The Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) released a short video highlighting the entry requirements for visitors from the United States.
Unfortunately for most U.S. tourists, the video captions are in Spanish. Here is an English translation:
Important information for visitors who reside in U.S. states authorized to visit Costa Rica:
- Travelers who are residents of 12 U.S. states are authorized to enter Costa Rica via a flight. (These 12 states are: Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Connecticut as of Sept. 1; Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Colorado as of Sept. 15.)
- The flight must originate in an authorized U.S. state or authorized country.
- The flight can be direct or with a connection, and a layover can be in a non-authorized location. For example, you can begin travel in Vermont and have a layover in Miami, Florida. Or, begin travel in New York and have a layover in El Salvador.
- The maximum allowed layover time is 18 hours. During that time, the passenger cannot leave the airport. Upon arriving in Costa Rica, the passenger should demonstrate via their boarding passes that their flight originated in an authorized state/country.
Requirements for entering Costa Rica as a tourist:
- Complete the Health Pass.
- Demonstrate proof of a negative PCR-RT coronavirus test. The sample must have been taken in the 72 hours before departure. The results must be in English or Spanish.
- Have travel insurance covering COVID-19 medical and accommodation expenses.
U.S. tourists must also demonstrate, via their driver’s license or State ID, that they reside in one of the 12 authorized states. Minors traveling with family are exempted from this requirement.
For more information about the Costa Rica entry requirements for tourists, visit the Costa Rica Tourism Board’s website.
