As of April 1, 2022, all quarantine requirements for entry into Costa Rica have been lifted. Entry rules have returned to pre-coronavirus levels. The requirements presented in the publication are no longer relevant. Within the country, the mandatory wearing of masks in public places continues to apply.
Costa Rica — A popular destination for those making visas from Mexico to renew a tourist visa or obtain a resident visa from the Mexican consulate. There are direct flights between San Jose and several cities in Mexico, and tickets are sometimes quite inexpensive. Currently, entry into Costa Rica is possible by air, sea or land. Here we will talk about the features of entering this country related to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Costa Rican government does not require visitors arriving by any means of transport to present a negative coronavirus test, and in addition does not require quarantine upon arrival. However, you must have a vaccination certificate OR health insurance coverage to enter the country. Based on these documents, a QR code is generated, which must be presented when boarding a flight into the country, and in addition when entering various establishments and places in Costa Rica.
Entry
Citizens of all countries are allowed entry by air. Entry by land is limited to citizens of countries that do not require a visa to enter Costa Rica. Only vaccinated cruise ship passengers are allowed entry by sea, as well as citizens of countries that do not require a visa.
A coronavirus test is not needed.
A Health Pass form (link no longer available) is required to indicate that the passenger has a vaccination certificate OR health insurance. The form must be filled out no earlier than 72 hours before entering the country. Each passenger, including children, fills out a separate form. A vaccination certificate or insurance policy (not a card) is attached to the form. After filling out and sending the data, a QR code will be calculated, which you need to save to your phone or print. The code will have to be presented upon entry, and also when visiting various establishments in the country.
When boarding a flight to Costa Rica, the airline asks the passenger for a QR code and a vaccination certificate or insurance policy.
Vaccination certificate
(from 03/07/2022 a random check will be carried out upon arrival in the country; from 04/1/2022 the requirement will be completely canceled)
Costa Rica accepts the following vaccines:
- AstraZeneca: Covishield, Vaxzervia, AXD1222, ChAdOx1, ChAdOx1_nCoV19;
- Janssen: Janssen, Johnson & Johnson, Ad26.COV2.S;
- Moderna: Spikevax, mRNA-1273;
- Pfizer-BioNTech: Comirnaty, BNT162b2, Tozinameran;
- Sinovac: Sinovac, Coronavac;
- Sinopharm: Sinopharm, inactivated (InCoV);
- Covaxin, Bharat Biotech: BBV152.
The certificate must contain at least the following information:
- passenger name,
- name of the vaccine,
- date of administration of each dose.
The certificate can only be in English or Spanish, in paper or electronic form.
Full vaccination must be completed no later than 14 days before entering the country. Vaccination will not be required for passengers under 18 years of age.
Insurance
(from April 1, 2022, the requirement will be canceled)
For unvaccinated passengers 18 years of age or older, or who have received vaccines not on the approved list, you should have an insurance policy that covers your lodging and medical expenses while contracting the coronavirus.
Insurance policy:
- valid for the entire duration of your stay in Costa Rica, but not less than 5 days,
- coating:
- $50,000 for medical expenses, including coronavirus (this must be specified),
- $2,000 for accommodation during quarantine.
The policy can be purchased from an international insurance company or from one of the companies from Costa Rica: INS, Sagicor, BlueCross BlueShield. The latter have a minimum insurance coverage of $20,000, and their policies can be purchased online 48 hours before departure.
Visitors to the country transiting through the country must have insurance with a minimum coverage of five days. For foreigners — Residents of Costa Rica are subject to special insurance coverage conditions.
In the country
The following rules are valid from December 1, 2021 to February 7, 2022 (subject to extension).
Commercial establishments in Costa Rica post materials at the entrance; you will need a QR code to visit them. Such establishments include, among other things, sports and tourist facilities, as well as the entire entertainment sector. You should use the code received after filling out the Health Pass. For commercial establishments that can accept visitors without a QR code, you should operate with a limit on the number of visitors.
As of December 17, visitors who do not have a QR code are required to provide a vaccination certificate to enter an establishment that requires such a code.
(updated 04/01/2022)