Last Updated: June 15, 2022
With the Covid-19 pandemic, travel as we know it has certainly changed. But what is traveling to Costa Rica like right now? With some key changes and extra precautions, we think that visitors can still experience what makes this country special. Beautiful beaches, verdant green mountains, diverse wildlife, and warmhearted locals. In this post, we’ll share what you need to know when traveling to Costa Rica during Covid-19. We’ll cover entry requirements, and let you know what to expect at hotels, restaurants, and on tours.
IMPORTANT UPDATES
No More Health Pass, Insurance Requirement, QR Code, or Mask Mandate.
On February 23, the government eliminated the Covid entry requirements and made some other key changes. Specifically, as of April 1, 2022:
1. The health pass is no longer required for entry.
2. A negative Covid test is not required for entry.
3. Travel insurance will not be required for unvaccinated visitors.
4. QR Code Program – Businesses will not be required to ask customers for proof of vaccination to enter and can all operate at full capacity. Previously, nonessential businesses had to operate at 50% capacity if they didn’t require vaccination. The government has abandoned this plan. For more information on the QR code program, read our post, Costa Rica’s Vaccine Passport.
In addition, as of May 11, 2022, masks are no longer required in Costa Rica for the general population. Here is the link to the applicable law (in Spanish).
Current Entry Requirements
Regular entry requirements are in effect. These can be found on the Costa Rica Tourism Board website.
To enter, you need to show:
1. A valid passport.
2. Proof of leaving the country, usually within 90 days (e.g., plane ticket).
3. Visitors from certain countries will need a visa.
More Covid Travel Information
Testing Positive
For information on Costa Rica’s quarantine period and how it works when you test positive, read our post, Testing Positive for Covid in Costa Rica.
Covid Test for Return Home
If you need to get a Covid test in Costa Rica before you go back home, check out our post, Where to Get a Covid-19 Test in Costa Rica. This has a detailed list of where to get a PCR or antigen (rapid) test by town.
At-Home Covid Testing
Read our article for some essential info about using a self-test to reenter your home country.
Old Costa Rica Entry Requirements for Tourists
Below are the previous entry requirements that were in effect through March 31, 2022. THESE ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED, but we are keeping the information in this article so that you are aware of the past requirements.
To enter Costa Rica, visitors will need to do the following. For the requirements for Costa Rican citizens and residents, see the section below.
IMPORTANT: Costa Rica no longer requires a negative Covid test to enter. This requirement was eliminated in 2020.
1) Complete an Online Epidemiological Form (Health Pass). *Only required up until March 30, 2022.
The form can only be filled out within 72 hours of your flight, not sooner.
This short form called the Health Pass (found here) asks for personal information like your name, age, nationality, passport number, and flight details. You will also need to provide your hotel/accommodations in Costa Rica.
If you need to show Covid travel insurance because you are not vaccinated, you will need to indicate if you are using one of the Costa Rican companies or an international provider. If an international provider, you also will need to upload your policy certificate to show it meets Costa Rica’s requirements.
If you are fully vaccinated and not getting Covid travel insurance, you will upload your vaccination card or certificate.
Note: If you are vaccinated and the Health Pass is still asking for proof of insurance, select International Insurance and upload your vaccination card. A reader asked the Costa Rica Tourism Board about this glitch and this is what they suggested.
The Health Pass ends with making you agree to declarations. One is that you do not have symptoms of Covid-19 now and that you will comply with a quarantine order if you get Covid-19 during your visit.
A QR code then will be generated, which you can show on your mobile phone.
English Language Option: The Health Pass defaults to Spanish, but there is an option at the top right to change to English.
Tip: The form only works 72 hours or less before your flight. You can’t fill it out sooner than that. If you are within the 72 hours, the problem may be your web browser. Some people have reported problems when using Chrome. Microsoft Edge seems to work without any glitches.
2) Get a Travel Insurance Policy if You Are Not Fully Vaccinated or a Minor. *Only required up until March 30, 2022.
Overview
Unvaccinated visitors (adults 18 and over) must purchase travel insurance for the duration of their stay to cover their expenses in case they get Covid-19. The insurance must cover medical expenses and accommodation expenses for 14 days of quarantine. Specific coverage amounts are provided below.
FULLY VACCINATED TRAVELERS AND MINORS: On July 9, 2021, the Costa Rican government announced that fully vaccinated travelers and all minors (under 18) do not need to show Covid travel insurance as of August 1. The specific requirements are detailed below in Section 3.
You have two options for the insurance. One is to purchase it directly through a provider in Costa Rica. These have been preapproved by the Costa Rican government to offer Covid-19 insurance, so these policies will be automatically accepted.
Alternatively, you can buy insurance that meets the requirements through an international insurer of your choice. Then you will need to go through an additional verification process. See below for more details.
For coverage amounts, $20,000 USD in Covid-19 medical coverage is required if you use a Costa Rican insurance company. If you use an international insurance company instead, the minimum amount is $50,000 USD. Accommodation coverage in case of quarantine is the same no matter which coverage you choose ($2,000 USD).
IMPORTANT NOTE ON LONG-TERM STAYS: Refer to the section below called Long-Term Visits and Visa Lengths for information on how your insurance coverage affects your visa.
Costa Rica Insurance Options
Currently, there are three companies in Costa Rica that are approved to sell Covid insurance, INS (the government insurer), Sagicor (a private company), and Blue Cross Blue Shield Costa Rica (a private company). You can buy the INS insurance through their website directly or using a local broker for no additional cost. You can buy a policy from Sagicor or BCBS directly through their websites.
Sagicor’s rate is a flat daily rate, which usually makes it less expensive for shorter trips than INS.
The INS rate is more variable based on your age, trip length, etc. We have heard from people that it is usually cheaper for longer visits than Sagicor.
Blue Cross Blue Shield bases the cost on your trip length only. Here is a link to a chart with pricing.
International Insurance Options
Overview
International insurance policies are also acceptable, provided they meet the minimum requirements. Specifically, the insurance must cover at least $50,000 USD for medical expenses associated with Covid-19 and $2,000 USD in accommodation expenses to cover at least 14 days of quarantine. You can find these requirements on the Tourism Institute (ICT)’s website.
International Insurance Options
We have been hearing from readers about international insurance options that they have used to enter Costa Rica. ICT has approved the policies when submitted for approval. So they seem to meet Costa Rica’s requirements, including the $2,000 for accommodation coverage in case of quarantine.
Here is a list of international insurance options.
Trawick International is the most popular because of their affordable rates. Many people have told us their policy was easily accepted when entering Costa Rica. Trawick offers the Safe Travels Voyager plan for US residents. The mandatory $2,000 accommodation coverage is included under Trip Delay.
Trawick also has two plans for travelers from other countries (outside the US). These plans meet Costa Rica’s requirements as well. They are the Safe Travels International plan and Safe Travels International Cost Saver plan.
Other international insurance companies that travelers have used include Insubuy, Travel Guard Preferred, and Seven Corners. Seven Corners offers coverage for residents of almost every country, with some exclusions.
*Note: If you purchase a Trawick insurance policy through the links above, we earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps support our site and allows us to keep this information up to date. Thank you!
Canada Residents: For Canadian residents, we have heard of people entering with TuGo and Blue Cross Blue Shield. For BCBS, they request a confirmation letter from them saying that it covers Covid and the $2,000 USD accommodation expense.
Another option we recently heard has worked for Canadian residents is Manulife. See comment from Bari on December 30. We have also heard that it worked for a couple of other people in December.
If you know of another insurance option, please let us know in the comments below.
IMPORTANT: Keep in mind that these insurance companies/policies have not been preapproved by the Costa Rican government. So you will still need to upload them for approval as part of the Health Pass.
We also cannot vouch for the companies in general, as we have not used them before ourselves. So you will need to do your own due diligence to make sure that the specific policy you’re buying meets the requirements and you are comfortable. Make sure they cover $50,000 in medical expenses for Covid-19 and $2,000 in accommodations due to quarantine.
If you’re using international insurance other than the widely used options above, we highly recommend emailing ICT/the Tourism Board with your policy information in advance so that you don’t have any problems. Print the email response from ICT and bring a hard copy in case you need to show it at the airport.
ICT’s email is seguros@ict.go.cr
Verifying Your International Policy
The country’s Tourism Institute is in charge of verifying that international policies comply with the requirements. The process is now digital. You will give your insurance information as part of the online Health Pass (see above).
You will upload to the Health Pass an insurance certificate (issued in English or Spanish) stating the following. It would still be a good idea to bring this document with you.
- The validity of the effective policy during your visit to Costa Rica.
- That it guarantees coverage for medical expenses associated with the pandemic disease COVID-19 in Costa Rica, for at least $50,000 (US dollars).
- That it includes a minimum coverage of $2,000 for extended lodging expenses due to pandemic illness.
After you complete the Health Pass, it will automatically generate a QR code that you can show Immigration when you check in for your flight.
HAVE MORE INSURANCE QUESTIONS?
If you still have questions about insurance, refer to our separate post, Costa Rica’s Required Travel Insurance. This provides more detail and covers 15 frequently asked questions.
3) Show Proof of Vaccination if Fully Vaccinated. *Only required up until March 30, 2022.
If you are fully vaccinated, you do not need to show Covid travel insurance to enter Costa Rica, provided you meet certain requirements.
You need to show proof of full vaccination (two doses, or one dose for Johnson & Johnson) through a record or vaccination card. The approved vaccines in Costa Rica are Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Astra-Zeneca, Johnson and Johnson, Sinovac-CoronaVac, Sinopharm, or Covaxin.
The document/vaccination card must include:
- Your full name
- Date you received each dose. *The last dose must have been administered at least 14 days prior to travel.
- Formula (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Astra-Zeneca, Johnson and Johnson, Sinovac-CoronaVac, Sinopharm, or Covaxin)
You will still need to fill out the online health pass.
You will upload your vaccination card or vaccination certificate to the health pass in advance. You will not need to show a hard copy.
Minors: All children under 18 do not need to show Covid travel insurance to enter Costa Rica.
4) Abide by the Regulations Put in Place by Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health During Your Visit
You must abide by all government regulations regarding Covid-19 during your visit. We cover below the requirements at the airport and throughout your trip.
Long-Term Visits and Visa Lengths
If you are planning a long-term visit to Costa Rica and are not vaccinated, you should know about an important government circular.
On November 1, 2020, Immigration announced that the number of days granted to tourists upon entry would depend on the travel insurance purchased. So, for example, if someone purchased 14 days’ worth of insurance, they would be granted a 14-day visa stamp.
Normally, the standard visa duration in Costa Rica is 90 days. (The exact number of days is up to the discretion of the immigration official, but 90 days is standard.) However, because tourists were purchasing insurance to cover only a small part of their stay (e.g., insurance for 7 days with the intention to remain in the country for several months), Immigration issued this rule.
So be sure to purchase insurance for the full duration of your stay. If you want to stay for 90 days, purchase 90 days’ worth of insurance and make sure your plane ticket out of Costa Rica matches and is for the same date.
Monthly and Annual Rental Car Discount: If you are planning a longer stay in Costa Rica, be sure to check out our monthly and annual car rental page. The rates are much lower than just renting by the day or week. This is through Adobe Rent a Car, who we have been recommending for years.
Showing Your QR Code and Documentation to Airport Officials
We have been closely following how it has been going for people entering Costa Rica during this time. The process seems to have become fairly streamlined and straightforward. As long as you have the right insurance and have a QR code, you shouldn’t have any problems.
At the airport during check in, the airlines usually want to see only your QR code and not the actual paper insurance documents. Still, if you’re using international insurance, it’s not a bad idea to bring a hard copy of the insurance certificate showing the necessary coverage, just in case.
When you arrive in Costa Rica, officials will check your QR code and only need to review your documentation if needed based on what you submitted online through the Health Pass. We have heard from many people that getting through customs and immigration at the airport has been very fast.
Costa Rica Entry Requirements for Citizens and Residents, and Tourists with a Direct Relationship
Below are the entry requirements for (1) Costa Rican citizens; (2) residents of Costa Rica; and (3) people with residency applications in process.
Citizens and residents are no longer required to quarantine for 14 days after entering Costa Rica.
Costa Rican Citizens and Residents
Residents
Permanent residents and temporary residents with legal status (cedulas) will need to present their passport, cedula/DIMEX card (or approval resolution if they haven’t received their DIMEX yet), and complete the Health Pass.
In addition, they will need to either (1) prove that their Caja payment is up to date; or (2) if their Caja is not current, purchase insurance with a minimum coverage of 22 days. During those 22 days, the resident is expected to settle up their Caja to ensure they are paid in full. Previously, residents could enter only with proof of their Caja being paid; however, after a few people were denied entry recently, the government modified this requirement.
For additional details on the requirements for residents, visit this website.
People with Residency Applications in Process
Those who have filed their residency application but have not yet been approved are considered tourists for purposes of entering Costa Rica.
Citizens
Nationals only need to complete the Health Pass to enter.
What is Open for Tourists?
Overview
Costa Rica has been working hard to reopen its economy for tourism. As of April 2022, most of the tourism industry is back open again.
Costa Rica had a very strong high season in 2021/2022. High season starts in December and ends in April.
As of April 15, 2022, 85% of the population has had at least one shot. 78% are fully vaccinated (two doses).
For information on Costa Rica’s current Covid numbers, read our separate post Costa Rica and the Coronavirus.
Businesses, Tours, and Attractions
Update: As of March 7, 2022, there are no restrictions to business hours.
Restriction Until March 7:
Businesses with a health permit (stores, restaurants, bars, etc.) can operate from 5:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. This is consistent with the driving curfew, which is also now from 5:00 a.m. to midnight.
Restaurants, bars, supermarkets, shops, etc. are open at 50% capacity. On December 1, this increased to 100% capacity for those businesses requiring proof of vaccination.
Hotels are open at full capacity, but common areas like pools and hotel restaurants need to be at 50% capacity.
Casinos at hotels are open at 75%, subject to certain limitations.
Beaches are open from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. every day.
National parks can operate at 100%.
This government website has more specific information on what is open (in Spanish).
Driving Restrictions/Curfew
Costa Rica has driving restrictions that limit travel based on license plate number. [Note: These ended on March 7, 2022.] Since rental cars are exempt, most tourists will not be affected by this. If you are pulled over by transit police during your stay, you will just need to show them your rental car contract.
Keep in mind, though, that there are nighttime curfews. Countrywide, driving is currently permitted from 5:00 a.m. to 12 a.m. Rental cars are still exempt from these requirements, but if you want to avoid getting pulled over, we’d recommend avoiding driving during the curfews.
Safety and Sanitary Measures That Travelers Need to Follow in Costa Rica
Since tourism is a huge part of the local economy in Costa Rica, the government is ready to welcome visitors once again. They have emphasized, however, that visitors need to follow all sanitary requirements to slow the spread of Covid-19. Costa Rica has a socialized health care system and a limited number of hospital beds that are filling up quickly. Making sure that the hospitals do not become overwhelmed is essential to further reopening tourism, and keeping both visitors and local residents safe.
Below are the main protocols that visitors to Costa Rica will need to abide by.
Follow Airport Protocols
Upon landing on Costa Rican soil, travelers must wear face protection (cloth mask that covers the nose and mouth) and comply with all airport protocols. This includes following the physical distance requirements, allowing for their temperatures to be taken, hand sanitizing at designated stations, and following any other sanitary measures.
Stay in Your Social Bubble
Costa Rica uses the social bubble philosophy for social distancing. People are encouraged to stay within their personal social bubble. Your social bubble is the people who you live with, most commonly, your family. For travelers, this will be easy. Your social bubble will be whoever you are traveling with.
You’ll notice when you get here that some common areas will be partitioned off or marked for social bubbling. At a few of the more popular beaches, they have put up bamboo markers to space people 1.8 meters (6 feet) apart. At other public spaces, similar measures have been put in place.
Wear a Mask
Masks covering the nose and mouth are required in most indoor spaces in Costa Rica. One is needed at grocery stores, all other stores and shops, banks, on buses and at bus stops, and in taxis. Some tours and attractions may require masks as well, so it’s always a good idea to carry one with you.
Masks are not required for customers at restaurants. However, the staff needs to wear them.
The government has stated that if you do not wear a mask, you may be denied entry. Businesses can temporarily lose their operating permit if customers are found in violation, so most establishments take the rules very seriously.
Preventative Measures to Protect Travelers (and Locals)
Overview
Sanitary Protocols
The Ministry of Health and President’s Office have established various sanitary guidelines that all tourism businesses must follow to protect both travelers and workers. Costa Rica’s tourism institute, the Instituto de Costarricense de Turismo (ICT), has specific guidelines that implement these protocols.
We have combed through these guidelines at length. They are extremely detailed and cover many different situations. They address the measures that tour guides and the staff at restaurants, hotels, rental car companies, etc. need to follow. They are aimed at providing training for the people who you will be interacting with during your trip.
Below are some notable measures that tourism businesses need to follow. They include measures on cleaning, sanitation, social distancing, personal protective equipment, food preparation, and lots more. This list is by no means exhaustive. We just included some of the more essential and interesting points.
Safe Travels Stamp
In addition, it is worth noting that Costa Rica has received the Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council. It has implemented 16 global health and hygiene protocols to promote safety in tourism.
Airport
Health and Safety Protocols
Preventative measures at SJO Airport include signage with physical distance guidance throughout the airport, sanitizing carpets, handwashing and sanitizing stations, temperature checks, continuous cleaning and disinfection, and luggage arrangement service at baggage claim.
For departing flights, a guard will screen at the entrance to make sure only passengers will be allowed in the terminal. Ticketing agents will be behind glass barriers. There will be social distancing in seating areas, and boarding passes will be self-scanned.
Airport Health Accreditation
In October, San Jose Airport received the Airport Health Accreditation from the International Council of Airports. This recognizes that SJO Airport has safe facilities and that appropriate precautions are being taken to reduce health risks. SJO Airport is currently one of 58 airports around the world with this designation.
Hotels
Hotels have many measures in place, including the following.
At check in, the receptionist should wear a mask and maintain social distance with fellow employees and guests. The reception area should be cleaned at least every 30 minutes.
Marks should be put on the floor to ensure guests are at least 1.8 meters apart.
Guests should handwash/sanitize before check in.
The phone numbers of hospitals and medical centers should be posted in the reception area.
Pre-check-in should be used whenever possible to limit time at the reception desk.
UV technology should be used to disinfect room keys.
Bellhops should disinfect the guest’s luggage as well as the baggage cart afterwards.
Cleaning staff needs to wear personal protective equipment (a uniform, mask, and gloves). They follow strict cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing procedures using approved chemicals. They should clean all bedding without shaking it and deep clean high-touch items like remote controls, doorknobs, light switches, lamps, coffee makers, etc. They need to keep a cleaning record.
Whether a room should be cleaned daily should be decided by the guest.
Guests should be informed of the sanitary practices being carried out at the time a reservation is made and on the hotel website.
Restaurants
At restaurants, employees must wear a mask and follow handwashing and cough and sneeze protocols. The restaurant must maintain and refill soap and hand sanitizing stations (automatic if possible) and in the bathroom. They must constantly clean and disinfect, with records to keep track.
Restaurants can be at 50% occupancy (or 100% capacity if they require proof of vaccination). Tables should be rearranged so that the backs of chairs are at least 1.8 meters apart.
Digital menus should be used when possible.
Markings should be added to the floor to maintain social distancing at waiting areas (bathrooms, cashier areas, etc.).
Food at buffets and salad bars should be handled by workers only.
Tours
Tours can operate at 50% capacity within social bubbles (or 100% capacity if they require proof of vaccination).
Tour guides must inform clients of the sanitary protocols and rules that they will be following during the activity.
Tour guides must have personal protective equipment, including masks. They must maintain distance between themselves and clients and have hand sanitizer available. They need to regularly disinfect frequently touched items like binoculars, scopes, lifejackets, flashlights, etc.
Social distancing between people of different social bubbles must be maintained. There should be at least 15 meters (50 feet) between different groups.
For hiking activities, they will limit groups to no more than 6 people. Groups should be people from the same social bubble. *You will see that many tour operators are offering only private tours for this reason.
Handwashing is required before entering a tourist site and when leaving.
Electronic payment is encouraged.
If a tour guide suspects a Covid-19 case, they will communicate this with the Ministry of Health using the official methods.
Rental Cars and Shuttles
Shuttles
Shuttle van companies need to clean and disinfect all vehicles before and after use. They need to give special attention to high-touch areas like handles, railings, seatbelts, seats, dashboards, and mirrors. They should keep daily cleaning records and wear personal protective equipment.
Drivers and personnel should wear a mask or face shield. They need to ensure that passengers comply with the mask requirement and not allow anyone in the van who appears sick.
They need to provide visitors with hand sanitizer before they enter the vehicle and disinfect their bags. Cleaning products and hand sanitizer should be available in the vehicle at all times.
Companies must display the sanitary protocols of the Ministry of Health in vehicles. They will provide information to passengers about ways to minimize health risk.
Rental Cars
Rental car companies must follow similar requirements.
They need to intensify cleaning and hygiene measures in their offices, focusing on surfaces where there is greater contact (e.g., handles, reception furniture, doorknobs, computers, railings).
Cars must be cleaned and disinfected before and after each rental using approved products. They should keep daily cleaning records. Employees must wear personal protective equipment.
Masks and gloves must be provided to employees who work with customers directly.
Hand sanitizer should be available to customers.
Companies should mark the floor to maintain social distance among customers who are waiting.
The temperature of both customers and employees should be taken upon entering a rental car office.
For car pickups and deliveries not at the company’s office (e.g., at hotels or vacation rentals), the employee must inform the customer in advance of the preventative and cleaning measures being taken. The employee will use preventative measures when interacting with the customer to maintain social distance. Examples include asking the customer to put the keys on the hood rather than exchanging them directly for returns and disinfecting high-touch areas like the steering wheel, gear lever, and door handle when dropping off a car for a customer.
Companies should email vehicle inspection reports to customers.
They should implement electronic payment methods or contactless credit/debit cards when possible.
Where to Get a Covid-19 Test in Costa Rica
If you need a Covid-19 test at the end of your trip for purposes of onward travel, there are several convenient options. Read our separate post, Where to Get a Covid-19 Test in Costa Rica, for recommended hospitals and labs and what to expect.
Last Updated: May 17, 2022
Have a question about traveling to Costa Rica during Covid-19? Leave us a comment below.
Looking for more information? Check out these posts:
Costa Rica and the Coronavirus: We are updating this post almost every day with the latest data and restrictions in place.
Living in Costa Rica During Covid-19: Our more personal account on what it has been like to live in Costa Rica during this time.
Destinations Summary Guide: If you’re at the beginning of your planning, this guide can give you a head start. It summarizes every destination we cover on our website to help you narrow your itinerary.
Rental Car Discount: If you plan to rent a car during your upcoming trip, check out this discount to save 10-20% with one of the most reliable companies in Costa Rica. Safety protocols are a top priority.72
We are a 64 yr old Canadian couple that were planning a 6 month trip to Costa Rica but sadly we had to cancel it is almost impossible to go for a test in Canada and get the results within 48 hrs and that insurance is very costly you can’t buy it here and buying in CR will be over 1200 for 3 months.The 90 day stamp visa holds us back also in other yrs we could do the border run not now it’s sad because we would have helped all the businesses probably would have spent 20 to 25 thousand dollars
Hi Gerald, The government announced the other day that they are going to reconsider the insurance so hopefully the rate through INS will go down significantly or they will start accepting international insurance. Yes, border runs will be tough for quite a while as it is unlikely that they will open the land borders since Panama and Nicaragua have such high numbers. Thanks for commenting and we are hopeful that things will turn around soon.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/127573880603797/permalink/3915791931781954/
John, thank you. I take it you are in Costa Rica now and everything worked fine with the insurance? Do you know if Travelex only reimburses medical expenses or if with preauthorization, medical providers will just accept what Travelex pays to them? I don’t really expect you to know the answer, but just wondering if you’ve done some research on how the actual medical payment process works?
I just visited in November. I got the sagicor insurance, printed the receipt out, and had the heath pass printed as well. I breezed through customs without any problems. paid about $77 for the week, but no problems. everything in CR is about the same except face masks EVERYWHERE and bars close easier on weekends. still had a great trip!
I have noticed in many of the international travel insurance plans there is a reference to quarantine under either trip delay or trip interruption provisions. Any idea if these would aply to Costa Rica’s requirement?
Hi Jim, Yes, we have noticed that too. Those plans could work but it is up to the discretion of ICT, so we would email them that language to be sure. And print out their response and bring it with you just in case. Their email is seguros@ict.go.cr
We purchased travel insurance through World Nomads for our upcoming trip (October 30). A World Nomads representative I spoke with on the phone didn’t think the policy met the $2,000 coverage for quarantine – she thought quarantine would be covered under Trip Delay, which only has a $500 limit – but we submitted the policy details to the Tourism Authority via email and received their approval the next day! Seems they, and I, think quarantine accommodation is covered under Trip Interruption, which has a $2,000 limit. The policy is considerably cheaper than those offered by the two Costa Rican companies, and their website is MUCH easier to navigate. Hope this helps.
Very helpful – thank you!
Did you have to purchase the travel insurance prior to emailing them to get the approval? Or did you just have to send them the policy. I don’t want to purchase something only for the Tourism Authority to not accept. Thanks!
Hi Jessie, No, you don’t need to purchase the policy in advance. They just need to know the exact coverage that is provided in order to tell you if it meets the requirements.
Hey Jenn and Matt
I just want to let you know your spot on. My Husband and I have property in Lagunas. I have been following you for years. I just want your readers to know. That traveling at this time is hard. But Costa Rica has it down. We traveled in November for 2 weeks from New Jersey. I was so pleasantly surprised. Everything that I just read Was so true!! My husband and I think the USA should take note. Thank you Jenn and Matt for all this great information. I hope and pray that everyone that travels to Costa Rica continues to stays safe. We will be coming back on Jan 25,2021 for 2 weeks. I would love to meet both you and Matt. On our way down the coast. Pura Vida Let me know if that’s possible. Love Kathy and Craig
Hi Kathy and Craig, Thanks for following us. Funny, we actually lived in Lagunas for a while. Small world. Maybe we will run into each other sometime in the future. Right now, we’re keeping our circle small due to COVID. Wishing you safe travels. Pura vida!
We own a house in Costa Rica. We do not need accommodation insurance. What do I need to prove we do not?? I should mention I am a US cirizen
Hi Michelle, People have been using the deed for their property to avoid the accommodation insurance. It needs to be in your name.
Hi Jenn and Matt
Do we need a return flight ticket to enter Costa Rica…or can we fly in and book our return (within the 90 days) while we are in the country
Trying to stay flexible in these trying times
Best
Tony
Hi Tony, Yes, a return ticket within 90 days has always been a requirement. You could always get a flexible fare ticket and change your departure date later on. Just be sure to purchase insurance for the maximum amount of time you’ll want to stay because your entry stamp will be based directly on your insurance. It’s a pain to get additional time on your visa later so better to plan it out well in advance. Thinking it through, it’s probably best to have your plane ticket be for the maximum stay also so that you definitely get that many days for a visa. Best to have your plane ticket exit date and insurance match.
Thanks. Great site. Really useful information. Well done.
Hi Jenn & Matt.
Thanks so much for all the information on your website. I am travelling to Costa Rica next week for 60days. I have an annual travel insurance policy, do you know if this is accepted or does it need to be trip specific? Thanks Ellie
Hi Ellie, That should be fine. We don’t think it has to be trip specific. It just needs to cover your dates of travel. They should base your visa stamp on your plane ticket exit date.
Hi Jenn and Matt thanks for the helpful info. Our testing location is asking for our passport information in advance. Is this normal
Yes, that is normal. They have to gather certain information from each person to send to the government. This is for all Covid testing. You will have to fill out a form online as well beforehand with some personal information. It is only used internally by the government for tracking Covid data.
Hi Matt and Jen: Normally I live about 10 miles south of San Isidro, on the road to Pejibaye. I had to come back to Florida and I’ve been stuck here for almost a year. Unfortunately, I am not a Costa Rican citizen. — I just received my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Have you heard if the Costa Rican government to ease insurance restrictions for vaccinated foreigners? Thanks for all your help and the wealth of information. And thanks for your time.
Hi Garry, Unfortunately the government hasn’t said anything about removing the travel insurance requirement if you have had the vaccine. If they do, we will be sure to update this post.
If you have proof of a long term rental, you should be able to avoid the accommodation insurance coverage and only need to show medical coverage.
Hope you can get back to CR soon!
Hi guys,
I’m curious if you are aware of any updates re: insurance requirements?
I really do not want to be traveling at all right now and I haven’t left my tiny community in coastal California since 2/2020 due to pandemic. I have to go down because my “host” family of 34 years – mami is in heart failure and wants to see me again. This is a horrible experience to say the least.
I receive dose 2 pf Pfizer-BioNTech on April second, I plan to depart immediately. I am planning to completely isolate with “family” there with no plans to sight see go to beaches etc.
Thank you for any advice, I may only stay for 10 days.
Hi Emily, As of now, you still need to show the travel insurance to enter Costa Rica even if you have already been vaccinated. We will update this post if anything changes. Sorry you are coming back for such a sad reason. Safe travels!
I was having a hard time finding a place to add a comment so hopefully this reply to yours is ok. We are travelling to Costa Rica from Canada in February. We are fully vaccinated but still have to get a PCR test done prior to returning home. Our question is about what happens if we test positive and are required to quarantine in Costa Rica, is there any accommodation set aside near Liberia for Covid positive travellers. Thank you.
Hi Margo, You get to choose your accommodations if you need to quarantine. It can be a hotel or vacation rental. The government does not have accommodations set aside for Covid quarantine.
Hello. If one tests positive in Costa Rica where would they quarantine? Is this something they choose themselves?
Hi Margaret, Yes, you choose your own place to quarantine. We just came out with a post about testing positive in Costa Rica. Here is the link.
Hi there. Do you have a list of which hotels the feed into Arenal Hot Springs will be open Oct 5? Not just the room but the springs as well? Thanks.
Hi Mel, Here is what we know. Tabacon Thermal Resort and Spa is closed now and expected to reopen on Nov. 13. The Springs Resort and Spa is still closed too. As far as we know, the following are currently open:
1. Arenal Springs Resort and Spa
2. The luxury Nayara Hotel and Nayara Springs
3. Arenal Kioro Suites and Spa
4. Baldi Hot Springs Resort and Spa
5. Hotel El Silencio del Campo (has a few hot springs pools)
These are some of the most popular options with hot springs on site. You can learn more about many of these in our post La Fortuna Hotel Guide.
I stayed at Baldi Hot Springs hotel and used their facilities for two days on November 13 & 14. It was great because there were hardly any people there and the rooms were 50% off.
When traveling back to the USA, do people have to quarentine in Costa Rica for 14 days then they are allowed to fly back to the USA?
Hi Tommy, There isn’t any general requirement for the United States. Some states are requiring a negative Covid test before you can reenter and others require a 14 day quarantine. Some states don’t require anything, it just depends on the specific state. Here is a link to a CNN article with a state by state breakdown: http://www.cnn.com/travel/amp/us-state-travel-restrictions-covid-19/index.html
Hi there how strict is the health pass exit date? A few of us are thinking of extending our trip by a week or two before heading back to Europe and heard that many people are doing it but not sure if it’s ok and how to do it (without flying out)?
Hi Caro, Technically you would be overstaying your visa. What you’re supposed to do to stay longer is purchase more insurance and then request additional time from
Migration. Not sure how easy that is. We have heard you can do it at the airport but haven’t heard anyone report back on how it worked out. Yes, people are overstaying. They may not get caught but it could be noticed upon exiting the country or if you ever tried to enter again. It also seems risky if you are driving here, as your foreign driver’s license is valid via your visa stamp so your stamp needs to be valid. Hope that helps!
Hi caro – how did the visa extension work out? Did you just simply overstay? Any info would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks 🙂
Does anyone know if I can overstay a few days past the 28 days on my visa? Any experiences? I don’t think that adding a few days to the Trawick insurance policy would be difficult, but I don’t know how to extend the visa, or if it’s necessary at all.
Hi Karen, We have heard secondhand that Trawick won’t extend your policy if you’re already in Costa Rica. But you could purchase INS or Sagicor locally. Or another international policy.
For information on our staying your visa, see our responses to Andrea on Jan. 2 and Jon on Dec. 28.
hi there. Lots of great info on here. I am very interested in the land border open to EXIT CR and wonder if you could point me to the source of this information because I have asked the question of Outlier Legal whether it would be possible to purchase an onward bus ticket instead of a return flight ticket as a way of achieving our entry as tourists with the intent to apply for residency immediately upon arrival in CR. They told me that the land borders are closed and there is no alternative to purchasing a round ticket as a tourist. Appreciate anyone else chiming in her too. Thanks
Hi Elizabeth, Land borders are open to tourists exiting but not entering. The Migration website doesn’t say it directly but on their page with the requirements for exiting the border toward Nicaragua, it talks about extranjeros (foreigners). We have also heard from a few different people that they have successfully exited to Nicaragua.
Some people will say otherwise, but a plane ticket (as opposed to a bus ticket) has always been required as proof of departure from Costa Rica. It’s supposed to be back to your home country. So that may be why Outlier said that. Not sure.
Hello there; I’m planning a trip to Nicaragua, through Costa Rica in mid February. I need to stay in San Jose for 2 days in order to get a covid test done before going on to Nicaragua. Is there a limit in the amount of time I can stay in Costa Rica before moving on to Nicaragua? Thank you so much.
Hi Jose, When you arrive in Costa Rica, they will give you a visa stamp for the number of days of insurance you have purchased. So if you buy two days’ worth of insurance, you’ll be given two days in the country. The maximum length of a tourist visa is 90 days.
Thank you so much for your reply.
I hope you don’t mind; but I have another question, maybe is a silly question but I need to ask to put my mind at ease……
If I purchase 5 days’ worth of insurance; but decide to leave after 2 days, is that okay?
Thank you for your attention to this matter, much appreciated.
Yes, of course! 🙂
Hello!
We visited Costa Rica back in 2019 and fell in love.
I have been worried to hear about the impact of the loss of tourism and I wondered if you were aware of any legitimate ways we can help from afar?
I’m just conscious there are a lot of internet scammers out there and I thought perhaps I would contact someone on the ground?
I hope you don’t mind and that there is a way we can help.
Thanks
Natalie Beaumont
Super informative article. Has anyone used Safety Wing (Nomad Plan) as insurance to enter Costa Rica ?
The insurance policy meets the requirements on paper, but just wanted to know whether someone who used it could confirm.
Thanks
Hi Umar, We haven’t heard of anyone using it yet but maybe someone will chime in.
I recently arrived on March 29 and did not notice until recently that the border official only stamped me 7 days on my passport. He asked to see my itinerary back to Canada (I’m a Canadian passport holder) and it’s for June 6th. I did all the proper protocols with health pass and also have covid policy until June 7. I called ICT and they directed me to immigration phone number (but auto responses are in Spanish). Even asked my tico boyfriend to help with calling but there was no option to talk to an agent. Finally talked to Canadian embassy who forwarded me to the consulate – they recommend I email seguros@ict (which I believe was the same dept I contacted primarily) with my situation and attach my covid policy. I did that as well as my email itinerary of going back. Not sure what else I can do – they also said to contact the call Center 1311 but to do that after I email. Still waiting for a response (only been a day) but I’m still not sure If there’s anything else I need to do. This is my third time in CR, and both times before, they gave me 90 days. Both times were at SjO, but this one I went to LIR. I don’t want to break any laws with overstaying but Not sure why it’d only be 7 days. Questions with the border officer was fine..Any feedback would be great ! Gracias
Great information – thank you! We miss Costa Rica and were thinking about returning in March. Hopefully by then, the U.S. sees improvement and we will be permitted. Fingers crossed!
Hi JP, Yes, fingers crossed that travel is happening again like (almost) normal by next March. We are hopeful!
Great summary Matt, hopefully some of the restrictions will ease up in the future because the insurance thing is really an expensive add on for tourists.
We are struggling with the 72 hour covid test….we are scheduled to fly wed at 6am and there is no open testing sites on sunday…..any hope of allowing something different? Rapid test, saliva test or greater window? There are no tests guarantee 72 hour results and don’t want to risk not getting on the plan, so might have to cancel just because of yhat
Hi Amy, Unfortunately, they are not making exceptions to the 72 hours or test type. A PCR test is required. Where are you traveling from? People have found private testing sites that can meet the time requirements in many places in Canada and the US. Sometimes it is expensive, though. You could join this excellent group on Facebook called Costa Rica Bound and use the search function to see if anyone has traveled from where you are coming from: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3184512501609792/?ref=share
In that group, people have been sharing their experience entering CR during this time and it has been very helpful. Hope you can figure out a way to make it work.
I feel that Costa Rica is arbitrarily discriminating against U. S. citizens. Allegedly based on COVID regulations of WHO, an entity that discriminates against the U. S. for calling out its CCP bias and our defunding, it still makes no sense. Of course, Germans are known for their lock-step obedience to government regs and thus a low death per Million count, Spain has a death per M that is 125% of the U. S.
I have been here for a year assessing whether I want to stay permanently. I doubt I will stay.
How much is the ins insurance and do they sell it at the airport
Hi Giovanni, The INS insurance is based on your age and trip duration. You can buy it using this link. We expect the government to make an announcement about insurance soon, hopefully allowing for more choices, as the INS insurance is quite expensive.
Thank you for providing excellent information for international tourists. I am Canadian and have a six month trip booked arriving November 1 so really hope I don’t have to cancel. The insurance is a big problem and very costly. Not sure as to the time required to obtain a COVID-19 negative test. These are challenging times for sure!!
Hi Charlene, Challenging times, for sure. Hopefully by November 1, things will have settled down some and maybe some requirements will be less strict. They are definitely still working out the kinks. We expect the government to annouce changes to the insurance requirement today (hopefully allowing international policies), after there were a lot of concerns over the price of the INS policy. We’ll keep you updated!
Thank you……..you are doing a “standup job” through your website……for tourists!!
what happens if your flight from Canada goes through Mexico City?
Hi Iris, Only flights that come direct from an approved country are permitted.
First, thank you for all this informative information! But just to make sure…US citizens are not yet allowed to enter into CR, right?? I’m dying to go! I daydream about working for a week or two there in a remote hut in the jungle…please let me know if I cannot enter 100%, being a US citizen 🙁
Hi MS, Yes, currently US citizens are not allowed into Costa Rica. Hopefully that will change soon. Glad our site has been helpful to you!
Hi Jenn and Matt,
Great info thank you! We are planning to travel from Canada this winter. Can you confirm LIR airport is still closed and any info on re-opening.
Thank you
Hi AC, LIR Airport has all the protocols/approvals in place to have flights but there aren’t any flights scheduled yet as far as we know. They are starting with flights into San José for now. Private charters have started coming into LIR, though. Flights from Canada are supposed to be scheduled in the coming months (we’ve heard Sept.), but so far, we’ve only heard into San José. But that could change. Hope that helps!
Hello Jenn and Matt,
I’m an American citizen who arrived in early March before the Covid concerns hit critical mass, and my two month stay got extended to five and counting. After sheltering in place, I’m leaving tomorrow to do some traveling around the country prior to my departure in 10 days. I followed your link for insurance to cotiza.ins-cr.com, but wondered if you could offer clarification. I believe I’ve read in two of your articles the need for 20K/4k, and 50k/4k medical coverage and accommodation coverage respectively. Their website quote seems to support 20K/4K from what I can see. Also, I had used World Nomads insurance previously in my trip, which after some earlier confusion in whether they covered Covid, seems to offer the coverage as well. Is the link to the provider you list the only one we should be working with as far as CR’s government is concerned? Or do you know if other companies can offer similar coverage? Thank you!
Hi Brian, There are currently 2 insurance companies in Costa Rica that are approved to offer the Covid insurance: INS, which you already found, and another company called Sagicor. The government (head of insurance in CR) has preapproved these companies, so if you purchase through them, you are ensured that your policy will meet minimmum requirements. We updated our article tonight to make that more clear. Maybe give it a quick reread to see if it helps clear things up.
As for the $20K vs. $50K, the correct amount you need for medical if you use an international insurance company is $50K. This comes directly from the ICT’s website. You can find the link here. We’ve read the Ministry of Health’s latest official decree from Aug. 5 in La Gaceta where all this originally came from, and it doesn’t say anything specific about the exact amount required for medical and accommodation expenses, only that it has to cover minimum medical expenses for hospitalization for Covid and 14 days of lodging – you can see the full text below if you’re interested. The $50K language seems to have come from a letter from the new Minister of Tourism, Gustavo Segura, that was recently circulated (see this article for more). The $20K amount was relevant before but we can’t locate an official document with it right now. Maybe it applies to the amount that the Costa Rican insurance companies are required to cover, as you said? Not sure why there would be a difference in coverage amount but we would assume that the ICT is correct on the amount since they are the ones verifying policies.
Hope that helps. As for the World Nomads coverage, does it also cover lodging expenses for quaratine? That seems to be the tricky point.
Translation of Decree 42517-MGP-S, as revised on August 5
“Have travel insurance that covers at least accommodation expenses and medical expenses generated by the disease COVID-19, offered by one of the insurers authorized by the General Superintendence of Insurance in Costa Rica and duly registered with said authority; or have current insurance with international coverage to cover medical expenses generated by the COVID-19 disease, minimum medical expenses equivalent to the costs of confinement to a hospital for the time required by said hospitalization and minimum coverage of 14 days for lodging expenses, […]. In case that the insurance with international coverage does not comply with any of these requirements, the foreign national must purchase travel insurance offered by any of the insurers authorized by the General Superintendence of Insurance in Costa Rica and duly registered by said authority.”
Hi, and thanks, so much, for all your hard work in keeping this site up to date!
I don’t understand the the meaning of the “(except for a temporary closure from August 10-21)” statement. …Why the temporary closure, and what will be closed?
“Previously, most businesses were closed in orange alert zones except for those that sell essentials (e.g., grocery stores, pharmacies). However, starting on August 1, more businesses opened in these zones (except for a temporary closure from August 10-21).”
Hi,.
Was just st wondering if the insurance requirement is affected by people who have been fully vaccinated? Still required?
Thank you
Hi Mary, Yes, right now Costa Rica is still requiring the insurance even if you have been vaccinated. We cover this and other FAQs in our separate article, Costa Rica’s Required Insurance: 15 FAQs (https://www.twoweeksincostarica.com/costa-rica-required-travel-insurance/).
If anything changed, we will update our articles.
Hi Mary!
I’m not surprised to see that your question has been answered, definitively, by Jenn and/or Matt!
Thanks Jenn & Matt! : )
Hi,
I just posted the question regarding a temporary closure of businesses from August 10=21.
After returning to the main page, I discovered, through further reading, the following explanation: “The purpose is to allow the economy to reactivate but provide a pause that allows the healthcare system to rebound.”
I guess that would be the answer to my question, even though it still seems slightly confusing.
In any case, thanks again & Stay Healthy!!!
Hi Glen, Yes, that was the rationale behind the temporary closure from August 10-21. They have since relaxed some of that and allowed some businesses to open in orange alert areas during that period because a lot of people were upset. The strict driving restrictions are still in place, though, so even though the businesses are open, people can only drive two days a week. But this doesn’t apply to most tourists, since rental cars are exempt from the driving restrictions. It’s all very confusing, for sure!
Hi Jenn & Matt!
Thanks, so much, for your considerate reply!
As a wildlife videographer, for obvious reasons, Costa Rica has been my
#1 destination! My first visit was in 1993, and after many years had passed,
I’ve visited nine times since 2017 ..sometimes for extended stays of more
than two months. I’m sure you know that a lot has changed since 1993,
when there was no proper road into Puerto Viejo, and one had to cross a
stream by very carefully driving over two wooden planks!
Well, in spite of development, most fortunately, if one chooses a propitious
location, it is still quite possible to enjoy the marvelous, and diverse Wildlife
without even having to leave the house! : )
If you ever have a little “free” time, and a good internet connection, you
might enjoy checking out a couple of my videos, which clearly illustrate the
reason I keep returning to Costa Rica to film wildlife! ..who knows ..you may
even see someone you know! : )
primarily featuring the southernmost Pacific cost (Cabo Matapalo
and Punta Banco):
https://vimeo.com/351105780
primarily featuring the southernmost Caribbean side, near Punta Uva:
https://vimeo.com/327513588
Meanwhile, Thanks again for all your hard work with keeping your site up
to date! Stay Healthy!!!
All very best wishes to you all!!!
Glen Smith
ps. I’m going to wait to return until it’s “fun” to travel again
..the sooner, the better!!!
Glen Smith, Mato Palo and Punta Uva are two places I’ve been wanting to go to for a long time. I’ve been to Playa Zancudo and to Puerto Viejo numerous times, but have never made it to the end of the road on both coasts. Thanks for the videos. I’ll have to watch them later.
Hi Jay! Thanks for your message! You are most welcome! Hopefully, you’ll enjoy the videos, and eventually make it to Punta Uva and Cabo Matapalo! Punta Uva is pretty close to the border, and where I was in Matapalo was about 18 km from Puerto Jimenez, which was enough rough road for me, even though that road continues another 27.2 km. to Carate! : )
Hi Jenn & Matt!
Thanks, so much, for your considerate reply!
The logistics of travel are often challenging, even under far better circumstances, so, considering the restrictions (understandably) imposed during this bizarre episode, I
will wait until everything is much closer to “normal” before returning to Costa Rica
for the eleventh time.
ps. I have to assume that a comment, and previous reply I posted were rejected because
they contained a couple url’s for my (nonprofit) Costa Rica Wildlife videos. Is that correct?
If so, it might be helpful to add some guidelines for comments/posts.
In any event, thanks again for all your hard work! Stay Healthy!!!
All very best wishes!!! g.smith
Hi Glen, Sorry, we did not reject your previous comment. We just did not have the time yet to get around to approving it. We go through them to make sure there is no spam getting through. Thank you for sharing your videos. We will check them out. A couple of months ago, we spent some time in Pavones and Punta Banco and loved it. Very beautiful and full of wildlife, we can see why you’d be inspired to do videos there.
Hi Jenn & Matt, Thanks for your reply!
I apologize for failing to consider the fact that you have so much work to do sitewide!
Your work here is much appreciated!
Thanks again & Stay Healthy!!!
All very best wishes!!!
g.smith
Hi Jenn and Matt!
You guys must be exhausted trying to keep up with, and report, all the daily changes as this bizarre episode drags on!
I’m exhausted from just skimming through the many many posts! : )
Thanks, so much, for your amazing dedication to locating and relating helpful information!
Hats off, too, to the stalwart travelers who are willing to endure all the stultifying, and often confusing, requirements and restrictions!
I’ve visited Costa Rica many times, but I’ll have to wait until the entry situation is Much Easier!
I’m sure we’re all Hoping that will be Soon, and 2021 will be much Brighter!
Hang in there & Keep Hope Alive!!!
Thanks so much, again!
All very best wishes to your family and you and all!!!
I am a CR resident now in the US who left CR before 24 March. I plan to return next month on one of United’s repatriation flights from Houston. I understand that under current protocols, I must agree to self-quarantine at my home for 14 days upon arrival at SJO. I live in Brasilito, Guanacaste, approximately a 4.5 hour (non-stop) drive from SJO. Are you aware of any requirements imposed by the quarantine order on travel from the SJO airport to one’s place of CR residence? Because of my uncertainty over how many hours it will take to clear Health and Migracion checks at SJO (I’ve heard stories of up to 3 hours), I would like to overnight at an airport hotel and either travel to Brasilito the following day by rental car (with Brasilito area dropoff) or take a tourist transit van. Thanks.
PS – I’ve found highly informative your many posts on CR life as I navigated details for living in Costa Rica. Muchas gracias!
Hi John, We have not yet seen the exact text of a quarantine order but would assume that they want you to go straight to your house, even if it is hard with your flight arrival time. You could ask a lawyer in CR for their opinion since they would know more. We can give you the contact of a reputable firm that does immigration law if you’d like. Just reply to this thread and we can send the info by email. Glad that our posts on living here have been helpful to you. Welcome home soon! 🙂
I am in the same situation as John, a Permanent Resident who left before March 24. I am currently working in the USA waiting to return to CR. Is there anything that I can do to avoid the 14-day quarantine? Would you please provide contact information to an immigration lawyer?
Hi Steve, You can avoid the 14 day quarantine if you come with a negative Covid test and are traveling from an approved state where you have been for at least 14 days. We will send you the lawyer contact information now. Look for it in your email. Thanks!
Hi Jenn and Matt – Thanks for your very prompt reply. Yes, please send me the contact info for the firm you referenced.
John
You’re very welcome, John. We just emailed you the information.
I just wanted to say thank you for having such an amazingly thorough site! I’m in the US and know it will be a while before I’ll be able to come down (insert very sad face), but your site provides a ton of useful information and helps me stay on top of the latest developments. Sending healthy vibes to CR from CA!
Thanks Lindsay! Glad the info has been helpful to you. We have our fingers crossed for the US!
Hey! :
Thanks for providing all this info! Short question: is it easy to travel around Costa Rica these days? I’ll be going in early september, and will hopefully spend some time at the caribbean coast due to drier weather.
Fred
Hi Fred, Rental cars and tourist transfer companies are exempt from the driving restrictions so it’s not too hard to get around. Many things are opening up. You should just be aware of if you are traveling to any orange alert zones where there are more restrictions (beaches close at 9:30 am instead of 2:30 pm, etc.). Currently, nowhere on the Caribbean coast is under an orange alert. You can use this link to check for alerts – they have a nice interactive map.
It should be great weather-wise for your trip to the Caribbean. Hope you enjoy it and everything goes smoothly!
We have a trip planned for early November but I am concerned about the COVID testing. 48 hours is way too short of a turnaround time and I hope they will expand the window up to 7 days. It’s too big of a risk for us to proceed with our trip with the 48 hour testing because our free cancellation for our hotels expires 48 hours before our day of arrival!
Hi Jon, Yes, the 48 hours is very difficult for people. We have been hearing it a lot from Canadians who are trying to get here. Hopefully the government will expand the window as you suggest. We will update this post if we hear about any changes. We are also announcing any big updates on our Facebook page as they happen if you’d like to follow along there.
Thanks for your updates! Costa is now allowing a limited opening to the US, however obtaining a 48hr PCR test and results in the US at this time is close to impossible!! It seems this “opening” will be very, very limited unless the approved states have faster test result capabilities.
Unless the 48hr requirement is relaxed to 96 hrs or something less stringent, I am curious who will actually be eligible to make the trip? At this time, the turnaround time for a PCR test can be 3-7 days for results.
Hi David, Yes, the 48 hours will be really tough to meet from what we’ve been hearing. Hopefully the government realizes this and allows for a little more flexibility. People in Canada have been struggling to get their results in time but they are making it happen. The first flights have arrived from Canada (private) and it seems that everyone got in, although there were some problems for people who didn’t get their results in time. They had to wait it out at the airport from what we understand. Others had their results already. It sounds like people in Canada are paying extra to process their results faster. We’ll update this post if we hear about any changes to the requirement.
Thanks for all the great information on entry into Costa Rica. Very helpful and informative!! My wife and I are building a home in Hacienda Pinilla and are expected to at least hear the country to starting to open up the boarders. Even if they make you jump through a bunch of hoops to make it happen. We live in Colorado so keeping our fingers crossed our stated is added to the list of approved states soon. We are hoping to make a trip or two down in October/November if/when CO gets added. The trouble I’m having right now is finding any international travel insurance companies that will include the $2K accommodation insurance in their policy, if you find anything in your research please let me know. I’ll continue to check for updates on this page and your FB page as well. Thanks again!!
Hi Erik, We’ll be sure to update this post if we hear of any international insurers that cover the accommodation piece. So far, we haven’t heard of anything. Hope you and your wife can get back to Guanacaste soon! It seems optimistic for Colorado after what the Minister of Tourism said during the recent press conference.
Tilley! – Fancy seeing you here! We’ll be in Tamarindo at Capitan Suizo on 11/15 for 10 days. Would be great if we ran into each other!
Did you find insurance yet or testing?
Thanks for the response, Matt and Jenn. I went with INS, which actually defaults to the 20K coverage, so that is what I have, and frankly, was the easier of the two companies (plus the ICT link here) to navigate, though it seemingly requires you to name a Costa Rican citizen or resident as a beneficiary, or at least there were no straightforward ID options for American beneficiaries (e.g., via passport, or gov’t ID). I was lucky to have someone I knew to get through that part of the process. And another sticking point was trying to enter what the purpose of my travels were, which required a 4 digit code I didn’t know, vs. a fill in the blank answer. I eventually managed to get through it somehow.
Anyway, thanks again and cheers.
Brian
As a Canadian I booked my flight through New Jersey as an overnight stay as I could not get a direct flight from Canada in August or September. Have not seen my wife who is a Costa Rica resident (not citizen) since the winter. I did get a reasonable rate on insurance through INS for my 90 day stay at my home in CR. I am now worried about two things. 1) Ontario says it takes 2-5 days to get results and therefore not enough time to get result and download. I am also worried about the 14 day stay requirement from one country. I have been in Canada for many months and since I am travelling though the US even though its a state they are allowing in will I be denied entry.
Hi Greg, The government announced today during the press conference that test results within 72 hours are fine now, so that should help some. Still doesn’t get you to 5 days, but maybe you can get a private lab to guarantee results within that time frame? If it is helpful, we heard second hand from someone who recently arrived in CR that their test results were slightly over (not by a full 24 hours but a good chunk of time) and they were still let in.
As for whether you need to stay in NJ for 14 days before, we’re not totally sure but it seems that since NJ is on the approved list, you shouldn’t have any problems. In addition, since your wife is a Costa Rican resident, that should help as well. The language of the official decree seems to say that you can enter as a tourist because your wife is a CR resident. You would need a copy of your marriage certificate to prove the link, just like you would if she were a CR citizen. Check out this link. They are a reputable law firm who has been following this issue closely. You may want to reach out to them to see if this is true because it would be an easier way in. Best of luck and hope everything works out!
Thanks for your note back. That is good news. In Ontario testing can only be done at public health facilities but I will go to one that is close to the lab where they process the samples. My understanding is I need to download the results before I arrive with the Health questionairre. Is this the procedure? In regards to New Jersey with an early morning flight to CR I will stay in the airport overnight when I fly in from Toronto the night before instead of a hotel just to make sure there is no issue. Thanks for a great webinar and your quick and through answers. I am going to apply for residency and will contact the lawyer about this.
Hi guys, thank you so much for this super informal post. It’s been so helpful, I have scoured it several times! I just heard the news that CR will extend the PCR test turnaround time to 72 hours from 1st Sept (https://ticotimes.net/2020/08/27/costa-rica-expands-list-of-authorized-states-for-u-s-tourists-relaxes-covid-test-requirement). It has not been updated on the gov website, tourism website or health declaration yet. But if you could shed any light on it at all that would be amazing. Thank you.
Hi Sophie, Glad our post has been helpful to you!
Yes, during the press conference today, we heard the Minister of Tourism announce that test results within 72 hours are fine now. They also expanded the list of US states that can enter. Starting on September 1, it’s Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC (along with the other 6 states previously named – NY, NJ, CT, ME, NH, and VT). On September 15, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Colorado will be allowed too. The formal legal resolution is not out yet. But once it is, we will update this post with more details. Should be official, though, since it came directly from the Minister of Tourism.
Hi Jenn & Matt, thank you so much for your prompt response and all your help putting together this informative page. I think I can speak for all your readers when I say we really appreciate the work you put in! I’ll keep checking back here and on the gov website. Hopefully we should have final confirmation and be able to book our flights. (YAY)
Hi Jenn and Matt. Thank you so much for your advises.
I just came back to Costa Rica as a resident, from Europe, and I have negative test for covid. But I have to be in quarantena.
I have read this:
Residents will be required to do a 14-day quarantine unless they are traveling from an approved country, have been there for at least 14 days, and have a negative Covid test that meets the requirements above.
My question is what is an official note from Ministerio de Salud?
Because of course, I would do anything fot not to be in quarantena:)
Where I could call?
Many thanks.
Petra
Hi Petra, If you came from an authorized country and were there for 14 days prior to traveling and also have a negative Covid test, you should not have to quarantine. Circular AJ-146708-2020 says this. Go to section 2, Personas con permanencia legal autorizada, part 5, Orden Sanitaria. It says:
“A toda persona con permanencia legal autorizada bajo una de las categorías migratorias supra citadas, se le deberá aplicar una orden sanitaria de aislamiento por 14 días, con fundamento en los decretos 42238-MGP-S y 42513-MGP-S.
Consideraciones importantes sobre orden sanitaria para residentes
-Si la persona proviene de un país autorizado y al momento de realizar el control migratorio logra demostrar que permaneció en dicho país al menos los 14 días previos a su abordaje en el vuelo, así como haberse realizado dentro de las 48 horas anteriores a su salida hacia Costa Rica, una prueba denominada PCR-RT de COVID-19 con resultado negativo, podrá obviarse la orden sanitaria de aislamiento antes referida.
-PARA ESTE SUPUESTO DEBEN CONSTAR LOS 3 REQUISITOS ANTERIORES, CASO CONTRARIO NO SE PUEDE EXONERAR DE LA ORDEN DE AISLAMIENTO A LA PERSONA.”
It talks about test results taken within 48 hours but this has been changed to 72 in another place. Hope that helps. I’m not sure how you would get the isolation order reversed at this point in a timely manner but you could ask a lawyer.
Hello Jenn & Matt,
Thank you so much for this very detailed and accurate information!
I am from Colorado and my boyfriend is from Costa Rica, we have been hoping to see each other since the borders closed in March.
I was very excited to see Colorado on the list of states that can enter the country, but I am having trouble figuring out what flights I can buy, and I am curious if you have any input.
I was hoping to travel to Costa Rica as soon as possible (maybe September 17th) But, based on the calendar that is posted by “Embajada de Costa Rica en los EE.UU.”, it seems that the only available flights are on United from New Jersey. Is it correct that these are the only options for commercial travel? I ask because United is listing flights from Houston to SJO that are only ~$250, whereas the flights from New Jersey are ~$1850!
I am also curious if there is any information about return flights in October that you know of.
Finally, do you have a recommendation for somebody that I can contact to get more information about this? My first thought was to try to call the U.S. embassy in Costa Rica, but I haven’t tried yet, and am not sure how easy it is to get ahold of someone.
Thank you again for providing this wonderful opportunity for information!
Hi Sarah, Glad our site has been helpful to you!
Yes, everything is very confusing now. Hopefully we can shed some light on the flight options for you. The flights out of Houston are reptriation flights. Technically, by law, tourists cannot fly on these unless they fall within an exception, like having a first degree familial relationship to a Costa Rican. So I don’t think you could take one of those flights, but I could be wrong.
We have only seen those same flights you’ve seen out of New Jersey so far, for regular commercial flights. Not sure why they are so expensive. They should be adding flights from Colorado soon, we would think. Maybe closer to the 15th, you will see more options (doesn’t allow for much planning, we realize). The government doesn’t want to let in too many flights to start – everything is to be very gradual. They did mention having some out of LaGuardia and JFK too, though.
The US Embassy in Costa Rica coordinates repatriation flights, but we don’t think they would help with commercial flights. The Embajada de Costa Rica en los EE.UU. Facebook page has the best source for flight info/schedules we’ve found so far, but they don’t update it much. Maybe a travel agent who books international flights would be able to help. Best of luck!
Hi,
Along a similar line, my wife and I are planning on traveling to Costa Rica from Oregon (approved state) in late November for 10 days. However, we’re planning on spending Thanksgiving with family in Guadalajara Mexico (approved country) for 5 days. My question is are we required to be in Mexico for 14 days prior to being allowed into Costa Rica given that we’re flying from an approved US state and an approved country?
Hi Gary, The 14 days is only required if you’re coming from an unapproved state/country so we think you will be fine, since both Oregon and Mexico are approved. We’ve never heard of this exact fact pattern before but hope they wouldn’t give you a hard time. You should be all set.
Thank you so much for the quick response!
Thanks for this! We have a place in Ojochal and are excited about the possibility of visiting soon since our state is on the approved list.
That’s great, Dee! Hope you can get back to your place in Ojochal soon.
Hello, I’m reaching to see if anyone has an update regarding an accepted international travel insurance policy? My wife, three children, and I are planning to temporarily relocate to Santa Teresa this coming October. The domestic policies are prohibitively expensive! Any guidance would be much appreciated:]
We still have not heard of any options for international insurance.
Does anyone have any suggestions for Christopher?
Hey, it’s Christopher again, I’ve been in touch with Heymondo about adding the 2k quarantine coverage. They told me that it’s already in the works, but for those seeking insurance it would be great to reach out to them to add a little extra pressure as the domestic policy is insane!
Hey there, Christopher. I’ve been doing some research on travel insurance companies and found Heymondo. I went to their website and saw that when you click in Heymondo Premium, under “Emergency medical & dental expenses overseas” capsule it says something about “Unforeseen hospital expenses Up to $4,000 USD ($100 USD every 24 hours )”, doesn’t that mean that it covers extended lodging expenses?
I usually use Seven Corners travel insurance when I go to Costa Rica. 60 years old. $ 500,000
policy called Choice. They said for special covid insurance $50,000 the insurance I normally pay $35 for 10 days would be around $91. For my friend 44 years old it was $49. I could pay an extra $25 for trip protection. They said this would cover hotel in case of sickness but did not specifically say for covid. I emailed them and this is what they said: “ Please see 3.2 – G for below wording. Although it does not specifically say ‘quarantine’ it does indicate the cost of the hotel room would be covered if ordered by a physician and the person remains under their care. “A” outlines room/board expenses, which would still apply – the hotel room expense would be in place of the hospital room expense. [They] would need to stay within the standard daily expense of a hotel room/board to be considered eligible and determination would be made at the time of claim”
(g) Hotel room when the Insured Person, otherwise necessarily confined in a Hospital, is under the care of a duly qualified Physician in a hotel room due to unavailability of a Hospital room due to capacity or distance or to any other circumstances beyond the reasonable control of the Insured Person;…” I hope to be able to take a trip in Dec to Costa Rica. I could buy this and submit it for approval and if they deny it, probably I’d get the one that isn’t INS listed above. for me it would be $11.30 per day. INS wanted more around $17.18 per day.
Hilary and Mary, thanks so much for your responses! I have opted to go with the INS policy as there was still too much uncertainty and would rather not chance it.
Hello Jen and Matt
I will flying to LIR from EWR this Saturday 09/12. I had my PCR test taken today but they gave me a window of 24hr to 5 days depending on the processing of the lab due to the demand. Will I have any issues at arrival if I don’t get my results back on time ?
Hi Rich, Sorry, we didn’t get to your comment in time. Hope you were able to enter without too much trouble.
Jenn and Matt- I’ve followed your blog and think it’s a huge help for those of us struggling to get things done in Tiquicia.
I’m a little in limbo here at the moment. I’ve been married to a Costa Rican lady for over 35 years now and coming here each year as a tourist while building a retirement home in Santo Domingo all that time. Primarily though we both lived and worked in the US. We are ready now to retire here and I will seek citizenship by virtue of our marriage and the fact that I’ve been here for over two years. (It doesn’t have to be all at one stretch – you can add up the time) This qualifies me for citizenship assuming a clean FBI report which is no problem. It becomes one however as I need to return to the US to make that happen as well as securing an apostilled Birth Certificate. Also my current tourist visa now expires 18 November. I tried to enroll in the caja but since I have no status other than “Tourist” I was unable to do so. So now you can see the problem. When my wife and I arrive in January she will have to purchase 22 days insurance (not a huge problem as she is in her 50’s.) I, however, am 76 with health issues and having to buy an insurance policy thru the time I can become a citizen and register with the Caja would be prohibitive I’m afraid. I was hoping that applying for citizenship even though all documents would have to be updated at a later date might change my status allowing me to sign up with the Caja. When I read your words to the effect the anyone who has applied for but not received residency will be treated as a tourist I became aware that I might be dreaming….. So – do
you see any way around this dilemma? Any and all suggestions or referrals would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for all you’ve done for so many. Tim
Hi Tim, We’ve been giving this some thought, and it seems you’re in a tough place. It’s true that if you file for citizenship, you will be treated as a tourist for entry purposes right now until you get approved. So that you would need to purchase the required insurance, since you won’t be eligible for the Caja yet. Your wife being Tica can get you into the country no matter what, but that doesn’t exempt you from the insurance requirement.
Such a hard time right now. We don’t have any creative solutions but you could see if a lawyer would have any ideas. Sorry we can’t be of more help. Hope you can figure it out. Pura vida!
Hello,
We have our flights arriving on Oct 2nd, it will be myself and young child 3.5 years……I Have been following updates on your site and from other friends who live there. Is this correct that under 12 years does not need the testing ( which is very invasive and Im not looking forward to this myself ) ….thou I called the embassy to asked if the saliva testing was approved, which they said no….
My main question would be that no testing is required for children under 12?
Thanks!!
Hi Piule, A COVID test is not required for children under 12 so your 3.5 year old won’t need one. Yes, the saliva test is not allowed. It has to be a RT-PCR test. Hope your travels go smoothly!
Hi again Piule, We are very sorry for the confusion, but someone else just asked this same question so we began to question the information. We are not sure if a test is required for minors under 12. We think it is not required but are not finding definitive information to verify. Please see our detailed response to Lucy from today, Sept. 14. We will be updating this post as soon as we find out the right information!
Hello Jenn & Matt,
This is an interesting and important topic. Thank you for providing as much on this as possible, this is helpful.
I spoke with the embassy and it seems that things are changing day to day. To see what is required its good to double check with the embassy and on their website each day.
Hello Jenn and Matt,
Thank you so much for your very comprehensive website. Ever since visiting Costa Rica with my husband in 2001, I have been dying to return with our children. It seems this Thanksgiving might be an affordable time for us to come. Starting Sept.15th, it seems that residents of Colorado will be admitted to the country, even if we travel through Florida. What remains to be seen is whether Spirit Airlines will be operating flights into San Jose (end of Novmeber), whether we will be able to receive test results within 36 hours of our departure (both tests we have taken before/after traveling in Colorado have taken 5-6 days for results), and whether our medical insurance provider, Blue Cross Blue Shield covers COVID-19 medical expenses. Sounds like I need to make a few phone calls before booking flights and accommodation. Any suggestions/tips are welcome:)
Hi Tanya, We haven’t heard anything yet about Spirit offering flights from Denver, but yes, calling the airline may get you some information.
The COVID test time requirement is 72 hours, not 36, so that gives you a little more time.
We don’t think BCBS covers the accommodation piece of the insurance requirement (you need $2,000 in coverage for accommodation expenses in case you contract Covid during your visit and need to quarantine). But it would be worth a phone call. Hope you can make the trip with the kids happen! Thanksgiving is a great time to visit.
Also, we just heard that National Jewish in Denver can guarantee results within 48 hours – https://www.nationaljewish.org/patients-visitors/patient-info/important-updates/coronavirus-information-and-resources/testing/covid-19-self-referral-testing-for-the-public
Matt, Thank you for the updated information. I was booked on a repatriation flight, but decided to cancel that flight and wait for reopening for California after October 1st. I really don{t want to have to spend 14 days in quarantine.
Do you have any information about when the Nicaraguan border will reopen or when there will be flights from San Jose to Managua?
Jay Redden
Hey Jay, the borders seem to be open for crossing in Peñas Blancas and Avianca is already preparing to start their commercial flights to Nicaragua.
Hi Jana, Where did you hear this about the Penas Blancas border being open? We have been following Costa Rica’s coronavirus news closely for months and would be very surprised if either land border opens (Nicaragua or Panama) anytime soon. There was a big problem with people getting across the Nicaragua border early on when it was closed and bringing Covid. Nicaragua also isn’t on the list of countries permitted entry by air.
Jana, December 10 and the border is still not open from Nicaragua to Costa Rica for tourists, just residents and citizens of Costa Rica and their spouses, children. Now looks like maybe March until Costa Rica opens the borders to tourists.
Hi Jenn and Matt – I was hoping to head to Jaco for a long weekend in October (from Virginia). However, do you know if bars opened yet, or is it just restaurants ? One other thing – the 72 hr test result – is that 72 hrs from when you took the test or from when you got the result ?
Thanks !
Hi Kevin, Yes, bars are open now. They have the same rules as restaurants so have to be at 50% capacity and have the same hours.
The 72 hours is from when the sample is taken. Hope that helps!
Hello! Thanks so much for providing such clear and helpful information. Your site has been super helpful over the years as we’ve planned trips to Costa Rica.
My question: do we bring paper documents of Covid test results and insurance coverage with us and show them to immigration officials? Or do we upload them somewhere before we leave?
Thanks so much for your help.
Hi Jayne, Glad our information has been helpful!
Yes, you will need to upload your Covid results to the online health pass, which you will fill out 48 hours before your flight. Here is the link: https://salud.go.cr/
You will get a QR code to show the airline in order to board the plane. We explain this in more detail above under Health Pass in the Entry Requirements section.
Thanks for responding so quickly! Follow up question: Will I need to fill out the forms 48 hours before we leave or can it be less than that? I’m anticipating our covid results will come back sometime between 24 – 2 hours before we leave. Also, do we upload the insurance documents as well? And is there a lag time while they’re being processed and approved? And do I need that QR code before I get on the plane to head down there?
Thank you so much for helping unravel and understand all these details!
Hi Jayne, It can be filled out less than 48 hours in advance. We think the idea is that this gives the Tourism Institute time to review your information. But people have entered Costa Rica and filled out the form later than 48 hours before. Yes, if you are using international insurance, you will need to upload the policy. If you’re using one of the CR options, you won’t need to. We have heard that the airlines have been checking for the QR code prior to boarding. So have your test results ready if you didn’t get a green on your QR code in advance – see the section above on Verifying Your International Policy. We aren’t sure how long it has been taking to get the QR code. But as far as we know, people haven’t been having problems entering as long as they have their test results in time and meet all other requirements. If you are on Facebook, a good group to join to hear people’s first hand experiences about entering Costa Rica right now is Costa Rica Bound. Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3184512501609792/?ref=share
Everywhere I go…urgent care centers etc. all are telling me it can take 5 days to get results back. I live in U.S. and am having trouble finding a place that can turn around results this fast and I live in Atlanta, home of the CDC, I would like to know where people are going to get the fast turn around PCR tests done
Hi Christian, Did you look into AllCare? They have a location in Atlanta and it seems they can guarantee results in 36-72 hours for the RT-PCR test.
Great information – thanks! You mentioned that kids under 12 do not need a COVID test to enter Costa Rica as a tourist. I can’t seem to find that info anywhere. Please let me know where I can verify that. Thanks!
Hi Lucy, We found this information in a document released by the Costa Rica Consulate in Miami back in July when the requirements were first being discussed. You can find an excerpt of it here – see question 7. It was also covered by local news sources here, like The Tico Times. The information is also currently on the Costa Rica Embassy in Italy’s information on entry requirements and on the Costa Rica Embassy in the UK’s website.
But we just went through the official Costa Rican government resolutions and circulars on entry again and couldn’t find it anywhere. This document issued by Migration (CIRCULAR AJ-1467-08-2020) makes it sound like a test is required, even for minors. This is in Section 3.c.4. on Tourists, the requirements section. At the top of the section it talks about the requirements applying to minors as well.
So honestly, we aren’t sure. The test probably isn’t required for minors under 12, but you would want to confirm this before trying to get on the plane obviously. You could reach out to the ICT to find out. We are going to do so as well and will update our article with the verified information once we know. For now, we are going to take that part out of our article. Sorry for the confusion. You would think that things like this would have clear answers, but they don’t always make it easy here! 🙂
Hey Jen & Matt,
Thanks so much for your informative post.
I wonder if you could help me with a travel insurance related question please?
In the UK I have found an Insurer that will cover up to £5m for medical expenses relating to covid so way above the $50k that is required.
For the lodging expenses if you have contracted covid then they will pay up to £5m to cover accommodation costs until you recover, test negative and can fly back to the UK.
I am not sure if this meets the requirements or not? The guidelines say ” $2k for lodging expenses issued as a result of the pandemic” but it isn’t specific as to whether this means that you have contracted covid leading to extra expenses or because say for example a local lockdown that extends your trip?
If it is the latter then that’s a shame because I would have enough savings to cover accommodation costs myself in excess of the $2k they require.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts
Hi Justine, That sounds like adequate coverage for the accommodation expenses requirement. The idea behind that requirement is that you would have insurance to cover accommodations if you were issued a quarantine order by the Costa Rican government because you contracted Covid during your visit. That’s why it’s connected to 14 days…the $2k USD is supposed to be enough to cover the 14 days of quarantine. So you should be all set. Hope that helps!
I’m also looking for uk insurance companies that comply with CR requirements; which company are you using please. Thanks
Hi Jen and Matt,
Thanks so much for your help. It is much appreciated.
Gill – this insurance is with Battleface
Thanks
Justine
I am a student looking to come to Costa Rica to study Spanish for three months in mid-January of 2021. Are the requirements that the government has enacted the same for all (including students) who wish to come to Costa Rica?
Hi Frank, Yes, the requirements are the same for students. Best of luck with your plans!
Thanks for that information. Would it also be correct to assume that the requirements are the same for anyone (businessman, tourists, missions workers, etc.)? I’m in the process of seeing if the travel insurance that my organization requires when traveling abroad will meet the standards required by the country of Costa Rica. I really appreciate your up to date information. It is extremely helpful.
Yes, same requirements as far as entering the country. The general breakdown of categories is tourists, citizens, and legal residents. There may be a different type of visa for missionaries (possibly, we aren’t sure), but they would still need to meet the special Covid entry requirements.
Hello Jenn and Matt, I have been devouring all the comments in this blog and I must say, it is wonderful! I have a question, my sister needs to fly in on Friday and we are going nuts trying to find insurance. INS is way to expensive for a 16 day trip! Are there any companies that you recommend? And two, my sister will be staying with me at my home and not at a hotel. She has dual citizenship, cédula and US passport, does she have to have coverage for the accomodations even though she will be staying at a house? Do you know? Thanks in advance for the advice!!
Hi Lizzy, Glad our site has been helpful to you! We’re just wondering, if your sister is Costa Rican, why does she need to get insurance at all? Citizens only need to fill out the health pass online as far as we know. If she is entering on a tourist visa and does need insurance, people have been talking in the last couple of days about the company Travelex having an insurance product that meets the insurance requirement for the $50k in medical coverage and $2k in accommodations. She will still need the insurance for accommodation even if she is staying with you. If she is entering as a citizen, she will get a quarantine order for 14 days unless she’s coming from an approved state/country and has a negative Covid test. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn and Matt! All info helps, thanks! She is a CR citizen, but she lives in NY therefore she travels with the cédula and the US passport. She does need the insurance, thanks for the tip, becasue eventhough she is Costarican she does not pay into the CCSS. As she is coming from NY, approved State and negative Covid test, she does not have to quarantine. Thanks and Pura Vida!
That makes perfect sense! Good luck with the insurance. I didn’t mention it before but Heymondo is another company that is working on having insurance that will work in CR. You could check their site to see if it’s ready. As of a couple of days ago, they were still working on it.
Hi – Any information for entering Costa Rica by boat? We’ve been hanging out in Mexico while waiting for the end of hurricane season and plan to sail toward Costa Rica at the end of October. If we test in Chiapas during check-out from Mexico will that test be valid if we do not check into another port on our way south?
Hi Kyle, Mexico is now an approved country as of October 1 so that will help you out. Here is the applicable text re: arriving by sea from the Tourism Institute’s website. It sounds like if you will have been sailing for 14 days and have a negative test, you will be all set. If less than 14 days, they will give you a quaratine order for the difference in days.
“Those who entered the country by sea from the list of permitted countries and who have not made a stopover elsewhere, should not be subjected to isolation if they have been sailing for more than 14 days.
If the passengers do not bring with them the negative RT-PCR test taken 72 hours prior to the trip to Costa Rica, or they set sail in an unauthorized city or country, they will receive a sanitary isolation order for 14 days from, from which will be deducted the number of days on the high seas, counting from the last port departure date recorded in the yacht or sailboat’s log.”
Hi Jenn and Matt. My husband and I will be traveling to CR in April. We are a resident of California and we have a 15 hour layover in Miami before continuing on to Liberia. The rules state that you may not leave the airport. We had intended to walk across the street to the airport hotel for a good night’s sleep and catch the morning flight to Liberia. I would assume that this is allowed. Can you check with someone? Thanks Beth
Hi Beth, Officially (according to ICT, the Tourism Board), you are not supposed to leave the airport during the layover. This is the guidance that has been given by a well known law firm in Costa Rica that does immigration law. See this article on their website. Practically speaking, we have heard that people have been staying at airport hotels and entering Costa Rica without a problem as long as they stay under the 18 hour requirement. Hope that helps.
Hi Jenn and Matt. Thanks for your sensible reply.
Insurance is overpriced just like Costa Rica. There are websites with links to companies with cheaper insurance. Costa Rica isn’t what it use to be. They are all about money but more than tourist money.
Hello Everyone! Does anyone know if the LAND border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica is open (Penas Blancas) as of September 25? Many thanks for this wonderful site
Hi Matthew, All land borders between Costa Rica and Nicaragua are still closed. We don’t expect them to open for some time. To give you an idea, the government recently extended tourist visas automatically until March 2 as long as you enter CR before the end of October. This is to help those who live here on tourist visas who normally renew their visa by going to the Nicaragua or Panama border. The Panama land borders are closed still too.
I was booked and set to go – then travel clinic cancelled my booking due to the high number of tests they have to do and are backed up. I have already purchased my insurance, and all other entry requirements. Do you know if CR government will allow 14 day quarantine if you cannot present the negative result upon arrival?
Hi Summer, Unfortunately, you cannot enter as a tourist without a negative Covid test under current regulations. The only tourists who can enter without a test are those who have a direct relationship to a Costa Rican (e.g. the mother, father, or sibling of a Costa Rican citizen). If you read Spanish, it’s at the very end of this document. Vinculo refers to having a direct relationship/link to a CR citizen. Sorry!
Hi – Apologize in advance for the length of my note. My husband and I were originally scheduled to travel to Costa Rica (Osa Peninsula) in April 2020. We bought travel insurance from CSA (now General Global Assistance) in Jan 2020, just a few days before Covid was determined to be a “foreseeable” event.
Because of the travel restrictions, the lodge where we will be staying allowed us to postpone our trip and we’re now scheduled to travel to CR from MD in late Nov 2020. CSA allowed us to modify our travel dates accordingly with only a slight increase in the premium. Our policy includes $50K for medical expenses and roughly $7K per person for trip interruption. According to CSA’s customer service folks, we’re covered under the medical piece if we contract Covid while in CR (because we purchased the policy when we did) and they said quarantine would be covered under the trip interruption. All good so far but they’ve indicated that the summary of benefits is all that is needed and that they don’t provide a separate certification letter in advance as a claim would need to be submitted after the fact. Do you know if the summary of benefit would be sufficient for entry? We also have medical insurance with 100 percent international coverage. We can upload that policy as well if need be when we upload the travel insurance. Just trying to determine in advance if what we have is sufficient although we realize that things are changing daily. Greatly appreciate your informational assistance! It’s been great thus far. Thanks, Donna
Hi Donna, Is it clear from the language of the summary of benefits that trip interruption would cover the $2,000 for quarantine due to Covid specifically? I think they will be looking for that. You could try to just wait and upload it when you do the Health Pass online 48 hours before and then just purchase an alternative insurance last minute if they reject it, or say that more information is needed. You could also try contacting ICT/the CR Tourism Board at this email to get an answer in advance: seguros@ict.go.cr They may be slow to respond.
We realize that this is not a satisfying answer but think they will want it to be very clear that the accommodation piece is included before letting you in. Hope that helps some. Let us know how it turns out if you get an answer from ICT.
Hi Donna, My family is traveling to the Osa Penninsula in Dec. 2020 and scheduled the trip with the same travel insurance as yourself prior to the pandemic — we also have personal international coverage. Was this travel insurance and your personal medical insurance good enough for entry? Pura Vida – Theresa
Hi Theresa – I bad several phone conversations with CSA and they felt confident that our policy would meet the insurance requirements but they were unable to provide the necessary certification as the language as it relates to the $2K lodgings is too broad. They did provide us with what they called an “embassy letter” but it focused primarily on the medical benefits and did not mention Covid at all. I may still send the policy to the Tourism folks for review but my husband and I have pretty much decided to just buy a second policy from one of the Costa Rican providers. The price isn’t too bad ($198 for 2 people for 9 days) and we will have peace of mind from the immediate and automatic certification that it will provide. The global policy might be ok but we’re a bit concerned about something possibly going wrong during those 48 hours just before the trip when the health pass has to be done. Anyway, hope this helps a bit and that you have a great trip. This will be our third trip to Costa Rica and the second to the Osa Peninsula. The Osa area is absolutely beautiful and I’m sure you’ll love it!
Thanks much for the quick response. Unfortunately, no, the policy simply notes trip interruption so appreciate the suggestion to follow up with the ICT. Will definitely reach out to them and will let you know how it goes. Will also continue to work with CSA to try to obtain a bit more clarification of the coverage, in writing.
Thanks again, Donna
Sorry about the typo. Supposed to have said “had several conversations,,,,”
My husband and I ate Mexican residents. We have a trip scheduled to Costa Rica from Mexico City on November 3. We fly from Cabo San Lucas nov 2 to Mexico City. Do we need to have a Covid test 72 hours before departure. That would mean Saturday. Also do we need a travel policy coming from Mexico
Hi Renee, Mexico is an approved country as of October 1, as in approved for travel to Costa Rica, but you will still need to meet the entry requirements. The way it works is only visitors from approved countries are allowed in theoretically, and then to actually be allowed entry, they each need to meet the entry requirements. So yes, you will need a Covid test done with 72 hours of your flight from Mexico City and the required travel insurance. All the requirements are outlined above in our post. Hope that helps.
In your 10/2 post about traveling during Covid you mention that United is “aiming” to have a flight from Denver to CR at the end of Oct. We’re about to book a trip to CR over Thanksgiving week and may hold off if it’s pretty solid that United will be flying direct by then. Can you provide any more info on United’s plans or a link to the source of the info? I can’t find anything about it just Googling. Thanks! Your blog is the best on out there for CR. Great work!
Hi Tom, That was from a Sept. 6 article from an English-language newspaper in Costa Rica called the Tico Times. They said that the ICT (the Tourism Board) announced several new flights, including the one from Denver that United hoped to add in October. ICT works with the airlines and Costa Rica’s civil aviation administration on getting new flights into the country. Here’s a link to the article: https://ticotimes.net/2020/09/06/ict-announces-increase-in-flights-from-the-united-states-to-costa-rica
We checked some online government sources and didn’t see anything more about the new direct flight so your best bet would probably be to call the airline to see if they have any info. Hope that helps!
We own our home in Costa Rica. Would that be sufficient as far as insurance for isolating is concerned? We usually stay for 90 days each trip. We are Canadians.
Hi Collin and Bev, A reputable law firm here that specializes in immigration asked ICT if owning a home would cover the insurance requirement to have the $2,000 in accommodation/quarantine expenses. ICT responded saying yes it would cover it but noting that there is no formal decree or regulation that supports this. So it is still kind of a risk depending on who you get at the airport. People have done it, though, and have entered successfully without problems. Here’s a link to the law firm’s website where they explain this: https://news.outlierlegal.com/2020/08/15/things-are-progressing/
Hi Jenn and Matt!
I am an American currently in Costa Rica on a tourist visa. Do you know if I can take a 2 week trip to Mexico and come back to Costa Rica directly from Mexico?
Hi Sandra, Mexico is an approved country so, yes, you would be able to take a trip there and then come back to Costa Rica. You would still need to get a negative Covid test and meet all other requirements, though.
Thanks for the information. We would still purchase Covid insurance which probably would still cover that.
Seven corners travel insurance have a couple of options for us travelers that will cover quarantine and covid related illness up to $250,000 for those traveling from the US. You do have to pay attention to which plan you get and there is some variation depending on the state.
First and foremost, your site is very good and informative. I have rented a house year round for the past 10 years. My Cigna health plan is a international plan, but like all lacks the $2000 lodging required. I thought perhaps a notarized letter from owners could be acceptable, but I cant take that chance and getting an answer from Costa Rica, has been lets say impossible. I stay in CR for 3 weeks, then return back to the US every 3 weeks for work. I have decided to just buy an INS policy, option 1 is very expensive, option 2 was $192 for the 3 weeks, it appears that option 2 will meet the requirements. Any thoughts?
Hi Aaron, That is tough. As we have mentioned above in replying to someone else, a reputable law firm in Costa Rica that specializes in immigration and has been closely following this issue, has said that they asked ICT if proof of owning a home or a long term rental was sufficient to avoid the $2K in accommodation coverage. They received a written confirmation that it was acceptable. But ICT also noted that this is not in any formal decree or resolution. The rental needs to be for at least 1 month, so in your case with 3 weeks, that wouldn’t be enough time. Here is the link with more information.
If you could extend your stay to a month, you could try that and upload the insurance to the Health Pass since you already have it, and bring the letter for the rental with you. But it is all very uncertain right now so you may want to just go with the INS for this first trip back to avoid any hassle.
We are hopeful that a cheaper international option will come out soon. We are talking to one company that is in the final stages of having the accommodaton piece covered. People have been telling us that Seven Corners has a policy that covers Covid medical and accommodation. We went to the site and weren’t able to verify that ourselves, though. Best of luck!
I see right now that Nicaragua is not on the list of approved countries. I plan to fly into Liberia, then hop across the border to Nicaragua. However on the return, it looks like a 14 day quarentine period would be required before flying out of Liberia again?
Hi Robert, Costa Rica has only opened its air borders. The land borders with Nicaragua and Panama are still closed. So you won’t be able to cross the border to Nicaragua at all.
Living in Canada and purchased our own condo in Jaco 2019. It is NEAR to IMPOSSIBLE for us canadians, to obtain the damn RT-PCR test due to huge backlogs and waiting times, NEVER MIND the 72 hours before flight. I’m sure I’m not the only one in this situation. We plan to come back to our home away from home in December 2020. Costa Rica authorities should consider on site airport testing for travelers. Thank you very much for putting up here such detailed INFO. Respectfully.
You’re welcome! Yes, we hope the testing gets easier. We can understand the government wanting to have the more accurate PCR test, but it is prohibitively hard for a lot people. Hopefully it will get easier soon and you can get back to your house. Pura vida!
Hi there, I saw a few post earlier from people asking about a negative covid test for children? Have you heard any more news regarding that? Do children/babies need to get a test to?
Thanks so much!
Hi Tom, We just sent a follow up message to ICT/the CR Tourism Board. We will reply again to this comment when we hopefully hear back.
Hi, a couple of questions. In your entry requirements you say the rapid test is not acceptable for entry to CR. But right after that you have an American Airlines link that says they are doing 3 different test options now for DFW-Costa Rica and one of them is an on-site rapid test at the airport. What is correct here? Also an insurance question. Is INS or Sagicor the only acceptable insurance companies in Costa Rica?
Thanks so much.
Charlie, The RT-PCR test is required. As it states in the American Airlines press release, they launched this initiative to offer preflight testing for several destinations, not just Costa Rica. So that is probably why they list the rapid test (other countries/states they fly to accept it). For Costa Rica, the current requirement is the RT-PCR test. It looks like the LetsGetChecked test offers the right test. The testing options through Carenow seem to be the rapid test so wouldn’t work (unless you can get the RT-PCR if you go to a Carenow location – this is unclear from their website). This situation is still developing so we do our best, but don’t have all the answers. We update this post as we learn more and things develop.
Yes, only INS and Sagicor are currently approved for Costa Rica options for insurance. You can also get an international policy but we don’t know of any currently that cover the $2k in accommodation.
Hello. The test is the RT-PCR test. Not the rapid PCR test or any other test (yet).
Insurance: I can’t find any international companies that cover the 2k accommodation requirements. There are plenty that cover everything else. If you find any info on travel insurance companies, please send a post.
Hi Mike, Yes, we will reply to this thread and update our article if we hear of an international insurer that works.
Hi! We are traveling to CR next week & can’t wait to be there once again. I have a question regarding the insurance purchase. We have decided to purchase the INS insurance as it is approved by CR. Is it best to do this at the time you fill out the health pass or better to purchase it before that?
Hi Carol, It is better to purchase the insurance in advance in case you encounter any problems or have questions.
Hi!
? Health pass ?
Do you fill the health out as a family (husband and wife ) or do fill as individuals
You fill it out multiple times for each person in your family.
Hi, We are hoping you can help clarify some travel questions/concerns. We just had a HORRIBLE experience with United Airlines. We are moving to Costa Rica. We had scheduled our move back in March when 4 days before leaving Costa Rica closed the borders. We left Sacramento CA Friday Oct 2nd, flew into Houston. We had to get our checked bags due to a policy that if more than a 12 hr layover (shortest layover I could find) you have to recheck bags. This forced us to leave the airline gate area and TSA and go to United’s Check in lobby. (as a side note, we were traveling with our 2 16 yr old dogs as Emotional Support Animals) We had all our documents that are required. When checking in United told us our Covid test was past 72 hours. We had taken them approx 68 hours before leaving Sacramento. United said the tests should be taken 72 hours before leaving the U.S. It was our understanding per the CR US Embassy website https://cr.usembassy.gov/200929-travel-alert/ that explains it and has a link to Tico Times with clearer verbiage that it was to be done prior to leaving your home state. The following is a bullet point in Tico Times….RT-PCR diagnostic test with a negative result; the sample must have been taken within 72 hours of departure from the country/state of origin. United would not listen to us and would not book us to go to Costa Rica. They even recommended we leave the airport and go have a test done in Houston. We had to explain to them we cant leave the airport because Texas is not an approved state for travel. They would not even look at our approved QR codes from our Health Pass from Costa Rica. They also told us we should have had the tests done right before leaving, which we explained we wouldnt have had the results upon arriving in Houston. We had to get our Drs involve to escalate to even get the result within the 72 or less hours required. The only option they would offer us was to fly back to Sacramento Ca. So we did. Overall the United Houston Agents and Supervisors were rude, uncaring and clearly did not care. We are now trying to re plan getting to Costa Rica. This time we are exploring American Airlines. Could you clarify, with what you know, about when/where the Covid test needs to be done. Which flight applies to the 72 hours, the originating flight from Sacramento CA or the flight leaving the U.S. (which if it is the U.S. it doesnt make sense if you cant leave the airport for non approved travel states at least till Nov when all states are approved) We appreciate your assistance and expertise. Thank you!
Hi Steve, So sorry you had to deal with all that. We have heard a few accounts about airlines (mostly United) not knowing the correct rules. Mostly things have gone well for people entering who have done everything correctly, but you are not alone in what happened.
As far as we know, the 72 hours is from your first flight to Costa Rica, so Sacramento in your case. Someone in a Facebook group all about travel to Costa Rica during Covid said that she confirmed this with ICT and had it in writing. She actually had similar flights as you, San Francisco to Houston to SJO. She lives in California. Here is what she said ICT said: “The PCR test must be taken before your departure time of your first flight to Costa Rica. In your case, before SFO.”
So United was incorrect, as you know. She received this in writing by emailing ICT through their website. They have not been responding to all inquiries, unfortunately, but it would be worth it to try to get it in writing if you can. I wouldn’t think it would happen to you a second time, but just in case, having it directly from the CR government to show the airline should work if you run into any problems. If you use their chat function on this page, I think you can get an email address. Hope you have a much easier time this time. It would be worth it join that Facebook group we mentioned before too – called Costa Rica Bound.
Hi there!
Just a few more ?’s
My husband & I are traveling together.
Should we purchase the INS insurance as individuals or can we purchase as a family?
We are leaving for CR on Saturday of this week, how far in advance do we need to purchase the insurance?
Hi Carol, You can price it out, but it will probably be more economical to purchase the insurance as a family.
For timing, you will need the policy number to put in the Health Pass. You will probably fill out the Heath Pass the day before you leave, since you will also need to upload your Covid test results. So maybe purchase the insurance 2-3 days before Saturday, so you have a extra day or so in case you have any problems. If for any reason you can’t come on the trip, the insurance probably won’t be refundable so better to wait until a little closer to your departure.
Steve, I think I chatted with you or your partner in another forum. Did you make it to Costa Rica?
Hi Jay. Yes you chatted with Kevin. Yes we did make it. Did you?
Hello, thanks for the excellent information and for answering so many questions!
I am planning on getting married Nov 1st 2020 and my family was hoping to be able to attend.
Biggest question right now is, my sister is US born but was registered as an infant in CR (our father is costa rican) and therefore has a cedula # but she has never gotten her actual cedula. She has three kids, all under five. Her husband is a US citizen. Seems like they would all have to come as regular tourists from the US as opposed to citizens right? My concern is the covid testing of the children, and the insurance requirements for them as well. It all seems extremely cost prohibitive right now.
Thanks again
Hi Daniel, We think that they would all have to come as tourists if your sister doesn’t have a cédula and doesn’t pay into the CCSS. But you could double check with a lawyer. We know of a great firm in Costa Rica that has been helping a lot of people facing various issues with entry right now. If you’d like their contact info, let us know and we can email it to you.
We still have been unable to get a response from ICT about if children need the Covid test. The law firm may know the answer to that too.
Regarding insurance, price it out because it may not be that bad for them since they are younger. INS has two options, one of which is cheaper. If they aren’t staying for too long, it might be affordable. Hope that helps, and hope they can make it down here for your wedding.
Hi Jenn & Matt,
I continued to be amazed in how you respond to each and everyone of us with such professionalism. Here is my dilemma if you don’t mind sharing your advice. I am booked on Air Canada out of Toronto on November 1. I am still hoping AC doesn’t cancel this flight, as they did with all flights into SJO for the month of October. My Province is charging $400 CAN (very high) for the proper test within 72 hours (keeping my fingers crossed). I originally booked my flight for six months planning to do a border run at 90 days. Now I can’t do this. Do you have any suggestions? I don’t really want to fly anywhere for 1-2 days and then have to obtain another negative COVID test in order to return to CR.
Hi Charlene, Not sure you are aware of this, but you will need a plane ticket back to Canada within 90 days of your arrival anyway. This has always been an entry requirement so you will still need to show this. Many people in your position get a refundable ticket and then cancel it after they get here.
Immigration at the airport will give you a 90 day stamp (or whatever exact number of days they give you; it’s in their discretion but it’s normally 90 days). Although this will be what’s in your passport, it won’t really matter because the government has extended tourist visas. Since you will be enter on Nov. 1, you will be allowed to stay until March 2 without having to leave the country. See below for more. That will get you until March. Hopefully things will have changed by then.
Tourists (non-Residents) who entered the country after December 17th, 2019, and until November 30th, 2020, may legally remain in Costa Rica until March 2nd, 2021. This is an automatic extension.
Thank you!! Your responses are very easy to understand. Do you think a one way refundable return ticket to Canada will be acceptable within 90 days? My original ticket is not returning until April 30, 2021.
Yes, that will work fine, Charlene. You’re very welcome!
I know this may be a late response, but I would buy a one-way return ticket just before your departure and cancel it when you get in. You have 24 hours to cancel without any penalty.
Hi Charlene, we are taking your airplane back to Toronto on November 1 and hoping it isn’t cancelled as well! I just called Air Canada and they said there is no conditions or warnings on the flight (ie. dependant on Government restrictions)
The COVID test is no longer required, so you can save your $400.
Why is Sagicor the only approved private insurance company? Is there no competition. Who owns Sagicor. Why does Sagicor need to cover $50K and INS only $20K? Is the government collecting data on the number of claims that are filed for Covid coverage from INS and Sagicor so we will eventually be able to see the cost to tourists and the lucre collected?
Are the rules in their infinite detail copied from Governor Whitmer of Michigan or from the WHO. What is the cost of implementing these bizarre intricate rules; has a cost benefit analysis been performed?
Hi All. I just finished filling out the Health Pass for our trip to Costa Rica tomorrow and can confirm that for my minor children (aged 5 and 7) it did not ask to upload proof of a COVID test. It did ask to upload proof of insurance though. For myself I had to upload my drivers license, COVID test and proof of insurance. I went with Sagicor because it was ~$100 cheaper than INS for the family. Hope this helps someone since I’ve been all over the blogs and facebook doing research. Wish us luck!
Thank you, Adam! This is so helpful. We have updated our article to share your experience with others. Seems likely that the test is required only for ages 12 and up but we will see what other families who are traveling say. Thanks again.
Hello, trying to travel in December from USA. However, no medical facility can guarantee 72 hr notification of PCR-RT test. Any relief on this? Can I board awaiting results?
Thanks.
Hi Jeffrey, Unfortunately, the RT-PCR test is the only one allowed right now and there are no exceptions to the time requirement. We have been hearing that the airlines want to see your test results when checking you in so you likely wouldn’t be able to board awaiting the results. Did you try all the links for labs that we give above? Some of the options are for test kits to be mailed to your home. One of the links is to http://www.rapidtesttravel.com, which lets you put in your state to find a lab in the area. Hope you are able to find an option.
Hi again Jeffrey, Just thought we’d follow up to let you know that the CR government just announced today that they will no longer require a negative Covid test to enter the country. This is starting on October 26.
Great to hear! Thank you for responding quickly. It allows for our planning now!
Hi thanks for your extreme helpfulness 🙂 I am a US citizen who “got stuck” here in Costa Rica since March, so have the extended visa until March 2, 2021.
1) I have an upcoming flight back to the US from 10/14 until 10/26, which counts as 12 or 13 days?
2) Correct me if I’m wrong, but Costa Rica requires that I quarentine for 14 days in the US before traveling back here on the 26th? If so, I will have to change my return flight to either 10/27 or 10/28 depending on how you count the days.
3) Since I was here for the initial lockdown/extended visa, I heard that if I return back here by 10/31, I am still in the category of tourists who can stay until 03/02/21? or will I just get a 90 day stamp from my day of return?
Thank you SO much. I have been researching for hours and still confused. Peace to everyone reading this.
Hi Sophia, Assuming you are flying to an approved state, we think you should not have to quarantine there for 14 days before re-entering, since you will be coming from Costa Rica. They should only require the standard entry requirements including showing your driver’s license to prove you are a resident of the approved state you will be traveling from. If you are nervous since it is not 100% clear and want to play it safe, you could change your plane tickets. I think those days would count as 12 days so you would need two more.
Yes, you will re-enter as a tourist, and because you will be arriving before Nov 30 (immigration extended the date again), you will be eligible for the automatic visa extension for tourists of until March 2. The immigration agent will still stamp your passport officially with 90 days or whatever they give you in their discretion but it will be valid until March 2, 2021. Hope that helps!
We are traveling from the USA – we own a home in Puerto Viejo where we will be staying for 86 days beginning early November – we are in the process of applying for residency and will be submitting our paperwork while we are there – can we provide ownership documentation to show that we have solid accommodations for the entire time we are in CR instead of needing to purchase $2000 accommodation insurance?
Hi Brenda, We recently responded to this same question about if proof of owning a home or having a long term rental agreement was sufficient to avoid the need to get the $2,000 in accomodation insurance. Please see our response to Aaron Abaurrea on October 6. Thanks!
Thank you for the excellent information. We decided to obtain INS insurance…. we found it to be similar in cost to an international medical insurance plan – we have been waiting to get back to our home since May and don’t want to take any chances since this trip we are relocating our two cats to our CR home… Your website is so very informative and now have it “bookmarked”.
That’s great, Brenda. Definitely better not to take any chances. Glad we could help. Feel free to also sign up for our newsletter (free). When you first subscribe, we send out a short series of articles about travel in Costa Rica, then we just send our new articles after that with any pertinent updates on what’s happening in Costa Rica. Here is the link if you’re interested.
I am a Costa Rican/ American Citizen. I currently live in Florida and want to go see my family. I am traveling with my 6 year old daughter who is a Costa Rican citizen. Do we need the insurance ? where can I get tested in Tampa ? Its been 4 years since we have seen the family and were going to go back in June but had to cancel our tickers. Any help is greatly appreciated 🙂 Thank you
Hi Tania, Yes, I think you will need the insurance since you have not been paying into the Caja.
For testing in Tampa, this website has a lot of information. Under the Privatized Testing Options section, it gives some lab options. The one from Pixel by LabCorp is an at home RT-PCR test that says it can give results in 24-48 hours. Just be sure you know how to administer the test correctly, as we have heard of people sometimes getting inconclusive results with these home tests due to them not being done right. There are some more testing options listed on the site as well, which may have drive through testing options. Just be sure to check that you are getting the RT-PCR nasal swab test. Hope that help!
We are traveling to CR in November. It states that we need International insurance that will cover for accommodations if we get Covid. If we own our home do we need that insurance and if we don’t what do we need to show imigration?
Hi Bridget, Unless you have residency in Costa Rica, you need the insurance coverage. Specifically in regards to your question about the accommodation coverage, we recently responded to this same question about if proof of owning a home or having a long term rental agreement was sufficient to avoid the $2,000 in accomodation insurance. Please see our response to Aaron Abaurrea on October 6. Thanks!
Is the government protest impacting tourist from traveling/driving a rent a car from SJO to Jaco, Dominical, Manual Antonio and Osa and then back to SJO to fly home. I do emphasize with the CR citizens and hope the CR government does the right thing sooner rather than later.
Hi David, Currently, there are no roadblocks between SJO and Jaco, all the way south past Esterillos. Unfortunately, however, there are still some in Paquita on the way to Quepos, at the Dominical bridge, and at the large bridge before the turnoff to the Osa. They aren’t allowing much traffic to pass through right now. The best way to get local conditions is to map your route on WAZE. We are hopeful that this will all be over very soon. They seem close to reaching agreement with the government.
Regarding the RT-PCR test Jet Blue is partnering with a testing company, Vault, to offer 72 hours or less turnaround for Covid test results which is fantastic. American Airlines has also partnered with a testing company as well.
The potential problem with the Jet Blue / Vault test relating to entry into Costa Rica is that it is a “saliva” based RT-PCR test (not nasal swab). Do you guys know if this will be accepted by Costa Rica? I have read the entry requirements and they only state it must be an RT-PCR test—but just want to be sure.
Also, FYI there is a company CovidConsultants guaranteeing 24 hr turnaround with RT-PCR tests both nasal swab and saliva based. These tests (including Vault) are done at home the Express shipped back to testing companies. Thanks!
Hi David, Yes, the regulations state that an RT-PCR test is required without specifying the nasal swab test, as far as we can tell. This is from the circular from Migration to Migration employees, consulates, and the airlines in general. Everyone does talk about the nasal swab version, though, and not the saliva test. Elsewhere in the regulations, in other contexts, they talk about the polymerase chain test being the best option right now (for various reasons), and that this test is performed using samples of nasopharyngeal cells obtained with a swab. So referencing the nasal swab test. This was back on August 5, so maybe before the saliva PCR test was an option.
From looking at the Vault website, it seems that their RT-PCR test uses the same technology as the nasal swab test, so maybe it would be okay? Presumably your results would say RT-PCR, which is what they would be looking for at the airport and upon entry into Costa Rica. But we aren’t 100% sure. You could try to get confirmation from ICT.
Hi again David, The Costa Rica government just announced during today’s press conference that they are eliminating the Covid test requirement starting on October 26. Just thought we’d let you know.
I states that the test must be done within 72 of your flight leaving the country. I have a 12 hour layover in Houston. My flight leaving Louisville Ky. is at 7:15 a.m. (local time) and I don’t depart Houston until 8:15 p.m. (local time). Chances are I will be in Texas before I get my results.
Just got off the phone with United, they are telling me I must have my test results before boarding in louisville, ky. with my flight not leaving Houston until 8:15, total of about 15 hours. CR requires it to be within 72 hours of departing the “country”. Can you shed any light on this? Has anyone else had this issue?
Hi Bryan, The 72 hours is from your first flight, so in your case, Louisville. Layovers are fine but have to be less than 18 hours. The 72 hours language is vague but this is what everyone is saying based on their experience at the airport and with immigration.
Someone also recently confirmed that it’s based on your first flight to Costa Rica with ICT/the Tourism Board. Please see our response to Steve B. on October 9.
It makes sense since you will need to upload your test results to the online Health Pass, then you’ll get your QR code to show the airline at check in. Hope that makes sense.
Hi again Bryan, Costa Rica’s Minister of Tourism just announced that Covid testing will no longer be an entry requirement starting on October 26. So you won’t need a test if you are entering on or after the 26th. Just thought we’d let you know.
Just wanted to give an update regarding acceptance of “Saliva” versus “Nasal” based RT-PCR tests. I reached out to the ICT/Tourism board and this was the response:
“As long as the test is PT-PCR, not necessary must be nasal.”
So, there you have it. This is good news because the saliva test can be self-administered at home and there are testing services guaranteeing 24-72 hour turnaround to meet the time requirement.
PS Your 2 Weeks in Costa book was a great read!
Hi,
Thanks for all the info! It has been super helpful. I’m a Us citizen that’s been in Mexico for the last 5 weeks (the same place) and am flying to Costa Rica on Saturday. I’ve done some research on where I can get a Covid test in Mexico City and am planning on going to médica sur… they say they give results within 24-48 hrs but I’m a bit worried that it could take longer then I won’t be able to go. Have you heard of any places in Mexico City that guarantee quick results?
Also, how do I prove that i have been at the same place my whole stay in Mexico? I’m staying with a family. Not a hotel or anything.
Hi Jack, We don’t have a lot of readers coming from Mexico City so haven’t heard of a testing facility that can guarantee quick results. If the lab you found says they can do it within 24-48 hours, hopefully they can meet that.
Your passport stamps should be enough to prove you’ve been in Mexico for at least 14 days. They may not even ask for it, but if they do, it should be sufficient for them to see your entry and exit stamps. Hope that helps!
Thanks! I found a place that can get results in that time frame. So fingers crossed it works out
Hi again Jack, The Costa Rica government just announced today that Covid testing will no longer be an entry requirement starting on October 26. So you won’t need a test. Just thought we’d let you know.
Where do you purchase a home kit? How do you prove to the CR government that you had a negative test if you self administered?
Hi Dave, Various labs are offering an RT-PCR home kit. This test has been authorized for use by the FDA. People have used them to get into Costa Rica without a problem so there shouldn’t be an issue with self-administration. One place that offers them is LetsGetChecked. Usually the way it works is they send you the kit through FedEx or similar overnight, you do the swab, and then they email you your results.
One problem with this is you need to make sure you’re administering the test correctly, because it you don’t, you may get an inconclusive result. Better to use a drive through testing option if there’s one in your area or we’ve heard of some that will do a virtual appointment to help you get the sample to make sure it’s done right.
Hi Jenn and Matt!
First, thank you so so much for your informative site and all of the effort you put into offering and clarifying information always and especially during this crazy and confusing time. I have followed your posts and the comments sections religiously since getting stuck in the US in March. I live primarily in CR.
I am wondering if you might be able to offer any clarity on the tourist visa situation? I am returning home on Nov 2. Because I am still reliant on the tourist visa for my time there, I have been confused about when to schedule my departure from CR flight. Generally, it would be just short of 90-days. Are people getting tickets with a departure all the way up to Mar 2 even if that makes the stay beyond 90 days? Or do you know if immigration is still adhering to a 90-day turn around? Any insights would be so greatly appreciated!
Thank you mucho for all of your efforts!
Hi Catherine, Glad our site has been helpful in getting you back to CR!
Even though tourist visas have been automatically extended (provided you arrive before November 30), we think you should still have a 90 day plane ticket to show upon entry. We haven’t seen anything about a change to that, and people have been reporting that they have been receiving a 90 day stamp. It’s just semantics since you will be allowed to stay until March 2, but it’s safer to have the 90 day plane ticket. Hope you have smooth travels on Nov. 2!
Thank you so much for this insight!
Be well y pura vida!
I have tried to fill out the Health Pass form but it consistently responds after Step 0 with the message “an unexpected error has occurred.” An American AIrlines ticket agent tried to help to allow me to obtain the QR Code. He failed. I missed the flight.
Has anyone else had that problem or is it my computer/phone clumsiness?
Hi Paul, Sorry we are just responding now. We have heard of this happening to people just in the last few days. It seems to have been a glitch with the Health Pass website. Apparently they just kept trying and eventually it worked. Very sorry that this happened to you and you missed your flight. What a huge inconvenience.
Thanks so much for all of this information! I have reviewed all of the comments and your replies and reached out to ICT but still have not received any response. I am in BC, Canada and while there are private labs here that will do travel-related asymptomatic tests for travelers for a hefty fee, they only do NAAT-PCR tests, not RT ones. They are still PCR tests but they are based on taking a swab from the very back of the throat, not the nasal passage. I saw the response above about them not requiring it be nasal but I haven’t been able to get an answer on whether an NAAT test would be accepted. I am hoping yes but definitely want clarification before I book my travel (that would be over Christmas 2020). Any info on whether these are being accepted? Do you know any Canadians that have come from BC that have gained entry to CR? Cheers!
Hi Kindra, Yes, we saw the comment above from someone who got ICT to confirm that the saliva PCR test is okay, so it probably is, but like you, we would want to get that in writing from ICT to avoid any potential problems.
In the Facebook group called Costa Rica Bound (you could join this), a woman said that she got her nasal swab PCR test done at the TravelSafe Clinic on West Broadway in Vancouver. She got her results in 36 hours. It is a nasal swab test, but they are calling it a NAAT-PCR on their website. It seems to be the same as the RT-PCR but we’re not totally sure. She did get into Costa Rica, though, so maybe you could follow up with her for more details to find out what the results will say once you get them back. It was a post from Sept. 28 – you can use the search function in the group and search “BC.” Let us know if you can’t find it. Otherwise, ICT should hopefully get back to you soon. Good luck!
Hi again Kindra, The CR government just announced during today’s press conference that Covid testing will no longer be an entry requirement starting on October 26. So you won’t need a test. Just thought we’d let you know.
Hi Jenn and Matt,
Thanks for all the great info!
I have an insurance question for you and all of your readers:
My family of 4 is planning to travel to CR for ~85 days from mid November 2020 to Mid February 2021. I received an insurance quote from the INS website and it is going to cost my family of 4 ~$1,000 for our 3 month stay. Outrageous!
I work remote and my employer provides me and my family with Medical coverage of $1,000,000, however they don’t offer 14 day quarantine coverage of $2,000 so it appears ICT won’t approve of my employer’s insurance policy. Has anyone found a workaround for this? Should I book a return plane ticket that is 7 days from my arrival date and then just change the return flight later to reduce the amount of the insurance policy I am required to purchase? I totally understand the need for insurance to avoid being a burden on the local government, but this entire process seems like a money grab or shake down.
Hi Pete, If you changed your return ticket date, that would be an option, though not the best one. People are most likely doing that, though, since the insurance is expensive. Even the people who live here on a tourist visa long-term are likely just getting the 90 days of insurance, even though they intend to stay for much longer than that. There are a lot of flaws in the system. We have been talking with one international insurance company who is close to having a policy that will cover the quarantine expense, but it isn’t ready yet, unfortunately.
My husband travel+ medical insurance for 3 months for our family of 6 from Safe Travels Voyager Insurance for $159. Check out http://www.insubuy.com. The agent confirmed that it does cover all the Costa Rica Requirements.
Hi Katelyn, Thanks for sharing this. We would say that you should just make sure that the insurance does actually meet Costa Rica’s requirements. Since international insurance is not preapproved by the Costa Rican government, it’s a good idea to send your policy information to ICT in advance to ensure you don’t have any problems getting in. ICT’s email is seguros@ict.go.cr
Thank you for your reply 🙂 I did email the Visa letters to that address and received a positive response. It was a huge relief!
Hi,
Thanks for all this info!
Me and my partner are itching to travel and have looked at spending two weeks over Christmas and NYE in CR. Do you think its worth the journey or will there be many restrictions, such as park and tour closures? We would plan on most likely backpacking across San Jose, La Fortuna/Arenal, Monteverde, Puerto Viejo and possibly Manuel Antonio over 2/3 weeks. Would this be a difficult journey and come with many problems?
Thanks,
Lee
Hi Lee, Take a look at the info we give above in the section called What is Open for Tourists? You’ll see that almost everything has been opened back up, including most national parks. Just about everything should be going as usual with Covid precautions in terms of hotels and tours by the time you would get here for Christmas. That is the busiest time of year here so people will want to be up and running by then, even if they are still closed now. We have heard about a lot of hotels that are set to reopen in November. Buses are still running as normal if you plan to take the public bus.
Hi there, thank for all of the great information. I was wondering if you have any feedback for my particular issue. My family and I (U.S. citizens) are traveling to Costa Rica on January 2nd, 2021. In order to satisfy the COVID testing requirement, we would need to be tested on December 30th. There’s no way any lab is going to have our results ready by January 2nd, especially since New Year’s Day is a national holiday. Do you have any idea what we should do? Thanks in advance!
Hi Josh, The 72 hours is not flexible. It doesn’t allow for extra time for holidays or weekends, unfortunately. We’d think that you should be able to find a lab that can guarantee the results in time, though, as long as you get the sample taken on the 30th. You could look into those tests you can do from home like letsgetchecked if it seems that everything will be closed on New Year’s Day. We have heard of people getting results in as little as 24 hours, or even less. Best of luck.
Hi again Josh, The CR government just announced during today’s press conference that Covid testing will no longer be an entry requirement starting on October 26. So this will no longer be an issue for you.
Thanks so much for the info!
Hello All. GREAT NEWS! After extensive research for my boss who has a planned trip in Decemeber, I was successful in finding a Travel Insurance Agency that provides Approved Travel Insurance for Costa Rica. It was just implemented today!! Call Trawick International (888) 301-9289. You likely have to leave a message but I got a call the next day (today) and was able to purchase the approved insurance that includes the mandatory $2,000 accommodation coverage. They will even send a link on how to forward the certificate to Costa Rica customs ahead of time. Best of Luck to all on your travels!
Hi Jenn & Matt,
I’m California resident (green card holder) but my passport is from non-approved country. Any chance you know if I’m allowed to visit during Thanksgiving? Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth, All countries will be able to travel to Costa Rica starting on November 1, so you won’t have any problems. They announced this last week. You will still need to meet entry requirements (Covid test, insurance, etc.).
Great! Thanks for the quick response. Contemplating now since the travel insurance cost as much as our plane tix and there are 4 of us 😭
We just updated our post with some options for international insurance that people have found and say meet the requirements. So you could check those out. Hope it works out and you can come to CR!
We are aware (and have used) a covid 19 test from Vault Health which is an FDA approved RT qPCR test – which seems to meet the requirements – except that it is not a nasal swab it is a saliva test. Will this be accepted? We have serious issues with the nasal swab test
Hi Stephen, The requirement is for an RT-PCR so if that is what the test is, it should be okay. That said, we have not heard of anyone using a saliva test to get into Costa Rica. You could email ICT/the Costa Rica Tourism Board to confirm that it is ok, then print out the email to show in case you have any problems during check in at the airport or in Costa Rica. Also be sure to confirm with Vault Health that your results will say that the test was an RT-PCR.
Hi again Stephen, The CR government just announced during today’s press conference that Covid testing will no longer be an entry requirement starting on October 26. So this will not be an issue anymore. Just thought we’d let you know.
MEDICAL TOURISM Planned May-ish 2021 (Facelift)
The information provided here, along with the comments have been great data points.
Hopefully, this COVID-19 hysteria will have calmed down by May 2021, but the COVID Nazis are not letting up. (I live in Calif USA) I follow Stanford University, and this Professor Of Medicine talks about the sensitive test, that doesn’t know one coronavirus from another. (a cold or flu are coronaviruses, as we all know).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4gbRHBSGk0
Dr Jay Bhatt. MD Public Health guy, and Mstr in Economics,
as well as a Professor Of Medicine at Stanford University. One of my favorite COVID-19 data points.
I watched an MD/Microbiologist about colds and flu 2 yrs back are being umbrella-ed.
I will be quarantined at a recovery facility anyway for 2 weeks, so I am not a risk to CR. Besides, I believe I had it in March.
Looking forward to my trip, and meeting the great people of CR. The COVID Ins situation will be hashed out as the ins actuaries see low risk and high profits.
My boyfriend will be picking me up from the airport. Will he be able to meet me inside? Or will he have to wait outside of the airport? Also, if he is able to meet me inside, I assume a welcome kiss is not allowed, is it? ♥
Even before Covid, no one was allowed to enter the airport for pickups. You will exit after baggage claim and then he can wait right outside the door for you.
Hi there, I must say your site has been very helpful when planning my trip! And I also would like to ask you if you know where I could book a pcr-test while in Costa Rica? Have a lovely day!
Hi Alexandra, We just wrote a short article about this since multiple people have asked: Where to Get a Covid 19 Test in Costa Rica. Hope that helps and glad our site has been helpful with your planning!
Hi Jenn & Matt, this is such wonderful news about the negative COVID test being waived. My flight arrives on November 1, just in the nick of time!! I’m purchasing the CR COVID medical insurance. May I ask about the Health Pass? If I was to fill in the form today, how does it know that I’m not travelling tomorrow vs. Nov. 1? I’ve tried to fill it in as a practice run, but it keeps saying “error”.
Also, if I could not get the Health Pass to work properly, could I take all my hard copies for proof, and still be accepted for entry at the SJO Airport. I’m unsure if Air Canada will be checking on entry requirements before I depart from Canada. They should do so in Toronto, but I don’t want to assume anything.
Thank you, Charlene
Are you aware of any COVID testing facilities at or near the SJO airport for travellers leaving Costa Rica to show on their return to Canada?
Hi Joseph, We have had a few people ask this so we just wrote a quick article about it: Where to Get a Covid 19 Test in Costa Rica. We identify a lab near the airport. CIMA Hospital in Escazu is reasonably close too. There is no testing done at the airports.
Hello, I have been trying to ge to Nicaragua for a few months with Spirit, but have had my reservations cancelled many times. I see that Spirit is now flying to SJO. If I do nt plan to stay in C.R., but just plan to take a bus to Penas Blancas. Entering Nicaragua the same day, Would I be able to travel w/o getting the Covid insurance?
Hi Joe, That must be very frustrating to have your flights be continuously cancelled. Costa Rica’s land borders are still closed so we’re not sure exactly if you can get into Nicaragua via Penas Blancas. We have heard you need a special permission from the Nicaraguan government. Assuming you could get in that way, Costa Rica would want you to purchase the insurance since you will need to be stamped into the country. You’ll need to meet the regular entry requirements so they will also want to see a plane ticket back to your home country. Some people in your situation just get a refundable ticket. So one idea is to get it for a day or two stay in Costa Rica, then you would only need to purchase the insurance for those couple of days. We think that could work. Such a complex time right now with travel. Best of luck to you.
thank you for this amazing resource!
question — if i’m already in costa and i want to extend my trip one week, is it necessary to extend the insurance or anything? or is it okay to just move the return flight and stay?
Hi Chris, Glad our site has been helpful!
Technically, they would want you to extend the insurance to make sure you’re covered in case you get Covid while you’re here. It would be a good idea to have it. But no one is going to check.
Hi,
Is it still true that if you arrive up until 31st of october in costa rica you can stay till the 2nd of march? Should I book my proof of onward travel after 90 days? or the 2nd of march, and same thing with the health insurance?
thank you
Hi Ann-Sophie, Yes, tourists who enter before November 30 get an automatic visa extension until March 2. Regarding onward travel, as far as we know, they are still giving 90 day visas as the standard visa length (the immigration official, can, however, give less time, in their discretion). So you should get a plane ticket showing you will be leaving in 90 days. As for the health insurance, they will want to see it for the duration of your stay based on your plane ticket. You should still make sure you have travel insurance for as long as you plan to stay if it is longer so that you’re covered.
This Site is fantastic! What a wealth of information! Thanks Jenn and Matt!
Regarding insurance. I purchased insurance through Travel Insured International. The cost for $100k medical as well as trip cancelation was $389. This is for two people for 65 days in CR. To get to the required $2000 for quarantine they added an upgrade which added an additional $1000 to the existing $1000 travel delay amount. This cost was $35 for the two of us. There was some debate among the folks at Travel Insured if this insurance would meet the requirements for the quarantine lodging portion, since quarantine is not mentioned specifically. I’ve emailed seguro at ITC to see. Since we leave on Sunday (Nov 1) I expect I might not hear back, but then if not, will just purchase something pre-approved on Friday when I’m able to do the Health Pass form. Though I’m a bit worried since all I ever get are errors on that site. The info above to keep trying is invaluable. Note that I found that Safe Travels Voyager through Insubuy you mentioned above is only $99 for medical requirements only. Much better than the $1400 Sagicor wanted. Also, I was never able to get a quote from INS. As far as I can tell their site is broken as the html for entering a date will not work and just returns NaN/Nan/Nan no matter what I do.
Hi Alan, Glad our information has been helpful!
That’s strange about the INS website. We just tried it in Google Chrome and it worked fine. The calendar popped up in the trip start and finish fields, then the Days of Journey field populated based on that. We can see how that field (Days of Journey) does default to that “NaN”, but it went away after we put in the start and finish info. Maybe try Chrome? Though you are probably getting a better price anyway through that international company.
Hope you hear back from ITC soon. We have been hearing from people that they are indeed getting a reply to insurance questions in a fairly timely manner. Best wishes for smooth travel on the 1st!
Wow – just stumbled upon this forum and am inspired by your information and responsiveness, Matt & Jenn. Thank you – from all of us!
I am currently in Nicaragua with a group of American motorcyclists riding from the US to Argentina. We are waiting at the border of Costa Rica, and after much research, still can’t seem to find accurate information on estimates of when Costa Rica’s land borders will re-open. (There are rumors floating around about October 31st re-opening, but we can’t find this confirmed anywhere.)
Have you heard anything new in this regard?
In addition: for those having troubles with the “online health form” (as I did when experimenting) – try with another browser. Chrome provided an error on every submission but Microsoft Edge worked the first time, funny enough. Hope this helps!
Hi Dan, Wow, that sounds like quite an adventure!
Unfortunately, we don’t have any info on when the land borders will reopen. As you probably know, the country has loosened entry requirements and will open to all travelers on Nov 1, but it’s just the air borders. They had a lot of problems with people bringing Covid from Nicaragua at the beginning of all this so it may be a while yet. They also extended tourist visas for people entering by the end of Nov. to allow them to stay until March 2. This helps people who live in CR but on a tourist visa since it doesn’t require them to leave the country to renew their visas, which is harder now with land borders being closed. But, currently people who enter starting on Dec 1 will just get a regular visa (typically 90 days) and have to leave the country when that expires. So you can take what you want from that. At this point, we aren’t sure what the government will do next. Eliminating the testing requirement came as a big surprise to us after they had been taking such a conservative approach up until this point.
Thanks for the tip on the health pass! We’ve already relayed it to one person having problems.
Jenn & Matt –
Thanks again for your reply here! (And glad that the “Microsoft Edge / Health Pass” tip has helped!)
Given the most recent “update” to the land border restrictions on Nov 1: allowing Costa Rican residents to enter via land borders – do you have any information / ideas on when this will be opened up to tourists? (I’ve seen news articles mentioning a “staggered approach”, but we’re completely in the dark about whether this will be over weeks, months, or more..!)
Thanks again – you guys are awesome!
Hi again Dan, Unfortunately, we don’t have any insight into when land borders will open for tourists. We haven’t seen anything in the news or during the daily press conferences. Sorry we can’t be of more help!
Dan, I had the same issue with Chrome. Thanks for the tip on Edge. Like you said, worked first time! Huge help! Thanks!
One other tip for filling out the Health Pass. Using Edge on my computer I was not able to fill in the form for my daughter. When I tried to start the process over, it already showed my information and said I was editing. The work around I found was to use another computer to fill out her form.
My husband is going to Costa Rica November 1, 2020 (Sunday!) And we have been trying to fill out the digital epidemiological health pass every day since Monday Oct. 26. After filling out the first page and hitting enter we get an error message. Every time! He’s starting to panic. Has anyone else been experiencing this same issue and any advice on how to resolve? Can he fill out a paper application at the airport? It’s just perplexing
Hi Julia, You can’t fill out the form until 48 hours before your flight. So you should be able to do it today based on when your departure time is on Sunday. Also, some people have been having problems using the browser Chrome when filling it out. If that happens, try Microsoft Edge. Definitely have it completed prior to going to the airport because the airlines will want to see it at check in.
How does contact tracing work? Since dropping the negative Covid test requirement, I am afraid that if someone in our inbound flight ends up with Covid, will all the passengers on that flight be forced to quarantined for 14 days? If so, a one-week trip could result in a three-week stay. Also, we are staying at a surf camp with limited space and would not be able to quarantine there for the required 14 days. How easily would we be able to find accommodations that will accept quarantined guests? Thanks!
Hi Eileen, We don’t think the contact tracing works on such a broad scale like that here in Costa Rica. From what we have heard, at this point in the pandemic since cases are more widespread (than in the beginning), they seem to focus more on tracking people in your direct social bubble. So friends/family or co-workers that you were in close proximity to for extended periods. We don’t think they would track down the people on the same flight if someone ended up sick.
Hi Jen and Matt,
Thank you so much for your amazingly detailed and informative site.
My husband and I are coming to Costa Rica for the second time in early January 2021. We would like to take the public buses for part of our trip, a d rent a car for the balance. Could you tell us what covid precautions are being taken on the buses? The longest ride we have planned is from San Jose to Sierpe (on the way to Drake Bay.)
Hi Christina, Masks are required during the ride and at bus stops. There are capacity limits too – they can fill all seats, plus have some standing passengers. The number of people who can travel standing varies based on the distance traveled and width of the bus aisles (the range is around 10-30 people standing). This is regulated and specific to the bus company/route.
You may want to price out renting a car for your whole stay, as the rate may be the same or very similar for, say, 10 days vs. 14 days. We’ve found from helping client that often the price is the same to just leave the car parked in Sierpe while you’re in Drake Bay, even if you’re not using it. Definitely a lot more convenient and less stressful in these times to drive the long distance to Sierpe rather than take the bus.
Here is the link to our Rental Car Discount page in case you haven’t seen it. Our readers get 10% off the base price plus a free second driver, etc. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn and Matt, My daughter and I are also leaving for Costa Rica on Nov 1, assuming we can get the insurance approved. I read this web page again and read through all the comments again, so hopefully not rehashing what you’ve already answered. I bought insurance through Travel Insured International that covers as best I can tell the requirements. I guess we’ll find out. I did send an email to verify this last week, but have not heard back yet from ICT. For trip insurance and medical it’s around $400 for the two of us for two months. I checked with both INS and Seguro and they were around $400 from INS (for medical only of course) and $1,400 for Sagicor. I was having trouble with the website at INS with Chrome, but it worked fine with Edge. Sagicor is around $11/day per person and so might be more economical for shorter stays. I’m getting antsy about this as it is Friday and we leave Sunday. Also, I submitted all the information a few hours early, forgetting about what I had read here on the 48 hour requirement (there is nothing on the Health Pass site that mentions this). It seemed to go through fine once I used MS Edge instead of Chrome. I got a QR code and the last page of the form indicated I was waiting for the insurance to be approved. So, not sure if I caused problems by applying 50 hours before my flight instead of 48. After all this, I’m hoping I can just purchase the INS insurance at the last minute if necessary. It sounds like that part is automated and not needing a person to look through the policy. It sounds like United will need to see the QR code and see approval before allowing flight. I’ll be doubling up on insurance if I do that. Pretty expensive lesson, but might be good if something goes bad. I could have saved some grief if I’d found your site before I bought the insurance.
Hi Alan, Hope all goes well for you today. You should be ok based on what you’ve said. If the insurance doesn’t work, like you said you can just purchase the INS last minute. They do have a more limited coverage option (I think it is Option 7?). Fingers crossed for an easy day of travel for you!
What email address did you send your insurance doc to? Have you heard back?
Hi Dave, We were just about to get back to you on your question on our other Covid post. The email is seguros@ict.go.cr
Thank you so much for keeping us all updated! It’s hard to find information. We are currently selling our house with hope to move and come as visitors for a year to see how life is living in C.R. before buying. So we have no idea if we will have a buyer tomorrow or in two months?!!
Do you know if the land borders are open to Panama as yet? Also, we would need travel insurance right?
Thank you so much for this comprehensive article … I have been searching high and low for information regarding the difference in Covid medical insurance coverage requirement between the local ones ($20,000 USD) and foreign ($50,000) … what a big different !!
By the way, the $2000 quarantine accommodation coverage requirement … does that fall under the ‘Trip Interrupt” policy?
I can’t find any specific wording in the insurance policies to make sure that I’m covered for that requirement.
I bought insurance from Travel Guard (includes $50K medical coverage) and send the letter I received from TG over the the Seguros@ict email and have not heard back yet. It’s been 4 days. Anyone else facing similar issues and what are you doing?
I just got a response from someone at ict.go.cr and they told me that the TravelGuard Preferred product does meet the requirements.
Hi Kenny, I don’t see travel guard preferred includes the $2,000 accommodation though. Trip delay only covers $200/day, up to $800. Can you share how you get urs?
Hi Liz, We looked at the policy coverage briefly for the Preferred plan and it seemed to cover the quarantine under Trip Interruption. Go to “Description of Coverage.” This is covered for 150% of the trip cost so seems like it would work to cover the needed $2K in accommodation expenses.
I just got a response on approval for mine. This is me emailing the seguros@ict.go.cr email. I got the AIG/TravelGuard preferred product since that covers $50K. The only thing that looks like the $2000 accommodation coverage is trip interruption. I also check Allianz and they have a similar product. I would have paid for Alliaz during the AA,com checkout but the product they offered only covered $20K.
Hi Kenny, Thanks for the helpful info! We will add the AIG/TravelGuard Preferred product as an option in our article soon.
Hi Jenn and Matt! Your post has been so helpful 🙂 We are looking to head over in the next couple of weeks. We plan to go to Tortuguero, Sarapiqui, La Fortuna and Monteverde, however we can’t work out if it would be best to hire a car or rely on public transport? We realise if we do hire a car it would probably be best to get buses then boat to Tortuguero then return to San Jose and pickup a hire car from there for the rest of the trip (unless there is an easier way?) However, we are not able to speak Spanish so I wonder if it is best to rely on taxi’s and shuttles? Are there any reputable shuttle companies you would recommend? I am just thinking if we are staying in a hotel and wanted to drive 2 minutes up the road to a restaurant for dinner would it be easier to have a car or are taxi’s very easy to come by (in COVID times). Thank you sooo much for any advice you can offer 🙂
Hi Rea, We would recommend taking a shuttle or the bus for the first part of the trip to Tortuguero/La Pavona boat docks, then renting a car for your time after Tortuguero. No rental car companies have office at the docks to Tortuguero, but the company that we recommend, Adobe Rent a Car, will send someone from their office nearby and deliver the car to you at the boat docks. So that you can avoid going back to San Jose. This will likely be the same price or maybe even cheaper than taking shuttles to get around. Here’s a link to our rental car discount page. To get pick up at the La Pavona boat docks, just select Guapiles/PN Tortuguero as the pickup location.
The public bus is another option but this is harder to navigate and will take a lot longer to get places. With four destinations, it’s probably better to either shuttle or rent a car. If you’re more comfortable shuttling, we book shuttles and would be happy to help you. Here is a link to our Shuttle Booking page where you can see prices and information.
we own 5 homes in costa rica
if you own property will that satisfy or reduce the cost of the insurance you need
You can quarantine in your own home right?
we can prove we own the homes listed in the national registry
if that does not work are there any plans of considering ownership in t0 need to pay for additional insurance to provide a safe place to quarantine
Hi Gary, It is not official but people have been avoiding the accommodation/quarantine part of the insurance requirement by showing proof that they own a home in Costa Rica. Deeds from the National Registry should work. You will still need the Covid medical coverage, but that is easy to find.
That’s great! So Adobe would deliver a car to us at which dock? (La Pavona?) I had actually enquired with Adobe and they said about getting to their office in Guapiles, I just wasn’t sure how we would go about that once we get off the boat at La Pavona? I will definitely use your Adobe discount link, thank you again 🙂 As the trip is going to be very last minute I don’t know if we will have time to book the transport from San Jose to Tortuguero so may need to take public transport, to your knowledge is that all running okay at the minute and the buses are following the same schedule? Just conscious of how things might be different during COVID. Thank you again so much.
Unless something has changed, Adobe should be able to pick you up from the boat docks and bring you to their satellite office in Guapiles to get the car. We would just go ahead and make the reservation through the widget on our site and get confirmation from them that they can do that (they should be able to). You won’t have to put your credit card in right away and can cancel last minute if you need to. Let us know if you have any problems and we can speak to our rep there to help.
We can book you on a private shuttle from San Jose to the boat docks for Tortuguero if you’d like. We would just need around 3 days to get everything arranged in time. Here is the link again to our shuttle booking page. If you decide to take the bus instead, they should be running as usual, yes.
Hey, I just rang the Adobe office in Guapiles and they said to collect us from the boat dock in La Pavona there would be an additional fee of $85 – is this in line with what you thought? Thank you so much 🙂
Yes, there is an extra charge. It should cover picking you up at the boat docks in La Pavona, about 1 hour from Guapiles, and the fee for picking up and dropping off at different offices (e.g., Guapiles for pick up and San Jose at the end). There’s always an additional charge for picking up and dropping off in different places. It’s an extra $85 but will save you 2.5-3 hours of driving back to San Jose, which would be in the wrong direction for getting to Sarapiqui. Our Rental Car page has more details on things like this so feel free to check that out for more information.
That makes perfect sense 🙂 Just final, final question (so sorry!), when you can upload your documents 48 hours before your flight, is that 48 hours before our flight takes off? Or 48 hours before our flight lands in Costa Rica? (Takes off from London at 10:40am but doesn’t land in Costa Rica until 8pm) – we plan to get a policy with an international insurer but can’t confirm 100% if it matches the entry requirements so we want to upload it as soon as possible so they can review and if they say no to the policy we still have as much time as possible to cancel that one and then purchase a new one before flying. Thank you so much for all of your help, you’ve been great.
It’s 48 hours from your first departing flight, so from London in your case.
You need to email your insurance policy to the Tourism Institute now so that hopefully they can get back to you about if it meets the requirements before you fill out the Health Pass. Their email is seguros@ict.go.cr
Great info here! My daughter and I are permanent residents in Nicaragua and going to fly back to Texas for a bit and then return to Nicaragua, but there is the 72 hour pcr test complication and I think we would not be able to be tested, get the results and hand the original lab report over within the short time allowed in Nicaragua. Sooooo, I am wondering about flying into CR, getting a test to present at the border on a Ticabus to Managua. Is the land border open to get into Nicaragua by bus or rental car? I would not be returning to CR but staying in Nicaragua. Any advice? Thanks!
Hi Jeff, We know there are labs in Houston that can guarantee results for a PCR test in 72 hours, if that’s where you’re flying from. You could try this website to search for testing facilities: https://rapidtesttravel.com/
If you still need to go through Costa Rica first, we have heard that, yes, the land borders are open for tourists exiting (but not entering). We’re not sure of the particulars so can’t elaborate on that. For where to get a PCR test in CR, here’s a link to our post with several options: https://www.twoweeksincostarica.com/covid-19-test-costa-rica/. Hope that helps!
Thanks so much for your response
Kinda makes sense but many time things that make sense are not the case
Hi Jenn and Matt. As everyone has said, this site is amazing. I noticed your site has said that if you buy insurance through INS, that you will need less coverage (up to $25,000 in medical costs?). I wanted to confirm that on the Costa Rican Embassy website, but I am not finding it? I have also emailed the seguros website. My wife and I purchased through INS (we are both 34 years old) and the total was about $236 USD. I hope its the right one! We leave on the 11th!
Hi Mar, It’s $20,000 in medical coverage if you use a Costa Rican insurance company like INS. This is right on the Costa Rica Tourism Board’s official website (“National insurances meet all the requirements to have coverage of medical expenses for illness, including COVID-19, for a minimum amount of $20,000 and coverage for extended lodging expenses or quarantine, due to pandemic illness, for a minimum amount of $2,000.”).
If you purchase through INS or Sagicor (the CR options), they are automatically approved to meet Costa Rica’s requirements. So you will be all set. Hope you and your wife have a great trip!
Hello,
Quick question on the health pass. Do you have to provide details of all places you will be staying. I’m thinking of planning my stays as I go along in the trip instead of booking everything weeks in advance.
Thanks,
Hi Jo, The form only requires that you enter one destination address so you can just put the first place you’ll be staying.
Hi. I am interested in a vacation to Costa Rica but want to do more hiking, biking, adventure, surfing/diving, beach – possibly stay in a cabin vs the resort. What are you best ideas, areas, cities, locations. Thank you.
Hi Malia, There are a lot of places in Costa Rica that meet those parameters. We would recommend starting with our Destinations Guide. That will give you a feel for all the different towns we cover on our website – about 30. It links to our more detailed articles, so that once you find something that looks good, you can learn more about it.
Hi Jenn and Matt,
I’m wondering if you’ve heard from anyone who has gotten confirmation from the ICT that they will accept the policy that INSUBUY and/or Trawick offers especially for Costa Rican entry insurance?
Hi Kirk, Yes, people have told us that they have successfully entered using both Insubuy and Trawick.
Hi Jenn & Matt
My wife and I are flying in around 7pm on 21/11. Would you recommend us booking accommodation in Alajuela (near the airport) or in San José? I guess baggage reclaim and entry process will take some time so we might not be out of the airport before 9pm.
We are Swiss and are going to use our Swiss insurance policy covering all essential elements according to the Costa Rican entry requirements. In case nothing will go wrong with the entry process I can let you know and you can share it on your web site. I could maybe very helpful for Swiss people thinking of travelling to Costa Rica during the pandemic.
Thanks
Fabian
Hi Fabian, If your flight arrives around 7 pm, yes, we would recommend staying overnight near the airport. The airport process will take around 1.5 hours most likely, depending on how many other planes are landing at the same time. Here is a link to our article Best Airport Hotels Near SJO with some recommendations.
That would be very helpful if you could let us know how your entry goes using your Swiss insurance policy. Thank you for thinking of that. We will keepa lookout for your update. Hope you have smooth travels!
Hi Jenn and Matt
I just want to let you know that the entry process worked smoothly. They asked for the QR code, duration of being in CR, occupation and name of accommodation. Insurance policy was not requested to show again.
I am glad everything worked out perfectly.
Thanks for your advise!
Fabian
That’s great to hear! Thanks for reporting back.
Hi Fabian, I’m curious how long it took you to get through the airport and where you wound up staying?
Hello Fabian, I like to enter Costa Rica with a Swiss travel insurance, possibly from my Krankenkasse. Which one did you use that was accepted?
Hi Kurt
I used Swica and my wife Sanitas. But don’t worry all Swiss insurance will work to meet entry requirements.
Kr
Fabian
Dear Fabian
I am insured with CSS but they say that they do not cover the quarantine lodging. It seems I have to buy the extra insurance provided by the Costa Rican insurance company.
A few questions. Planning our first trip:
1) Any luck with UBER for getting around or is it better to go for the rental car route? Our flight arrives 11pm their time and we were hoping to get an UBER before we commit to a rental car. Is UBER allowed to operate at night past curfew?
2) I just read the details of my trip policy insurance and it doesn’t meet the $2,000 housing cost. Is there no way to self-insure? We have trip insurance already and our medical plan covers expenses out of the country. It seems over-the top to have 3 coverages just to get to the $2,000. Anyone else with this problem? For the length of our trip it would be $1,000 to insure through INS.
3) I’m looking for town recommendations inland within 1 hour of the airport for the final leg. If we can get in on multi-age pickup soccer/football that would be even better?
Hi Kari, Here are our thoughts on your questions.
1. We’re not sure if Uber can operate outside the driving restriction hours. Taxis can, but Uber may be different. We usually recommend people take official orange taxis from the airport. Rental car agencies will be closed when you arrive.
2. There is no way to self-insure, unfortunately. We have heard that there is a less expensive INS option with more limited coverage, that would cover you for the $2K in accommodation. You could contact an insurance broker in CR to see if they could help, since the INS website is not user friendly. Here is a link to a reputable company.
3. If you are flying into SJO, Jaco is about an hour away.
I rode an Uber recently during curfew hours and did not seem to have any problems except the low availability of drivers in the Cartago. I had to wait almost two hours to get a pickup.
Hello, Love your website, and your story! I was wondering if you’ve received any feedback from American travelers about having difficulty boarding their flights bound for CR due to insurance pending status, or other concerns from the airlines that those travelers haven’t met the destination country’s requirements?
Hi Maria, Most people are not having problems anymore now that the testing requirement has been lifted. We cover this issue in our post under the section Showing Your QR Code and Documentation to Airport Officials. So maybe go give that a quick read. Glad our site has been helpful to you!
I have a quick question in regards to car service after 10pm. The flight that we are thinking about taking arrives at 10:03pm and we would need to take car service to the hotel, however I wasn’t sure if they are running at that time due to the curfew hours?
Hi Michele, Licensed taxis and shuttle vans are exempt from the driving restrictions. So you won’t have any problems arranging transportation to your hotel after 10 pm.
Hi! Is there any chance you might know if its possible to take a boat from Nicaragua over to Costa Rica now with Covid restrictions? And cross the border that way instead of air/land?
Have a lovely day!
Hi Alexandra, Not sure if you are talking about entering via river from Nicaragua or via ocean. The rivers are highly regulated and you wouldn’t be able to get in that way. For maritime entry by yacht or sailboat, you have to meet the same requirements as those entering by airplane so need insurance and to fill out the Health Pass. The ICT website (https://www.visitcostarica.com/en/costa-rica/planning-your-trip/entry-requirements) has some information and a contact email in case you have more questions.
Hi! We will arrive to SJO next 30th Nov and read in some webpage that Claro airport office for SIM card closed in April, we imagine that because of COVID crisis.
Anyone can confirm if the office is already open? Our flight arrives at 20.00, will this office be open around 21.00 approx?
Thanks!
Hi David, We’ve heard from a few different people that Claro is back open at SJO Airport (Kolbi is still closed). I’m not sure if the office will be open that late. If they aren’t, you could always pick one up at a store. Here’s a link to some places that sell Claro: https://www.claro.cr/personas/atencion-al-cliente/ There are options around the airport in Alajuela.
Also, you may already be aware, but Claro’s network isn’t as big as Kolbi’s. If you’ll be traveling around, you may want to get Kolbi instead to have better coverage.
Sure, we just thought in Claro for the convenience of getting the SIM Card even before leaving the airport.
If this is not the case, we already heard about the better Kolbi’s coverage and definitely will go for that option.
Thanks for the reply!
Hi David
At the baggage reclaim zone you can find a small CLARO booth selling you different SIM card packages.
KR
Fabian
I just found your blog and it’s been very helpful. I’m looking to come to Costa Rica for the first time in late Jan 2021 for about 7 days or less. What would be a guestimate on insurance thru one of the Costa Rican companies for this duration?
Hi Kaeleigh, Glad our blog has been helpful to you.
Sagicor is usually cheaper for short trips. They are around $11/day per person so $77 for 7 days.
Thank you so much for this useful information! It’s been a challenge trying to navigate the new travel requirements. My boyfriend and I were in Arenal in 2017 and can’t wait to return to see more of this beautiful country. We plan on visiting again sometime in the spring next year.
Hi Jenn and Matt, your website is amazing. My family is noodling over moving to Costa Rica for 4-6 weeks later this winter to avoid the Boston dreariness. We would be 5 adults (including my in-laws, who are 70+) and 3 kiddos, currently aged 3 months – 5). My husband and I will be working, so need a place that’s likely to have good WiFi, and since my in laws are older, we’d prefer to be within a reasonable distance to a decent hospital, should something happen with Covid. Between focusing our Villa rental search in the Manuel Antonio-ish vs Tamarindo area, do you see a clear winner? We also have a long history with carsickness with our little ones, but I think there should be a direct flight from Boston to Liberia and San Jose, Covid cancellations not withstanding.. Thank you!
Hi Bea, What a fun opportunity for your family!
The larger private hospitals closed in Liberia, near Tamarindo. There are good small private hospitals and clinics but the larger options are only in San José. So maybe for medical care, the central Pacific coast would be better. Fast internet can be found in either place.
Manuel Antonio is about 2.5 hours from San José. It has a great private clinic in Quepos though, if anything came up. You could also look at the Jaco area (https://www.twoweeksincostarica.com/jaco-costa-rica/), which is even closer to San José. There are some smaller beach communities to the south that are quieter and have more rainforest.
If you end up seriously doing this, we could help more with the logistics through our video chat service (https://www.twoweeksincostarica.com/video-chat-service/). A lot of people have been coming for extended visits during Covid, and we’ve been helping them figure things out.
Hi!
We purchased the insurance that Iberia airline offers in partnership with Allianz. We filled the Pase de Salud and we just got the ok from CR officers.
Insurance covers up to 60,000€ (approx 72,000$) for medical expenses and up to 1820€ (approx 2200$) in accomodation, for 60€ (72$) two people 11 days.
Useful at least to people flying with Iberia, we are from Spain.
Regarding ICT confirmation of an international travel insurance policy, does anyone have any idea how long one might have to wait for a response? We have contacted them 3 times in the last 3 weeks, twice through their e-mail address and once through their contact us section on their website. We are hopefully planning to come for the month of March, as we have been doing for the past 15 years. We don’t want to wait until the 48 hours before the flight, only to find out it is not accepted. Feeling frustrated…maybe someone can advise?
Hi Lindsay, We’re sorry to hear that you haven’t received a response yet. Some people have reported it taking a while but I haven’t heard three weeks. You could try reaching out through ICT’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/InstitutoCostarricensedeTurismoOficial/). We were having a hard time reaching them for a client but got through using that. We would recommend writing your questions in Spanish to increase the likelihood of getting a response. You could just run it through Google Translate if you need to. If that doesn’t work, people have been giving the specific email addresses of employees at ICT who they were in communication with on some of the Facebook expats groups. Check there if you are in those. If you aren’t, let us know and we can see if we can find an old post for you with the info.
Hi! Your site was so helpful in the last few weeks before our trip, so I wanted to provide some tips that may be helpful to people looking for info from someone who has recently traveled to Costa Rica from the US, and a couple small hiccups some members of our group ran into that are easy to avoid.
Travel Insurance – Trawick:
We just had a group of several families spend +/- 10 days in Costa Rica. We all purchased the Trawick policy and it worked great. The cost for our family of 2 adults and 2 teenagers was $87 for 10 days versus $420 with Sagicor.
-Make sure you select the Safe Travels Voyager plan as it is the only one the specifically includes the $2000 quarantine accommodations under the trip delay provision. (I spoke with a Trawick customer service rep prior to purchasing who was extremely helpful and knowledgeable if you have more questions.)
-Also, if you do not need it to serve as traditional travel insurance, but JUST need to to meet the entry requirements for Costa Rica, set the cost of travel as $0. Obviously if you want the typical travel insurance coverage, enter the particular travel cost you want covered and it would still include the trip delay/quarantine accommodation provision required for entry.
-In the email confirmation you receive, there will be a single page “visa letter” for each traveler. This is the document you need to show as proof of the proper insurance – have the copy for each individual traveler in your party.
Health Pass/QR code:
-When completing the health pass, use the form drop downs, especially the calendar for dates (if you type in dates in American format, it will tell you that you are not inside of the 48 hour window to complete, so just select from the calendar. Format must be day before month.)
-Upon completing the health pass, make sure you receive an email with the full form that includes the QR code and all your details (name, flight, date, etc). We had some members of the group who did not receive the email, so they just took a pic of the QR code upon completion and ran into trouble. Able to board first flight fine, but when making connection in Houston (on United) the gate agent would not accept just the QR code as proof that they had completed the health pass, so they had to scramble and complete a whole new health pass on their phones at the gate before being allowed to board. Very stressful when making a tight connection.
-The health pass can be somewhat confusing when completing for a minor child as the guardian. Complete the passenger info at the top of the page for the minor, then below is the information to add for the guardian of that minor.
While we were in Costa Rica (Guanacaste) we felt good in terms of the Covid protocols being followed and felt like the hotel and restaurant staff everywhere we went were following safe practices. We already wish we were back! Safe travels to all and Pura Vida!
Thank you for circling back with this very helpful information! Glad your entry went well.
Hey TM I’m traveling to CR next and I saw your recent detailed post. I’m planning to stay for 3 weeks at multiple accommodations via airbnb. Do you think I will have trouble getting approved on the health pass since I’m staying in multiple locations? Also just to confirm, you fill out the health pass within 48 hours of your flight correct?
You only have to put the address of your first destination, not all of them.
And yes, within 48 hours – it will not allow you to complete prior to that window. It is pretty straightforward, you shouldn’t have any troubles.
Thank you so much for the Trawick recommendation. It very helpful and we are all set for our trip. Was there anything that happened that you didn’t plan for with respect to traveling during covid?
Hi guys, I am grateful to you for all the info already presented here. I don’t know how you find the time to respond to every single question.
My question is for any Canadian who has recently arrived or purchased acceptable travel insurance for Costa Rica. I was initially depending on AC’s free Covid insurance, which from what I understand does not meet the full requirements and only covers trips up to 21 days.
So I am back on the market for a cheap coverage that meets the Costa Rican requirements.
My trip is about 24 days, age 53.
My thinking is if I buy the Costa Rican pre-approved ones, the government may never lift this requirement – just like that dreaded exist tax.
Anyone with any recent experience, please respond. Let’s know wherever you found cheap deals.
I am traveling to CR on Dec 17. I submitted an insurance quote from insubuy to seguros@ict.go.cr. I sent 3 emails so far to check if the insurance for my family of four is ok. So far no response. How long should I wait? Thanks for all the great info on your website
Hi Srinivasan, That is a long time to wait. We have suggested to others to contact ICT using their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/InstitutoCostarricensedeTurismoOficial/ That worked for us.
Many people have successfully entered using Insubuy so as long as you buy the right policy that includes the $2,000 usd in accommodation coverage, we wouldn’t worry about it too much. You will be able to upload the policy when you do the health pass and it should be accepted without any problems.
No response to my messages via Facebook and email so far. I would like to get confirmation before I arrive to avoid any hassle.
We just searched some old Facebook threads for emails at ICT that people gave. Try this one ANDRES.ITURRINO@ict.go.cr
Thank you for your great website and the very helpful information. We will be traveling through Costa Rica in January and would like to continue traveling to Bocas del Toro in Panama. Do you know whether it is currently possible to travel from Costa Rica to Panama by land or only by plane? Thank you very much for your answer.
Hi Tina, Land borders are still currently closed for tourists entering Costa Rica but they are open for exiting. So you would be able to leave to go to Panama but not get back in unless you fly.
Do you know of a Canadian Insurance provider who could provide an acceptable policy. Our daughter has coverage under her company benefits but I do not see it mentioned anywhere about covering the accommodation expenses for 14 days of quarantine.
She will be staying with us. Any idea if that will be acceptable for that part?
Hi Joseph, I am not sure if your house will work to avoid the quarantine coverage if she is not traveling with you. People have been showing the deed, in their name, as proof. But you could write ICT to ask since she is a family member. Maybe it would work?
For Canadian residents, we have heard of people entering with BCBS. They request a confirmation letter from them saying that it covers Covid and the accommodation expense. Another option is Tugo: https://www.tugo.com/en/travel-insurance/COVID-19/
Thank you for the great info, it’s helpful.
If I want to continue staying in costa rica after 90 days, what must I do to renew the visa? Kindly advice.
Thank you very much.
Hi Yvonne, Glad our site has been helpful! You will need to leave the country then fly back in, until they open land borders. The maximum visa length for tourists is 90 days. So then you’ll need to enter like normal and have the insurance for the full 90 days.
Thanks for reply.
I’ll be flying into costa rica on 17 Dec, do you know if the below rule would change by then? I’ve not purchase insurance yet.
“On November 1, Immigration announced that the number of days granted to tourists upon entry would depend on the travel insurance purchased.”
We don’t think they will change this until the end of Covid. They want to make sure you have insurance for your whole visit in case you get Covid. They are trying to protect the health care system.
Hi! Can you suggest a Costa Rica website that details current entry requirements for yachts? Thanks!
Hi Ross, The Costa Rica Tourism Board says they people arriving by yacht need to meet the same requirements. So you need the travel insurance and to fill out the online Health Pass. You also need to show immigration the document “International Ship Sailing and Dock” in authorized marinas. Here is a link to the Tourism Board’s website: https://www.visitcostarica.com/en/costa-rica/planning-your-trip/entry-requirements Only certain marinas are authorized entry points so you should contact them in advance for more details.
Hello everyone .I am going to CRfor 3 months,this insurence Seguroparaviaje.com agency was recomended to me.In my opinion ,itis very advant ageus .Does anyone know if the Costa Rica goverment accepts .Thank you very much for any information Tony
Hi Tony, We’re not sure. We’ve never heard of that company. Maybe someone else will have had experience with it.
Thank you very much for this helpful information! I have one question on the Health Pass. I understand that one question is to list the countries you have visited in the last 14 days. If a US citizen has visited Mexico within the 14 days before arrival in Costa Rica, will there be any issues with entry? Thank you!
Hi Marie, No, you won’t have any problems. Costa Rica is allowing all countries in now. There are no restrictions.
Thank you! Just reserved a car using your link.
Do you happen to know if Costa Rica sells iso-butane fuel cannisters (for jetboil and other small cooking stoves)? I know there’s Walmarts there but unsure if they carry this fuel. I can’t find anything on the web about this.
I am so grateful so stumble upon your blog! My husband and I are traveling there for Christmas and NYE. I’ve read on your blog regarding driving restrictions and I’m curious if we are “required” to book all accommodations before we arrive. We typically wing our places since we never know how much time we’re spending in a general area. Also, do you know if campgrounds are open? We are planning on renting a 4×4 suv and hope to camp (about 50% of the time). Any insight is greatly appreciated˜!
Hi Anna, No, you aren’t required to have all your accommodation reservations made in advance so that won’t be a problem. You will only have to enter your first destination into the online Health Pass.
Yes, campgrounds are open like normal, subject to the standard health restrictions. Feel free to check out our rental car discount (https://www.twoweeksincostarica.com/costa-rica-rental-car-discount/) as you’re shopping around for a 4×4. Our readers get 10% off, a free second driver, and you could request a free cooler too!
Hi guys. Fantastic and informative website. Thanks so much for providing this. May I ask one question. Regarding the insurance. I don’t have an international travel insurance and I want to go to Costa Rica from Dec 30th until January 30th.
So I followed the advice given on the website here and compared the prices for INS and Sagircor.
Is it possible that the price difference is that extreme?
According to my research INS is 115 pound but Sagicor is 230 pound. It would be interesting to hear your opinion if this is possible.
https://cotiza.ins-cr.com/frmDatosIncluir.aspx?P=431
There are 2 options for INS, one which covers accommodation expenses of 2000 and one of 4000 Dollar it must be. The 2000 one is enough isn’t it?
Or does the INS require already an international insurance as a basis?
Thanks so much for your answer in advance
Hi Sebastian, It is possible that there is such a big price difference. Sagicor has a fixed daily rate, whereas INS is more variable and tends to be cheaper for longer visits like yours. We are not sure of the particulars of the various INS options but their plans are preapproved by the CR government. Yes, you only need the $2,000 USD in accommodation coverage.
Many people are finding it helpful to go through a local broker in Costa Rica to get INS coverage. They can help answer your questions and send quotes to you, and they don’t charge extra. One company doing this that people have had good luck with is Best Insurance Costa Rica. They have information on their Facebook page about how to contact them for the required entry insurance: https://m.facebook.com/corredorsegurosprisma/. We use them for our regular health and car insurance.
Hope that helps!
Have your heard if the Panama or Nicaragua land borders are open yet for tourists in Costa Rica to do border runs? If not, have you heard when they might be open? I have to leave by January 30 and hoping to do a border run returning back to CR.
Hi Charlene, Land borders are closed for tourists entering still. If they reopen, we will be updating this post as soon as we hear. We have heard rumors of them reopening in December but have nothing to substantiate that.
Jenn and Matt, I heard rumors too from my source in Nicaragua, who is in the tourism industry there, who has a contact inside Migracion in Costa Rica. In November, he said the rumor was reopening to tourists December 1, then December 15, and now he’s saying not until March. The head of Migracion was in a video in late October or early November saying that there’s a slow process and eventually will open for tourists. I was hoping by Christmas, but it appears that’s exactly what they are trying to avoid now, thousands of people coming across the border all at once. Citizens and residents, and their close family members are still allowed into Costa Rica by land border, so it would seem they would want to suppress the annual exodus of thousands of resident/citizen Nicaraguans back home to Nicaragua in December and their return in January. No one really knows what the infection rate is in Nicaragua and deaths are mostly listed as pneumonia. I have a close friend who is the person taking the samples for the Covid-19 tests and running the PCR machine at one of the major public hospitals in Managua, and he has informed me that the Nicaraguan government is publishing false information, that almost everyone that tests positive in the hospital dies, and that their deaths are not listed as Covid-19. So the virus could be raging at rates higher than anywhere else, and the resident/citizen Nicaraguans could be returning with a very unpleasant late Christmas present for Costa Rica.
Hello again. I was reading a Tico Times article about entry requirements which was published today, December 7, and it said that if you own property in Costa Rica, proof of ownership can waive the lodging expenses requirement for your insurance policy. We do own a small piece of property in the Osa and have proof, so we will check with ICT to see if we qualify. I thought I would post this in case it may apply to other travellers.
hi guys,
this is site a god send, thank you for tending to it so well. Its a great resource, My family and I are looking to go to Puerto Jiminez ( my fourth time to CR) at months end til mid January. I will be consulting this site to get more info as we near the departure.
I will ask if there’s anything we should know about traveling with a infant during this time ( that we wouldn’t already normally know? per Costa Rica ?
Just listing an Airbnb as a destination will suffice?
Thank you again for what you do
Hi Sebastian, No, there shouldn’t be anything different about traveling with an infant that you would need to know. They aren’t requiring the Covid test to enter so you won’t need to deal with that.
Yes, you can put the Airbnb house name and location on the Health Pass. Glad our site has been helpful. We hope your family has a great visit to Puerto Jimenez!
Hello, I’m flying to Costa Rica from Dec 26-Jan 4th. But, I’m seeing that Costa Rica is in the red right now and on high alert on the CDC website. Is that not the case?
Hi Kumi, I’m not totally sure, but I think Costa Rica has been Level 4 for a while. Not too much has changed lately. Active cases have actually gone down slightly since early December. Hospitalizations are up some, but there is still plenty of capacity. You can follow the situation with our other Covid post, which updates the data several times per week. Or, you could read this article from a local newspaper to get an idea. Costa Rica seems to be doing a pretty good job overall, but of course, everyone needs to continue to be careful. We recently got back from a trip to another region of the country and felt very comfortable with the precautions in place. We hope that helps!
Hi. I was recently in Costa Rica in November since the lockdown and since my last trip there in February 2020. I was surprised how fast the Immigration and Custom process went.
The most important part is to make sure you have/obtain the correct travel insurance coverage as required (make sure to note the one BIG different in requirement between the local and international insurance companies). Also, I found that Trawick International Travel Insurance that I used was a lot cheaper than the local ones (more than half the local ones). Make sure your travel insurance covers the WHOLE duration of your time in CR.
And then, 48 hours (2 days) before your travel date (that would be December 24 for you), check in with the Health Pass site to upload your insurance information. I have seen people (not being aware of this) and had to struggle at the gate just before boarding … very bad !!
Do you know what questions are asked on the health pass? (Other than what you’ve already stated in the article)
Hi Nate, The health pass also asks for your date of birth, email, phone number, sex, occupation, trip purpose, country of origin, countries visited in last 14 days, and name of traveling companions. If you want to see exactly what they ask, you can go through the form by putting in whatever information you want and then just not submitting it at the last step.
Hi Jenn and Matt
Thank you SO much for all your information on CR.
Does anyone know if the Travel Insurance included with Westjet (Canada) for 21 days is acceptable?
I have tried to ask ICT multiple times and have had no response.
And does anyone know of an acceptable Canadian Travel Insurance plan to extend our days of coverage?
We are booked to travel in January for 61 days.
Thanks!
I still haven’t heard about the Westjet included travel insurance being acceptable or not.
In the meantime I have found a quote from Trawick is quite reasonable. This is also available travelling from Canada.
Also I went through the CR company that is recommended here by Jenn and Matt: http://www.bestinsurancecr.com
They were prompt in their reply and were able to give me a two option quote from INS without the difficulties negotiating the INS website.
Thanks
Hi Tanya, We follow some of the Costa Rica Facebook groups and most people think the Westjet policy does not meet the requirements. But some people have said they entered with it, no problem. You could join the group Costa Rica Resources for Expats and Tourists – if you use the search function, you can look up old threads.
We’re glad that Best Insurance was helpful.
Thank you so much for the link to the Facebook group. I think we will just either go with Trawick or INS via Best Insurance for peace of mind.
This will be our second visit to CR. The first was a three week tour around, and now we are spending a month near Uvita and a month in Samara, to feel a little more settled into the lifestyle.
Thanks for your terrific website as I have done loads of research through it!
Really getting excited now!
Hello Tanya; Did you hear back about the Westjet coverage yet? I also have emailed but no answer…What day are you leaving? We are leaving Jan 16th and getting nervous about the insurance. Also, were you able to extend it? Thanks so much!
Hi Karen, We are also leaving Jan 16th! I have gone round and round in square circles and have decided that to be safe and hassle-free, we are going to get insurance for our whole trip on INS via http://www.bestinsurancecr.com. Hope this is helpful…. Perhaps we will be on the same plane ?? Have a terrific trip.
Good news! I got a reply back and she said the Westjet insurance is sufficient!! We just purchased the extra days from the Tugo site (which is the underwriter for Westjet) so what a relief!! Maybe yes we should be on the same flight; have a look for a middle age couple. I have shoulder length light brown and my hubby has grey hair and not much haha. Cannot wait!!
Fantastic! Thank you so much for letting us know!
We are in our sixties, hubby is 6’6” and slender. I am shorter and plump! Haha.
Hi Karen. Question about the additional days you purchased. Does anyone know on the health pass if we can have more than 1 policy? Also does anyone know if lodging $2k USD is coverage for the family or per individual?
Leaving the snowy north in a couple weeks!
Hi Pamela, Yes, you can upload more than one policy to the Health Pass if you select international insurance. The $2K requirement is per person, not per family.
hi Jenn and Matt,
Moving ahead with our Costa Rica vacation and getting so excited!
We are flying to Puerto Jimenez the day after we arrive.
I’m traveling with two small children and would love to know an hotel near SJO airport that I you can recommend ( close enough so we can get back there the next morning for our Sansa flight at 1030am.
Thank you!
Sebastian,
I can recommend a small hotel about 15 minutes from SJO airport in Alajuela called Hotel la Rosa de America. We stay there every year at the beginning and end of our trip. Rooms are comfortable and clean, gardens are beautiful, staff are helpful and friendly, and there is an onsite restaurant for breakfast and dinner. They can arrange a ride for you to and from airport…cost is $22 U.S. each way. Hope you have a wonderful vacation!
Hi Sebastian, Yes, La Rosa de America (https://www.twoweeksincostarica.com/la-rosa-america) is a good option close to the airport. They have family rooms too. It’s in our SJO Hotel Guide (https://www.twoweeksincostarica.com/hotels-near-sjo/). You could check that out for some more ideas. Another excellent choice is Hotel Terrazas de Golf, about 10 minutes from the airport. Our readers get a 10% discount there too.
Hello,
Thank you for this comprehensive post. I have a question about insurance. We have a global health policy from Globality Health that covers the health coverage requirement ($50,000 USD). But it does not cover the $2,000 in lodging coverage. However, we have Credit Cards with tens of thousands of dollars of room and a bank account with over $10,000 in cash available. If we show these documents will that be OK? We haven’t seen that answered anywhere.
Hi John and Lindsay, Unfortunately, proof that you have funds to meet the $2,000 is not enough. You have to have insurance coverage to satisfy the accommodations requirement.
Hi. I am traveling to Costa Rica on December 27th. I own a house in Costa Rica and will be staying there for 8 days. I have family in Costa Rica who are telling me that I no longer need the insurance to enter the country. Hoping you can clarify if it is still needed..? Any insights are appreciated. Thank you!
Hi Sandra, If you will be visiting on a tourist visa, you will still need the insurance (medical coverage for Covid) but not the accommodation coverage if you own a home. You just need to present proof of the ownership. Some people have used the registered deed. Here is a link with more information: https://news.outlierlegal.com/2020/08/15/things-are-progressing/ Hope that helps!
My GeoBlue travel insurance policy did not have a $2000 hotel quarantine coverage, but since I was staying with a friend in a private residence, they waived this requirement. I don’t know if they will do that with every tourist, but in my case, I was granted the exemption.
I just arrived in Costa Rica on Dec 19, 2020. We purchased the Trawick travel insurance and had zero problems. It has a provision for Covid and Costa Rica’s requirements. $98 for a family of 4.
Hello,
We arrived on Saturday from Montreal and the insurance provided with Air Canada (Manulife) is approved by the Costa Rican authorities. When we purchased our tickets, the insurance was included with the tickets but they changed that a few weeks ago and you now need to be an aeroplan user to have it included (it’s free to become a user if you are not).
Hope this helps !
Thank you for the information, Marie-Claude. This will be very helpful for those traveling from Canada!
That’s great to know! 🙂 What kind of information did you have to provide on the health form to show proof of this insurance? Did you have to call Air Canada or Manulife? I am an Aeroplan user, so this will apply!
I called Manuvie and they sent to me the PDF of the insurance plan and I also added the email confirmation from Air Canada with the tickets numbers. Please note that is only valide for trip of 21 days or less
Hello and many thanks for your fantastic blog.
We are flying to CR on 30th of December from EU. Is it necessary to have a return flight ticket? We have to show it when entering CR? … We would like to buy return flight ticket from CR during the stay (flying back between 16-19 January)…. When we fill insurance form from INS and pay, we get papers and confirmation per return or do we have to wait hours/days for it?
Thanks a lot and I apologize for disturb
Hi Petr, Yes, you will need to show a return ticket out of Costa Rica. This has always been required. Perhaps you could get a flexible fare that would allow you to change the date. Otherwise, you could get a fully refundable ticket and just cancel it after you arrive.
The INS policy should come soon after you request the policy online. But we would do it at least 5 days or so before your trip just in case their online system is having problems, which it sometimes does. After that you will be able to do the Health Pass 48 hours before your flight. With an INS policy number to put in, you should receive your QR code instantly.
Hi. I’m at Costa Rica due an interview at the US Embassy for a visa. But today after the interview they asked me to stay longer, due some processing time. Now I’m very worried about the health pass. Any news about buying more insurance and then extending the health pass and days of my stamp? It would be really complicated to take a flight, spend 72 hours outside and then come back.
Also, always check your stamp when entering. I got 16 days of insurance and they put 15 days on my stamp. I’m very confused about what they consider day 1.
Hi Leticia, We have heard that you can extend your visa stamp by purchasing more insurance and going to the airport to request additional time for your stamp. We’re not sure of the specifics, though, sorry.
Thanks for the tip on making sure the number of days granted is correct. Hope everything works out for you!
Thank you very much for your response,… Last thing I would like to ask is, do you know about any international insurance approved by ICT which is for EU residents (travelguard, insubuy are fantastic, but only for US citizens)
Sorry, everyone we have heard from coming from the EU has bought the Costa Rica insurance. Maybe someone will be able to chime in with an option for you.
Hi, we purchased 15 days of COVID insurance, but want to stay in Costa Rica longer. What’s the process for extending our stay? Thank you
Hi Jon, The most recent information we have is that you need to first purchase the required insurance for the number of additional days you want to stay (total maximum, including the amount of time you have already been here, is 90 days). Then you have to go to Migration in La Uruca, San Jose and pay a fee (we think you need an appointment) to get the additional time. Again, this is all information we have heard secondhand and can’t verify.
Another way to do it according to this website from a reputable law firm is to purchase the insurance and then make an appointment with Migration to file for residency in Costa Rica. The insurance plus the Migration appointment is supposed to be enough if anyone ever questioned you, even if you have no intention of actually filing for residency. But again, the law firm makes it seem like this isn’t totally legit either. This issue is a gray area now. Good luck!
Hi there – Great detail here. The best I’ve found in one place. Do you have any information about the COVID precautions being taken by Costa Rica’s domestic airlines (Sansa, Green, etc)? And are they generally sticking to schedules or are they cancelling flights that don’t fill up? I need to get from SJO to Tambor on arrival and am deciding between a short connecting flight and a much longer drive with a hired driver.
Hi Joran, Honestly, we have not heard much lately about how it is going with the domestic airlines so we can’t help on this one. You could try asking in one of the Costa Rica Facebooks groups to see if others have experience. A large one is Costa Rica Resources for Expats and Tourists.
Hi, thanks for the most thorough information! Do you know if it is possible to get the INS insurance at SJO airport. I know one can get it via their website, but I’m wondering if it is possible to get it at the airport also (in case something is wrong with my international insurance). Thanks a lot!
Hi Emi, Yes, you can buy INS at the airport if you need to if there are any problems with your international insurance. Someone from the Tourism Board would be there to help you.
Hi all, here’s my experience entering Costa Rica Dec 23, 2020: insurance from non-CR companies will take review time and may be rejected if policy does not state clearly about accomodation expenses coverage. Mine was Assist Card (ICT approved) from Argentina. Finally I paid for SAGICOR, got the Health Pass validated and went through inmigration control in less than a minute at SJO. I still have my own insurance in case of accidents, only hired SAGICOR as it’s mandatory to enter the country. It’s about U$D 10/day, seemed like a waste of money but my advise is…if you’re really tight on your budget avoid travelling during covid era straightaway. Great website guys, thanks!!
Hello,
I will be traveling on the tourist visa in January and will buy international health insurance in US. We own a condo in Costa Rica and don’t need to pay for lodging. How can we get an exemption from $2,000 lodging insurance requirements? What kind of proof can we provide? I emailed to various entities but received to no reply.
Hi Maria, We have heard of people showing the deed for their house to avoid the accommodation requirement. I think it has to have your name on it. People have also mentioned having a lawyer in Costa Rica write a letter on their behalf.
Matt and Jenn,
Thank you for the blog! My fiance and I have been thinking about coming to Costa Rica in January so I have been checking this almost daily. We are so torn if it is responsible to be traveling to CR from North Carolina where we currently live. We plan on quarantining and getting a covid test just to make sure we do not travel while sick, but I still worry that is selfish for us to take a vacation in Costa Rica. Can you share your thoughts on this as Americans who are currently living in Costa Rica?
Hi Gina, It sounds like you are being very responsible with how you would travel since you plan to quarantine and get tested. We wouldn’t feel bad at all coming and think the opposite actually about being selfish. Tourists are being welcomed in the country by and large right now, since so many locals have been struggling fincially since Covid. So definitely come if you are up for a trip. Costa Rica really is a great place to travel right now. We have taken a few small trips within the country and have felt very comfortable overall. Hope that helps!
Hello,
I am looking to book a flight from the Netherlands to Guatemala with a layover in Costa Rica. Does Costa Rica have any travel bans, covid testing requirements, or any other precautions I need to observe just for the layover (i.e. landing in SJO but not leaving the airport)? I am not a Costa Rican citizen or anything.
Thank you!
Hi Talia, Costa Rica has no travel bans or restrictions at all right now. And definitely not for travelers who only have a layover here. So you should be all set.
Thank you!
I just purchased Manulife Insurance (on December 29) for an extended stay starting early January. I emailed ICT attaching my confirmation letter outlining compliance with the required coverage amounts, as well as the policy itself (the cover letter states that the policy covers me for my full stay in Costa Rica). I received confirmation that the policy does indeed meet the requirements — and I got a response within 2 hours! I also had friends that purchased Manulife for an extended stay — and they had no issues with the health pass or immigration upon arrival in late November.
A few things to note: the Manulife Policy now includes the trip interruption (which covers the lodging costs) as part of the entire policy rather than an add on. So if you buy the Manulife Covid policy, you will have the lodging covered. Also, I worked with a great agent that did a lot of research — while the approved Costa Rican policies will get you into the country, the coverage does not include some critical components (i.e. repatriation). So if you are an international traveler, best to choose a comprehensive policy and get confirmation that it will meet the entry requirements.
Hi Bari, Thanks so much for the information. We updated our post to include Manulife as an option for Canadians. It’s great that it looks like their quarantine coverage meets the $2k USD requirement. That seemed to be a problem for many other options in Canada. We also made sure to remove your last name. Thanks again!
Hello Bari
I looked up Manulifes covid policy and it stated $2000 CAD for the lodging, whereas CR’s requirement is asking for USD. Did you have any questions from ICT or immigration. regarding this? I was thinking of emailing them the policy and seeing if they will approve it. Thanks in advance!
Hi there thanks for the info you provide in this blog it’s been very useful throughout my travels through CR. I am currently in san jose, having been forced to extend my stay by two extra days while I wait for negative pcr test results. I have a question about the extension of my stay:
-the insurance for travel I had purchased doesn’t include the extra two days, is that going to be a problem?
-also, I think border authorities at the airport had stamped my passport and included the number of days I’d stay here, which is now longer – that could also be a problem?
Thanks!
Andrea
Hi Andrea, Technically you’re overstaying your visa. It’s likely that no one will notice but they could fine you. Probably not a huge deal, though. If you explained why you had to overstay, it should make sense to them. No one will check about the insurance but you could buy 2 more days if you wanted to, to be safe.
Hi Guys, I have to fly from the US to CR in May 2021 for a 4 week stat. I was student in CR until Covid hit and the completion of our classes is in May. I understand that we need add’l insurance now, but can’t read Spanish (the insurance websites are in Spanish). Do you or anyone know the estimated Covid Insurance cost in US dollars for a 4 wk stay in CR? I really appreciate your help and your blog. I’ve been following it since March 2020. Thanks!
Hi Lisa, Sagicor is around $11 per person per day. INS is usually a little less expensive for longer visits like yours. We would recommend contacting an insurance broker in Costa Rica for help with the quote for INS. They don’t charge extra and can walk you through the process. One good option is Best Insurance Costa Rica. They have information on their Facebook page about how to contact them. They speak English.
Ohhh Thank you!!!!
Hey all! Thanks so much for your detailed site and for answering everyone’s questions. I was able to get into CR via Trawick no problem, though I never received an email (took a screenshot right away). What is your opinion if we change our flight to extend, and also extend insurance? Will there be any repercussions on being allowed into the country? I’ve heard of people doing this but not sure what happened when they left. We have been here since 17 December and have an original flight out on 24 January. Let us know your thoughts!
Hi Juliette, You’re supposed to request a visa extension through Migration after you get the additional insurance. For more info on that, see our response to Jon on December 28. Short answer is, probably nothing will happen but it’s still a risk. Someone could notice at some point that you overstayed, especially if you plan on coming back for another visit. It’s a fine for overstaying but is against the law so not a great idea. Of course, people are doing it still. Hope that helps!
Your website is fabulous – thank you for all the information. I haven’t been able to find an English policy form for INS. Do you know if the 2000USD accommodation coverage is for the cost of person / private accommodation (hotel or Airbnb) should we need to extend the trip because we test positive, or is it incase we need to go to a hospital and stay there? I interrupt it as the former. thank you very much again. Your website is fabulous!
Hi Clare, Yes, it’s to cover hotel/vacation rental cost in case you test positive and have to quarantine.
Glad our site has been helpful!
Hi! Great info. We are planning a trip in March. I’m a little confused about the medical insurance part. We are each traveling from the US and have our own medical insurance. Do we need to get a printout of what’s covered abroad? I understand the part about the travelers insurance and Healthpass. Thanks again!
Hi Roxie, The medical insurance is part of what you need to show for the travel insurance coverage. The travel insurance has to cover (1) Covid-related medical expenses and (2) accommodation expenses in case of quarantine. The medical expenses can be covered through an international policy or a carrier in Costa Rica. If you want to use non-Costa Rica insurance, yes, you need a printout that clearly says you are covered for Covid medical expenses for $50,000 USD or higher. The Tourism Board will review that document to make sure your insurance meets the requirements. Hope that makes sense.
Thank you for creating this fabulous website – it’s like one stop shop place for CR. Very helpful.
Question regarding insurance- if we buy Trawick International or Insubuy’s policy then do we still need or should email to ICT for their approval before submitting HealthPass? These companies have very good rates compared to the CR polices. We will be traveling to CR in 2 weeks.
Regarding Pacuare white water rafting – do you have any recommendations for a tour company? We want someone who can pick us up from our hotel near SJO, take us to the rafting site and then drop us at La Fortuna at the end of day? We plan to do one day rafting trip. Thanks in advance.
Hi Aakash, At this point, I don’t think you need to submit them for approval in advance by email. Many many people have entered successfully using these companies. You will still upload the information when you do the health pass online anyway.
We haven’t done ourselves or booked for a client the Pacuare River tour out of San José yet so we don’t have a recommendation for that.
Great, thanks Jenn & Matt for your quick response!
Hi Jenn & Matt,
One question I have an international policy so I assume I’ll get a purple QR code after submitting Health Pass, right? Is the QR code generated immediately or it takes some time?
I’m asking because I wonder what happens in the following scenario:
1. I will fill the Health Pass and get a purple QR code
2. I will get my flight and in the meantime someone will validate my insurance?
3. What happens if at the CR airport I will found out that my insurance is not enough? Is there a way to buy other insurance at the airport?
My insurance covers all the requirements, but it’s kind a vague when you take a look at the English confirmation. All the details are in the contract that is in polish only.
Thank you in advance
Hi Jacek, I think the requirement is that the insurance certification be in English or Spanish so just make sure that whatever part you have in English clearly says it meets the requirements or it may not be accepted.
Yes, I think you would get a purple QR code. It will be generated instantly. Most likely, they will just review your documents when you get to Costs Rica and the airline may want to see them too. If for some reason your insurance isn’t accepted, then yes, you could buy local insurance at the airport. Hope that helps! Most people have been saying lately that everything went much better than they expected so try not to worry.
I love your site, it is very informative for those traveling to Costa Rica.
I arrived on November 8th my pass port was stamped for 81 days. Is there a way for me to stay until the match extension or will I have to leave on January 27th and come back?
Hi Bryan, If you arrived on November 8, your visa is automatically extended until March 2. All tourists who entered before December 1, 2020 got that automatic extension. So even though your passport stamp will be expired, you’re good until March 2 and don’t need to do anything. Here is an article that explains this: https://news.outlierlegal.com/2020/11/21/update-on-tourist-visas-and-entry-stamps/
Hi there,
Happy New Year everyone!! My parents and I (Canadians) returned to CR just last Friday (Jan 1) As they are residents here, my aunt and I were the only ones who needed to purchase insurance. We got Manulife, which for 3 months came up to around $720.00 approx, which wasn’t bad at all. The one thing that gave us a hard time was the Health Pass. What I would say is make sure ALL information is completed properly. I know it says edit, but do not edit!! This causes a lot of problems. Take your time and fill it out. If no confirmation comes, as long as you have a code you’re ok I guess, but to be honest, it doesn’t hurt to resend in another Health Pass. I had to do that for my aunt and I, as my parents confirmations came back right away. When I redid my aunts and myself, it came right away too.
Having a hard copy doesn’t hurt either, it may actually make it easier for the immigration officers to scan and check.
This website actually helped a lot, and I appreciate the fact that the owners of it are keeping a close eye on immigration changes and so on. Very kind of y’all.
Another thing: if you are flying with a guitar ( we flew with 3 guitars, 2 standard, 1 jumbo), do not pack your case. This may be common sense to some, but there are people posting on other websites saying to pack the cases and everything; don’t . Causes issues at security, as they need to check inside the case. Do loosen your strings a little bit just in case. And DO insist on gate checking if they say anything, especially with Air Canada (they are a bit….strange). Once at the gate, when they announce boarding for those who need extra time, go and present yourself and guitar and they should SHOULD allow you on to find space. We were fortunate to be able to take our guitars onboard.
Anyways just somethings to think about and keep in mind. Everyone’s experiences are different but hopefully this helps.
Stay safe and well 🦋🦋
Thanks for the info. It is a relief not to make that trip at the end of January. I hope to find a place in Jaco and move there before I make the border run.
Hi, I appreciate the attentiveness of this comment section. I came across a comment earlier about using World Nomads for insurance and it ending up being okay with the new $2000 Covid requirement– but I lost the comment and believe it was from many months ago .
-I just am curious if you know anything else about this and if it is acceptable still or who to contact to check if it is accepted.All of the other options seem to be extremely expensive for 90 days of coverage … Thanks so much and hope to hear back xx
Hi Nicole, We haven’t heard anything about World Nomads since the last comment. We just looked up their policies briefly and didn’t see specific coverage for accommodation expenses due to a Covid quarantine. It does talk about quarantine under Trip Interruption, but the language is unclear. You could reach out to the company to see if they meet Costa Rica’s requirements.
Hi Jenn and Matt! Great site! it has helped us a lot with our planned year there starting on Tuesday the 12th. Dumb question that I can’t find an answer to. I bought the grupo ins policy for the first 3 months for my family. Question is: does this work like normal health insurance or is it only for covid? Like, if I broke my arm, would it function like a normal health insurance policy? Thank you in advance.
Hi Luke, We don’t know everything about the INS travel insurance coverage, but in general, yes, it would cover you for non Covid-related illness and accidents. Here’s a link to the policy language: https://micrositios.ins-cr.com/seguroviajero/assets/Cond%20Generales%20Seguro%20para%20viajeros.pdf
It’s in Spanish but you could upload the document using Google Translate.
Hi Jenn and Matt! This site has been incredibly helpful as we begin planning our trip. Thank you so much. One question: we are planning to come for 3 weeks in February and may choose to stay longer. Knowing this, we will likely purchase insurance for 5 weeks (incase we decide to stay) – do you suppose we will have issues with the health forms since our flight home is currently scheduled for only 3 weeks and will not match the dates on our insurance?
Hi Mira, It has always been a requirement to show a plane ticket out of the country. Even if you have 5 weeks of insurance, they will probably still base your visa length on your plane ticket exit date. Maybe not, but we wouldn’t risk it. If they did that, you’d need to get a visa extension for the extra two weeks in you decide to stay. And that process is not easy. So we would get plane tickets for the full five weeks, get a five week visa based on that, and then modify the plane tickets if you decide not to stay.
COVID Tests for Onward Travel – children under 6
Hello Jen and Matt – I really appreciate all the information you provide in your website. Great job!
We are a Canadian family of four that arrived on December 26th. As you may know, the Canadian government now requires a negative COVID test within 72 hours of your flight home. We are staying in Tamarindo, and based on your website were able to find the Beach Side Clinic in Huacas that has a drive through testing facility. I just found out today when I called to confirm our appointment that they cannot provide a test for my son who is 5 years old. They said we would have to go to San Jose. Do you have any advice on this?
On a separate, but related note, we are also considering staying longer than originally planned. INS insurance company confirmed this is no problem, but after reading your website I now see we have an issue with our tourist visa which only covers our original trip duration. Will we need to return to immigration at the airport in Liberia to obtain an extension on our visas? Thanks for any guidance you can provide!
Hi Steve, Glad you were able to confirm with Hospital Metropolitano that they can test your son!
On the tourist visa, yes, you are supposed to request an extension. A while back, people were saying you could do this at the airport by paying a fee. But we don’t know of anyone who has successfully done it at the airport. Otherwise, the standard protocol is to make an appointment at Migration headquarters in La Uruca, San Jose. There is supposedly a loophole to this, though – see our response to Jon on Dec. 28 for more details.
Thank you both very much!
Hello Jen and Matt – I’m trying to call the Direccion General de Migracion contact centre number “1311” using my Canadian phone but can’t find the right combination and keep getting an error message. Do you how I can call this number from my phone? Thanks!
Hi Steve, We aren’t sure you can use the hotline outside Costa Rica. You could call the main number to find out: (506) 2299-8100.
Hi Jenn and Matt,
I would second all of the comments commending you both for such an informed site. Thank you very much
So like many others my fiance and I are not ready to leave Costa Rica after our 50 days stay. We would like to just spend an additional month here. I have read through all the comments and see that right now there is not really a firm answer on the best way to do this. I know you said that you have been unable to verify going to the airport and getting the visa extended, but can you confirm that a person has successfully extended their tourist visa at the Migration office at La Uruca?
Thanks very much
Graeme
Hi Graeme, Yes, what you have summarized is how it stands now – there’s not really a firm way to extend your stay other than leaving by plane and coming back in. I assume you saw about the possible loophole where you make an appointment to file a residency application. Not that practical, though. We don’t know of anyone who had successfully gone to La Uruca for additional time. An immigration lawyer in Costa Rica would have a better idea, though. Let us know if you’d like the contact info for the firm we recommend.
Hello Jenn and Matt – I just sent a post a little bit ago requesting guidance on COVID tests near Tamarindo for kids under 6. Beach Side Clinic told me this morning that no one in the area can do tests on kids under 6. My apologies but I just reached out to Hospital Metropolitano in Huacas and they confirmed they can! Yay!
We need help, we have conflicting information.
We would like to fly to costa rica in february (for 14 days), We know what are entry requirements for the country, one of them:
“Purchase health insurance
It is mandatory that tourists purchase travel insurance, covering their accommodations in case of quarantine and medical expenses due to COVID-19 illness”.
Oue questions: we need insurance for 14 days or 22 days?
(“Foreigners with temporary or permanent residence or temporary category who return to Costa Rica, and who are not up to date with the corresponding payments with the Costa Rican Social Security Fund, must purchase a temporary local insurance for 22 days or bring an international insurance that complies with the requirements of a foreign tourist”).
Regards
Hi Katarina, If you are visiting as a regular tourist, you need the insurance for the exact length of your trip. In your case, 14 days. That other language is talking about people with legal residency in Costa Rica. It does not apply to you.
Thank you for the quick reply. You are very helpful 🙂
Hi Matt and Jenn! Thanks for your article. We are in the San Vito, Coto Brus area, scheduled to return February 2, and just found out about the testing requirement to reenter the US. Are you aware of any testing sites in San Vito?
Hi John, We just talked to a private clinic in San Vito and they said there are no private testing options in the canton/county of Coto Brus. Testing is only available through the public health care system, which requires that you be showing symptoms. So Uvita or Quepos would be your closest options, unfortunately. We are reaching out to labs and clinics in Rio Claro, Golfito, etc. so check back in case we can find something closer. The government is trying to get more labs to start offering the test so more may be added soon.
Thank you so much for your help!
HI there. So glad I found this blog. I am so confused about the insurance. My health care provider in the US can provide me with a declaration of insurance document showing I have $50000 of international health insurance. Would that work? When I talked to Anthem, they said they have been getting a lot of calls about this.
I’m so confused about the $2000 for extra stay in case you contract Covid while there. Couldn’t I just show a bank statement or a credit card limit document to prove I have funds to pay for accommodation?
Many thanks in advance.
Hi Nicole, Yes, that would work for proof of the $50,000 in medical coverage, as long as it explicitly says you are covered for Covid.
For the $2k accommodation piece, unfortunately, the only way to satisfy this requirement is through proof of insurance. People have been saying that Trawick is the least expensive option for US residents. Otherwise, you could reach out to a local broker in Costa Rica to see what the options are for covering only the accommodation piece. If you search the comments for Best Insurance, you will find contact details.
Hi! This is a very helpful site! I lived in Costa Rica in the early 90s when I was in my 20s, and I’m excited to go back with my family in Feb. However, our plans may be foiled. I just read about the new Covid testing requirements. I see that a test must be performed between one and three days prior to boarding the flight to Costa Rica. Is it true that rapid test is not acceptable? I saw that on one website, but I can’t find it confirmed anywhere else official. Rapid testing is available but the PCR testing in New York does not come back reliably in that timeframe, so we would have to cancel our trip which is so disappointing!
Hi Catherine, Currently, Costa Rica does not require a negative Covid test to enter Costa Rica. This was eliminated in October. Maybe you are thinking of the new CDC order that requires US citizens to show a test when flying from abroad. Costa Rica has many testing facilities. You can read our post, Where to Get a Covid-19 Test in Costa Rica for more details: https://www.twoweeksincostarica.com/covid-19-test-costa-rica/
Oh wow! You are right. I read that wrong! I was on the CDC website on the Travel to Costa Rica page. It says to get tested 1 -3 days before you go to Costa Rica, but that must be their recommendations and not the Costa Rican requirement. Thank you so much for clarifying and for your quick response!
I will check out the link to the sites in Costa Rica that will test us before we leave.
Hi,
Just wondering why people are getting in using manulife however the policy covers $2,100.00 canadian an not american. Thanks for all of the help 🙂 My husband and I are looking for cheaper insurance and we are travelling from Toronto Canada.
Hi Tayla, Go search the comments – a couple of people who used Manulife explained how it worked for them. See Bari on December 30, 2020 and Marie-Claude Lepine on January 17, 2021.
Hi I think