Costa Rica and the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Last Updated: September 1st, 2020
Travel Restrictions/Travel Ban
Costa Rica closed its borders (land, air, and sea) on March 18th. Since July 31st, Costa Rica has been opening up its borders to different countries. Initially, Costa Rica opened its borders to Canada and some European countries.
As of September 1st, the Minister of Tourism, Gustavo Segura, reported that the country will receive flights from six cities in the United States.
New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Connecticut are the states whose inhabitants will be able to enter Costa Rica again on commercial flights.
According to Gustavo Segura, the epidemiological indices in these places are favorable according to the study carried out by the Costa Rican authorities.
In addition, he added that the states of Colorado, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania are under constant analysis and monitoring in the same context to, in the short term, allow the reopening of these revenues.
“This is a gradual advance, it is a message of hope so as not to be discouraged, to see a little light in this tunnel in which we live,” Segura said. For the purposes of the income of the 6 approved states, they will come in 4 commercial flights per week in addition to those that were already available.
Costa Rica Travel Information
To enter Costa Rica, tourists must present a negative result of the PCR test in the 48 hours prior to the trip, complete the epidemiological digital form of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) and take out travel insurance that covers the accommodation in case of quarantine and medical expenses for acute illness.
In addition, they must prove that they come from one of the states authorized by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT).
“In the case of passengers from the United States, they must prove, through their driver’s license, that they live in one of the six states that we are authorizing. According to the legislation of that country, this document indicates the person’s place of residence” Segura explained.
The country will also allow private flights from the states indicated and will analyze the situation of trips of this type from other cities. Likewise, as of September 1st, the entry of private yacht passengers will be allowed, complying with the same measures established for tourists traveling by air.
“People who board a private yacht, in practical terms, begin to live a quarantine inside the boat. In case the quarantine is necessary, it would be taken from the moment the yacht sets sail”, said the Minister of Tourism.
According to Segura, since the reopening of the air borders, the country has received two weekly flights from the airline Iberia, from Madrid, and Lufthansa, from Germany, with between 90 and 120 passengers.