Costa Rica officially open its borders on August 1st. It has open to more and more countries slowly. The places who can enter the country are consider of low risk and people entering from this places have certain requirements. You can check with your preferred airplane to see available flights at the moment the three international airports are open, Juan Santamaría International Airport, Daniel Oduber Quirós Airport, and Tobías Bolaños Airport.

What do you need to enter the country?

• Fill out the electronic epidemiological HEALTH PASS form, available at https://salud.go.cr.
• RT-PCR diagnostic test with a negative result; the sample must have been taken within 72 hours of travel to Costa Rica.
• Passengers coming from the U.S. must show through their driver’s license or state identification (State ID) that they live in one of the 20 authorized states.  This requirement excludes children travelling with their family.
• Traveler’s Medical Insurance – international or purchased in Costa Rica through the National Insurance Institute (INS – Instituto Nacional de Seguros) https://www.grupoins.com/seguroparaviajeros, or Sagicor https://www.sagicor.cr/seguro_para_turistas/­.

Countries that can travel to Costa Rica

• THE EUROPEAN UNION, SCHENGEN ZONE, AND THE UNITED KINGDOM: for flights from the European Union, the Schengen Zone, and the United Kingdom; for citizens and residents of the European Union, the Schengen Zone, and the United Kingdom.
• CANADA: for flights from Canada; for citizens and residents of Canada and for citizens and residents of the European Union, the Schengen Zone, and the United Kingdom in transit.
• SOUTH AMERICA: for flights from Uruguay; for citizens and residents of Uruguay.
• ASIA: for flights from Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, and the People’s Republic of China; for citizens and residents of Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, and the People’s Republic of China.
• OCEANIA: for flights from Australia and New Zealand; for citizens and residents of Australia and New Zealand.
• As of Sept. 1, 2020: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (Residents of nine states): Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
• As of Sept. 15, 2020: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (Residents of ten states): Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington and Wyoming.
• As of Oct. 1, 2020: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (Residents of one state): California (if the epidemiological scenario permits it)
• As of Nov 1, 1010: Any country can enter Costa Rica

Opening to Private Flights

As of Sept. 1, private flights from the United States will also be allowed to enter Costa Rica, given that their size and nature means they present a much lower epidemiological risk.

The same requirements as set forth above shall be applicable to persons on private flights. In the event that they come from a state or country that is not authorized, they must receive the approval of the Ministry of Health and the General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners (Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería). Interested parties should submit a request with the following items:

• Full names of the passengers.
• Nationalities and ages.
• Legible copy of the biographical page of the passport of each one of the passengers.
• Date of arrival, arrival airport, and flight origin.
• Strategic reason for admission (investment review, property in Costa Rica, humanitarian reasons, etc.).

Gradual Maritime Opening                         

Passengers and crew members of yachts and sailboats must meet the same entry requirements as those issued to passengers entering by air on August 1st.

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.

 In addition to the aforementioned requirements, tourists arriving from yachts or sailboats must hand over to the immigration authorities the “International Ship Sailing” document and dock in authorized marinas.

In case of doubts with the medical insurance, the passengers and crew of yachts or sailboats can write to the email seguros.marinas@ict.go.cr.