Man wearing Costa Rica Mask inside Juan Santamaria International Airport

Is Costa Rica calling your name in 2022? Travel during Covid can be confusing with ever changing Costa Rica Travel Requirements. This Costa Rica Travel Blog will answer all your questions about Travelling in Costa Rica during Covid. We provide a Costa Rica Travel Guide to:

  1. Travel requirements to Costa Rica
  2. Covid protocols in Costa Rica
  3. How to get a Covid test in Costa Rica
  4. Flying from Costa Rica Airport

This video will be very useful for anyone considering visiting Costa Rica during Covid.

About Costa Rica

Sloth Statue in front of Volcan Arenal at La Fortuna Costa Rica
Sloth Statue in front of Volcan Arenal

Costa Rica is all about natural beauty, clean living and the pura vida (pure life) lifestyle. This Central America country is located between Nicaragua and Panama. Conveniently, it is only a 4 hour flight from the USA. It is a small country, making up only 0.03% of the earth’s surface area. However it is home to a whopping 6% of the world’s biodiversity. The country has a strong tourism industry, with a wide range of attractions on offer. These include beautiful beaches, spectacular volcanoes and most importantly, sloths!

Costa Rica entry requirements

Firstly, you do not need a Covid test in order to enter Costa Rica. As of the beginning of 2022, Costa Rica was one of the few countries in the world that do not require a Covid test for entry. Depending on where you’re travelling to after Costa Rica, you may need a Covid test to leave Costa Rica.

There are some entry requirements that you need to be aware of when entering Costa Rica. These requirements depend on whether you are vaccinated or unvaccinated.

Specific Costa Rica entry requirements for travellers aged 18 years or older that have not been vaccinated against Covid

If you are unvaccinated, you need to get travel health insurance in order to enter Costa Rica. This mandatory travel insurance must cover accommodation in case of quarantine as well as medical expenses due to Covid. You can buy this insurance from one of three authorised local providers (Grupo INS, Sagicor or BlueCross BlueShield). Alternatively you can buy insurance from an international insurance company.

If you buy insurance from an international insurance company, you’ll need a confirmation letter from your insurer. This letter should state that you have bought the correct insurance coverage that Costa Rica requires. This letter needs to be in either English or Spanish. It must include the following information:

  1. Your name
  2. When the insurance is valid – this should cover the entire period of your visit to Costa Rica. Furthermore it needs to be at least 5 days (even if you’re only transiting through Costa Rica).
  3. Guarantee of coverage for medical expenses in cases of COVID 19 in Costa Rica. This coverage needs to be for at least USD $50,000. (Please note that if you instead decide to get insurance with one of the three authorised local providers mentioned above then the minimum coverage for medical expenses is USD $20,000).
  4. Minimum coverage of USD $2,000 for extended lodging expenses due to quarantine.

We used Trawick International Travel Insurance for our trip to Costa Rica. We found them to be the best value insurance option which complied with the Costa Rica insurance requirements. Please note this does not constitute financial advice. We recommend you review insurance providers yourself to ensure you get the best coverage to suit your needs.

Specific Costa Rica entry requirements for Covid vaccinated travellers aged 18 years or older

If you are vaccinated then you will not be required to have travel insurance in order to enter Costa Rica. You will however need to provide your proof of vaccination. Your proof of vaccination needs to include the following information:

  1. Your name
  2. The date of each dose
  3. The Pharmaceutical site

For travellers that were vaccinated in the USA, the CDC Covid vaccine card meets these requirements.

CDC Covid Vaccination Card
CDC Covid Vaccination Card

Keep in mind, the date of your last dose of the Covid vaccine needs to be at least 14 days prior to your entry to Costa Rica. Furthermore, you need to be vaccinated with one of the authorised vaccines.

The list of authorised vaccines are:

  • Pfizer & BioNTech (Comirnaty / BNT162b2 / Tozinameran)
  • Moderna (Spikevax / mRNA-1273)
  • AstraZeneca (AZD1222 / Vaxzevria / Covishield, ChAdOx1_nCoV19)
  • COVAXIN
  • Johnson & Johnson (Janssen Pharmaceuticals / Ad26.COV2.S)
  • SINOPHARM (BIBP1)
  • SINOVAC

To be considered fully vaccinated, Costa Rica requires you to have 2 doses of any of the above vaccines. The only exception is the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which only requires one dose. Costa Rica will also accept a combination of the above vaccines.

Are Covid tests or health insurance required for travellers under the age of 18?

The requirements for either Covid vaccination or health insurance only apply for travellers aged 18 years and older. Travellers under the age of 18 do not require Covid vaccination or insurance in order to enter Costa Rica.

Additional Costa Rica Covid-related entry requirements that apply to all travellers

Regardless of whether you’re vaccinated or not, you need to fill out an online digital health card. That’s where you upload either your proof of vaccination or your insurance if you’re unvaccinated. This online questionnaire is also called a digital Health Pass. After you’ve filled that out you’ll get a QR code. The QR code is like a digital barcode. You will need to present this at the border. It can also be used as proof of vaccination when entering certain venues while in Costa Rica.

Pase de Salud Costa Rica Online Health Pass
Pase de Salud Costa Rica – Google Chrome

Other Costa Rica entry requirements

The other requirements for entering Costa Rica are unchanged from normal times.

  • You’ll need whatever visas are required for your specific country to enter Costa Rica.
  • You’ll need proof of leaving Costa Rica. This can be in the form of a bus ticket or an air ticket for example.
  • There are additional requirements for permanent and temporary residents of Costa Rica.

If you’re traveling to Costa Rica over land we have another blog post that goes into a lot more detail. You can find that here.

Getting to Costa Rica

Travelling to Costa Rica overland

Costa Rica has land borders with Nicaragua and Panama.

There are two main border crossings between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. These are at Peñas Blancas and San Pancho. The most popular border crossing is the Peñas Blancas border crossing. Peñas Blancas is less than an hour drive from the popular Nicaragua surf town of San Juan del Sur. We crossed the border at San Pancho. This crossing is less frequented and generally not as busy as Peñas Blancas. You can find out all about crossing the border from Nicaragua to Costa Rica here.

Woman at San Pancho Nicaragua to Costa Rica Border Crossing, woman in front of Costa Rican flag
San Pancho Border Crossing

There the 3 main land border crossings between Costa Rica and Panama – Paso Canoas, Rio Sereno and Sixaola-Guabito.

Travelling to Costa Rica by air

There are 4 international airports operating in Costa Rica:

City ServedProvinceAirport CodeAirport Name
LiberiaGuanacasteLIRDaniel Oduber Quirós International Airport
LimónLimónLIOLimón International Airport
San JoséAlajuelaSJOJuan Santamaría International Airport
San JoséSan JoséSYQTobías Bolaños International Airport

The primary airport servicing Costa Rica is the Juan Santamaría Interantional Airport. The Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport is popular with people wishing to enter Nicaragua via Costa Rica.

Woman disinfecting her hands with hand sanitiser at the entrance to Juan Santamaría International Airport San Jose Costa Rica
Entering Juan Santamaría International Airport

Masks are required to be worn inside airport buildings in Costa Rica. Temperature checks are also conducted at the entrance to airports.

Covid mandates in Costa Rica 2022

Mask mandates in Costa Rica

If you’re on public transport or if you’re indoors in public spaces you will need to wear a mask. Pretty much everyone does that, and it is enforced.

Passengers outside minivan on Jeep Boat Jeep from La Fortuna to Monteverde Costa Rica
Jeep Boat Jeep from La Fortuna to Monteverde

Apart from that, the Costa Rica Covid requirements or Covid mandates have been changing quite regularly. This is especially true as at the end of 2021 and going into 2022. The rules will most likely change again in future. So you’ll have to keep an eye out for the specific requirements when you’re actually in Costa Rica. We will keep this page regularly updated.

Covid vaccine mandates in Costa Rica

As at the beginning of 2022 there is a requirement to have a Covid vaccine in order to enter a lot of venues. This includes certain commercial venues such as some restaurants, hotels, tours and other non-essential businesses. From 1 December 2021 to 7 February 2022, the venues themselves will have the choice as to whether to require their patrons to be vaccinated or else they will be required to operate at 50% capacity. After 7 February 2022 the government is planning to require all non-essential businesses to require proof of vaccination to enter. However, this requirement is currently being litigated. As such, it is unclear at this stage as to whether this requirement will go ahead.

Venues that choose to require proof of vaccination will display that requirement outside their venue. For those venues, you will then need to provide either your physical vaccination card or the QR code generated through your Health Pass to enter the venue. This QR code is the same QR code that you received when you filled out the Health Pass to enter the country. To keep up to date with what’s happening in Costa Rica go on to the Costa Rica department of tourism website.

Effectiveness of mask use in preventing the spread of Covid19 - data provided by Hospital Clínica Bíblica San Jose Costa Rica
A sign about mask effectiveness at a hospital in Costa Rica

Getting a Covid test in Costa Rica

How to find a Covid Testing Station in Costa Rica

You will probably need a Covid test to leave Costa Rica. Fortunately, there are plenty of Covid testing stations around Costa Rica. Moreover, the process is very straightforward.

Covid Testing Centre at Monteverde Costa Rica
Covid Testing Centre at Monteverde Costa Rica

Our experience getting a Covid test in Costa Rica

Covid testing in San Jose Costa Rica

We were staying in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, just before we left the country. That made the process of getting a Covid test a lot more straightforward. This is because there are so many Covid testing facilities in San Jose. Plenty of hospitals and medical clinic offer Covid testing in San Jose as well as throughout Costa Rica. We actually found the process even easier than getting a Covid test in the USA. The turnaround times are really fast and you get your results emailed to you.

Where we got our Covid tests in San Jose Costa Rica

We got the Rapid Antigen Test at Clinica Biblica in San Jose. It was located on the 6th floor of a car park next to the hospital. Being in a car park, it was also possible to do drive-in testing. The results only took about two hours to get sent to us by email.

Man and woman wearing masks outside Hospital Clínica Bíblica San Jose Costa Rica
Outside Hospital Clínica Bíblica San Jose

What Covid tests are available in Costa Rica and how much do Covid tests cost in Costa Rica?

Clinica Biblica offers 4 different Covid tests:

  • Rapid Antigen Test – this cost 30,000 colones (VAT inclusive). You receive the results in 2 hours. This test is suitable for travel
  • PCR test – this costs 50,000 colones (VAT inclusive). You receive the results the next day. This test is suitable for travel
  • Antibodies test – this is to test whether you have Covid. You cannot use it for travel purposes
  • Protective antibodies test – this is to test whether you have developed antibodies to provide immunity against Covid. You can take this test 15 days after you have received your full course of Covid vaccinations

Clinica Biblica offers a 4% discount if you pay by credit card.

Do I need an appointment to get a Covid test in Costa Rica?

You do not require an appointment to get a Covid test at Clinica Biblica.

What do I do when I arrive at the Clinica Biblica Covid testing station in San Jose Costa Rica?

When you arrive you have to scan a QR code on your phone. This will take you to a form on your phone that you need to fill out. There is free wifi at Clinica Biblica, so you will have internet access while you are there. All instructions are in English, Spanish and French. There are also English speaking staff there to help you out if you are unsure of what to do.

Man scanning QR code for Covid Test at Hospital Clínica Bíblica San Jose Costa Rica
Scanning the QR Code at Hospital Clínica Bíblica

What information do I need to provide when getting a Covid test in Costa Rica?

The form that you need to fill out will ask for your details, This includes your name, date of birth, passport number and your address in Costa Rica.

Covid Test Instructions in Spanish English and French at Hospital Clínica Bíblica San Jose Costa Rica
Instructions in Spanish, English and French

What do I do after I’ve filled out the form for Covid testing at Clinica Biblica San Jose Costa Rica?

Once you have filled out the form you will need to take a ticket number. This ticket number will put you in line to have your form checked and to pay for the Covid test. Once they call your ticket number, you need to go to the reception desk. Here they will check your form and make sure all the details are correct. They will then enter your details into their system before you pay for the test.

Getting the Covid test at San Jose Costa Rica

Man getting Covid Antigen Test at Hospital Clínica Bíblica San Jose Costa Rica
Getting the Covid Rapid Antigen Test

Once you have paid, you need to wait outside the testing room. When it is your turn, it’s time for your Covid test. There weren’t too many people in front of us in the queue when we were there and the whole process took less than an hour. The test itself only took a few seconds. It was uncomfortable, but not as bad as I expected. You need to just pull your mask below your nose. Next, they insert a swab all the way to the back of your nose. It does go in a fair way and can trigger the reaction like you’re about to cry. Thankfully it’s a quick process and the discomfort doesn’t last for long. We received an email confirming our results after about 2.5 hours. Fortunately for us our results were negative.

What information does a Covid test in Costa Rica need to have?

When you get your results, make sure that your test results include your name as per your passport, the test type and the time of collection. Otherwise your airline may not validate your results.

Covid information required by airlines flying from Costa Rica

We flew with American Airlines. They provided an app to guide you through the boarding requirements and upload your Covid test results for validation. This was really handy and streamlined our process at the airport.

View from the window of a plane on the runway at Juan Santamaría International Airport San Jose Costa Rica
Leaving Costa Rica

What happens if I test positive for Covid while in Costa Rica?

If you test positive for COVID-19 while in Costa Rica, you will be issued a sanitary quarantine order. You must comply with this sanitary quarantine order. Moreover, it cannot be appealed even if you subsequently test negative. Failure to comply with a sanitary quarantine order will result in a hefty fine of between USD $700-USD $4,000 and possible detention. Conversely, there are no penalties for overstaying your visa if you overstay as a result of complying with this sanitary order.

The sanitary quarantine order issued will require you to quarantine for 10-14 days. The length of the quarantine order will depend on the severity of the infection. You will have to secure lodging so you can quarantine for the duration of the sanitary order. You must stay in quarantine for the duration of the sanitary order. You cannot leave the country until you have completed the quarantine.

How long to spend in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is such a beautiful country with so much to offer. While on paper it looks like a small country, road conditions and traffic mean that travel times can be long. As such, we’d recommend staying at least 2 weeks in order to get a good taste of the country. In that time you should be able to spend some time at the beaches as well as the popular tourist destinations of Monteverde and La Fortuna. Most nationalities should be able to get a 90 day visa to enter Costa Rica. We’d recommend spending as much time as you have in this amazing country. We spent 2 months here ourselves and only scratched the surface of what this country has to offer.

View over woman's shoulder at Mirador Valle Escondido Preserve Monteverde Costa Rica
Mirador Valle Escondido Preserve

Where to stay when visiting Costa Rica

We’d recommend including both beach and mountain areas in your trip to Costa Rica. Popular beach areas include beaches along the Nicoya Peninsula such as Tamarindo, Samara and Santa Teresa Beach. Further south along the Pacific Coast other popular beach towns include Jaco, Quepos and Uvita. For a Carribean escape, try the town of Limon. The national parks of Costa Rica are also a big drawcard. These include Manuel Antonio National Park, Corcovado National Park, and during turtle nesting season we’d recommend Parque Nacional Tortuguero. While the beaches and coastal areas of Costa Rica are certainly big attractions, don’t forget the beautiful inland areas as well. These are also full of natural beauty. These include the cloud forest of Monteverde and the popular tourist town of La Fortuna, near Volcan Arenal.

Costa Rica has a wide range of accommodation options available to suit all budgets. These include plenty of Airbnbs, hostels, hotels as well as luxury resorts.

Is Costa Rica safe?

Other general safety considerations for travel in Costa Rica:

  • Drinking water – The tap water in most areas of Costa Rica is safe to drink. This is one of the few countries in Central America where it is safe to drink the tap water.
  • Mosquitoes – Costa Rica is a tropical country, so mosquitoes are present in many parts of the country. For the most up to date information on potential mosquito related illnesses in Costa Rica we recommend checking the CDC or NHS websites.
  • Road safety – many of the more natural parts of Costa Rica are only suitable for 4WD driving. Take extreme caution if driving through bodies of water. We have heard of people getting stuck in rivers and needing to be winched out. Also keep in mind that Costa Rica is full of wildlife, and the wildlife can sometimes appear unexpectedly on roads.
  • Water safety – If you visit any of the coastal areas or lakes, take care when swimming as currents and waves may be stronger than you expect.
  • Sun safety – The UV Index is very high in Central America. As such, sun protection such as sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses is very important to ensure you don’t get burnt.
  • Dogs – In many countries in Central America, stray dogs are common. For more on dog safety while travelling, check out this video.

As with any destination, take all of your normal safety precautions.

Final thoughts on travelling to Costa Rica during Covid

If you want to learn more about travelling to Costa Rica during Covid, check out our travelling to Costa Rica during Covid video.

Costa Rica Blogs

You can find out Costa Rica travel blogs below.

Man wearing Costa Rica Mask inside Juan Santamaria International Airport

How to Travel to Costa Rica During Covid

Is Costa Rica calling your name in 2022? Travel during Covid can be confusing with ever changing Costa Rica Travel ...
Woman at San Pancho Nicaragua to Costa Rica Border Crossing, woman in front of Costa Rican flag

Nicaragua Costa Rica Border Crossing: Complete Travel Guide

Land border crossings can be stressful experiences if you don't know what to expect, but fortunately you've come to the ...

Affiliate Links

This website contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission on any purchases at no additional cost to you. Your support helps us continue our travels and make more travel blogs and travel videos, thank you!

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *