Some healthy competition has benefitted the consumer.
The National Insurance Institute (INS) now sells a cheaper travel insurance policy for visitors to Costa Rica, the presidency announced. The new policy has been approved by the General Superintendency of Insurance (Sugese), meaning travelers who obtain it are guaranteed that it meets Costa Rica’s requirements.
“We are committed to providing a second option to tourists with the sole objective of contributing to the reactivation of tourism and avoiding, as far as possible, the saturation of public health centers, and that is what we are doing,” said Róger Arias, INS president.
“We are very pleased to provide this alternative with more accessible prices that we are sure will allow us to provide protection to hundreds of tourists.”
Premiums vary, but according to Casa Presidencial, a 45-year-old visiting for two weeks can expect to pay $9.40 per day (about $132 total). INS also offers a 5% discount for families.
Click here to review the policy. (The website appears to be down as of press time.) In addition to INS, the Costa Rican insurer Sagicor also offers Sugese-approved policies for foreign visitors.
Using a foreign travel insurance policy
Costa Rica also accepts foreign travel insurance policies, as long as they meet a set of requirements.
The tourist must have certification from the policy issuer (in English or Spanish) confirming the following:
- Validity of the policy during the visit to Costa Rica.
- Guarantee that it covers medical expenses in cases of COVID-19 in Costa Rica, for at least $50,000 (fifty thousand United States dollars).
- That it includes a minimum coverage of $2,000 for expenses of extended lodging due to the pandemic.
The Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) is responsible for verifying that visitors’ foreign policies comply with the requirements. This verification process will eventually be digital; however, until the digital process is implemented, ICT staff will conduct this verification step upon arrival at the airport.
A travel insurance policy is one of several requirements Costa Rica has established for arriving tourists. The others include:
- Tourists can only enter Costa Rica via a flight from an authorized country.
- Tourists must show proof of a negative PCR test for the coronavirus. The sample for the test must have been taken no more than 48 hours before the flight to Costa Rica.
- Anyone entering Costa Rica must complete the online “Health Pass” epidemiological form: https://salud.go.cr.
