Costa Rica To Ease Entry Requirements for Vaccinated Travelers, Minors From August 1

Costa Rica will soon ease travel requirements for fully vaccinated travelers and minors.

Beginning August 1, travelers who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and visitors under the age of 18 will no longer be required to purchase travel insurance to enter Costa Rica. Accepted vaccines include Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. The final dose of the vaccine must have been received at least 14 days prior to arrival in Costa Rica.

U.S. travelers visiting the Central American country will be required to present their “COVID-19 Vaccinated Record Card.” In order to be accepted, vaccination certificates and cards must contain the name of the individual who received the vaccine, the date of each dose and the pharmaceutical site.

Regardless of vaccination status or age, visitors will be required to complete Costa Rica’s “Health Pass” at least 72 hours before travel, with inoculated visitors attaching their vaccination card to the form.

Until August 1, all visitors will continue to be required to provide proof of a medical insurance policy that covers any COVID-19 related medical treatment or quarantine lodging while in Costa Rica. According to the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica, tourists must request from their insurer a certification issued in English or Spanish noting the validity of the policy during the dates of visit to Costa Rica; guarantee of coverage for medicals expenses in cases of COVID-19 related medical treatment in the amount of $50,000 and minimum coverage of $2,000 for extended lodging expenses due to COVID-19 related illness.

Visitors can also purchase a Costa Rican medical insurance policy through the National Insurance Institute (INS) or Sagicor of Costa Rica.

“As vaccination advances in priority markets for Costa Rican tourism and to benefit the reactivation of international travel, it is important to make the requirements more flexible for individuals who do not represent a high risk (in terms of economic cost) of serious disease nor hospitalization for the State,” Minister of Tourism Gustavo J. Segura said in a statement.

Costa Rica recently received 500,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine from the U.S. As of July 12, Costa Rica has administered nearly 1.8 million vaccines, making significant progress in its goal to vaccinate at least 3.5 million citizens by the end of 2021.