, will deal with the
red tape. In many cases it's often easier to leave the country for
a few days and re-enter with a new stamp.