No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeCosta RicaCosta Rica to allow U.S. tourists starting in September

Costa Rica to allow U.S. tourists starting in September

Costa Rica will welcome tourists from the United States starting in September, Tourism Minister Gustavo Segura announced Wednesday.

U.S. tourists will only be welcomed if they are residents of the following states: New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Connecticut. Passengers must prove their residency in one of those states using their driver’s license.

“We have included the license-plate requirement to minimize the likelihood that someone from a non-authorized state be allowed to enter,” Segura said. “We are minimizing our epidemiological risk.”

Tourists must obtain a negative PCR-RT test within 48 hours of their flight and purchase a travel-insurance plan that covers COVID-19. (This can be a pre-approved Costa Rican plan, or a foreign one that meets a series of requirements.)

In addition, all arriving passengers must complete an online health form.

The Costa Rica Tourism Board says that it expects about four flights a week from the airports of Newark (EWR), La Guardia (LGA) and John F. Kennedy (JFK). All are located in the New York City area.

“In these moments, [New York] is one of the states with best control of the pandemic,” Segura said.

Airlines can operate routes to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) near San José and Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) in Liberia, Guanacaste. It will mark the first commercial flights to LIR since Costa Rica imposed its border restrictions.

Segura said Costa Rica is analyzing the coronavirus situation in Colorado, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, and that residents of those states may soon be allowed to visit Costa Rica.

Segura said allowing U.S. tourists goes “hand-in-hand” with responsible behavior from tourism companies and the visitors themselves. Costa Rica currently permits all open-air tourist activities, but face coverings are required in most indoor situations.

Costa Rica has kept its borders closed to U.S. tourists since mid-March due to the pandemic. Tourism is one of the country’s biggest industries, comprising 8.2% of its GDP, and the United States is the country from which most people visit.

More than 1.3 million tourists came to Costa Rica from the United States in 2019, more than any other country by far.

The U.S. State Department has issued a Level 4 travel advisory for Costa Rica due to the coronavirus and crime.

Costa Rica currently allows tourists from 44 countries, including the United Kingdom, the European Union and Canada.

Trending Now

Dominical to Quepos: The Costa Rican Road That Took 30 Years to Finish

The original Pan-American Highway heading south from San José once took a dramatic and daunting route. It passed through the old capital of Cartago...

Costa Rica’s Religious Culture Through the Eyes of a Non-Religious Expat

Costa Rica is the only country in the Americas that has an official religion—Catholicism—enshrined in its constitution. While the Constitution recognizes freedom of worship,...

US Visa Cost Increase for Travelers and Workers Under New Law

United States President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill into law on July 4, introducing a new surcharge for most non-immigrant US...

Quiet Force, Loud Legacy: Jannik Sinner Beats Alcaraz for First Wimbledon Title

Jannik Sinner is the quiet man of tennis who has become a big noise, burnishing his legacy on Sunday by winning his first Wimbledon...

Costa Rica Police Uncover Second Cyanide-Laced Mining Operation in Crucitas

The environmental crisis in Crucitas persists. Police discovered and dismantled an artisanal mining material processing plant in a wooded area of Tatú Hill in Crucitas,...

Costa Rican Lottery Official Investigated in Money Laundering Case

Another money laundering case has shaken Costa Rica. Following a series of raids that dismantled a laundering network operating through legal and illegal lottery...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica