Great news for those living in the USA that want to travel to Costa Rica! Costa Rica opening borders to all visitors from the United States of American on November 1, 2020. There are still additional requirements needed to enter, as are explained at the bottom of this article. Gustavo Seguro, Costa Rica’s Minister of Tourism, made several important announcements on October 2, 2020. (please note there is a video of this information at the bottom of the page if you prefer watching videos over reading)
“This will allow us to reactivate tourism so that companies can work, at least, above the equilibrium point during the high season, which runs from November 2020 to May 2021,”
Tourism Minister Gustavo Segura
Additionally, beginning on October 15, 2020, residents from the states of Florida, Georgia and Texas will be allowed to enter on October 15, 2020.
As background information, Costa Rica closed its borders on March 22, 2020, in an attempt to slow down the spread of COVID19. Costa Rica has taken a very aggressive stance to slow the spread of COVID19 throughout the country. In fact, starting in April, there have been driving restrictions based on license plate numbers.
Current Approved List of States from USA
As of the writing of this post (October 3, 2020) Costa Rica is already open to the following states from the USA. Immigration officials will check the driver’s license of travelers from the USA. Residents from these states can now travel to Costa Rica.
- California
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- Ohio
- Michigan
- New Jersey
- Virginia
- Washington
- Arizona
- Maryland
- Colorado
- Oregon
- Connecticut
- New Hampshire
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Wyoming
- Florida – October 15
- Georgia – October 15
- Texas – October 15
Tourists Requirements to Enter Costa Rica
The following is the current requirements for tourists entering Costa Rica.
- Complete the online “Health Pass” epidemiological form: https://salud.go.cr.
- Provide proof a negative PCR test for COVID. The results must be from a sample that was taken within 72 hours of departure to Costa Rica.
- All tourists must have travel insurance. This is to make sure that if a visitor catches COVID, they have the resources or insurance to cover the expenses. The insurance can be either a pre-approved Costa Rican policy from INS or Sagicor, or an international policy that covers COVID-19 medical expenses of at least $50,000 and $2,000 for lodging.
Tourists must have remained in an authorized country or an authorized state (see above) for at least fourteen consecutive days prior to traveling to Costa Rica.
Contact Us for Travel to Costa Rica
We are currently securing rental homes for visitors for late 2020 and for 2021. Please contact us if you’d like more information about traveling to Costa Rica or have questions.
Stay healthy!
Below is a video of the information shared in this post.