Costa Rica has reopened its borders, allowing tourists, residents, and nationals to travel in and out of the country. Please keep in mind that everyone must comply with the entry requirements established, per category, otherwise you will not be allowed in. Every single traveler, including children, must meet the entry requirements. Children will only be exempt from presenting insurance or proof of vaccination.

At this time, a negative COVID-19 test is not a requirement to enter the country. Furthermore, it is not necessary to complete a mandatory quarantine upon arrival.

We offer a summary of the requirements per category to make your planning easier and safer. Remember that some nationalities are restricted and need a visa, you can read more about this topic here.

Costa Rican Nationals & Residents  

People under these categories may enter the country via air (Juan Santamaría Airport, Daniel Oduber Quirós Airport, Tobías Bolaños Airport) maritime (Golfito, Los Sueños, Pez Vela, Banana Bay y Papagayo*), land or river borders (only authorized ports of entry). This category includes:

• Costa Rican Nationals

• Temporary Residents

• Permanent Residents

• People with Special Categories or Estancias

• People with approved status, such as approved Residencies, Estancias or Special Categories that are yet to process their DIMEX cards

 If you are included in any of the categories mentioned above, you must present the following documentation:

1. Valid passport.

2. Valid DIMEX or approval resolution (not applicable to Costa Rican nationals).

   • Valid DIMEX card. For Temporary Residents and people with Special Categories (Special Categories such as Student, Teachers, with an approved status) please be advised that if the card expired before December 18, 2019, then the person is no longer considered a Resident and must therefore meet the entry requirements established for tourists. If the DIMEX expired after December 18, 2019, then the person had until April 11, 2021, to renew the DIMEX card. If the person enters the country after April 11, 2021, they will be able to enter as Residents as long as they carry their expired DIMEX and application filing receipt showing that the renewal is in progress or, at the very least, the expired DIMEX and evidence (email print-out) that they booked a renewal appointment on time. The appointment must have been requested by April 11, 2021, at the latest. The appointment can be for October, for example, but the act of requesting it and receiving confirmation must have taken place by April 11, 2021, at the latest. If the DIMEX was not renewed by April 11, 2021, or the person does not have a renewal application receipt or did not request an appointment to renew it by April 11, 2021, at the latest, this person is no longer considered a Resident or a Special Category holder and therefore must enter the country as a tourist.

   • For Estancias, if the DIMEX expired before March 18, 2020, then the person is no longer considered an Estancia holder and must therefore meet the entry requirements established for tourists. If the DIMEX expired after March 18, 2020, the last date to renew was February 12, 2021. If the person enters the country after February 12, 2021, they will be able to enter as Estancia holders as long as they carry their expired DIMEX and application filing receipt showing that the renewal is in progress or, at the very least, the expired DIMEX and evidence (email print-out) that they booked a renewal appointment on time. The appointment must have been requested by February 12, 2021, at the latest. The appointment can be for October, for example, but the act of requesting it and receiving confirmation must have taken place by February 12, 2021, at the latest. If the DIMEX was not renewed by February 12, 2021, or the person does not have a renewal application receipt or did not request an appointment to renew it by February 12, 2021, at the latest, this person is no longer considered an Estancia holder and therefore must enter the country as a tourist.

   • Approval resolution stating that the status, such as Residency, has been approved. For Temporary Residents and Special Categories, only resolutions notified after December 18, 2019, onwards will be accepted. Resolutions notified prior to that will need to enter as tourists, For Estancias, the notification must have been received after March 18, 2020, onwards.

   • People with Permanent Residency that have expired DIMEX cards can still enter using that card. Identically, people who received an approval Resolution for Permanent Residency prior to December 18, 2019, can still use this Resolution to enter as a Resident.

3. Prove that the CAJA is up to date or that you hold valid insurance with a minimum coverage of 22 days. This applies to every person trying to enter (not applicable to Costa Rican nationals). Please note:

• • Regarding CAJA – If your spouse is the main applicant and he/she is registered in CAJA and pays every month, that does not mean that the dependents’ CAJAs are up to date. They can appear as suspended in the system. You can check the system here and carry a print-out, per person, of the results along with the payment receipt of the CAJA payment. If you are entering in September, you can carry the payment receipt for September. Pertaining to children under the age of 18, as long as the parents appear as registered in CAJA, the children will be allowed to enter.

  • Regarding Insurance – If your CAJA is not up to date, you will have the option of securing insurance with a minimum coverage of 22 days. Insurance offered by the National Insurance Institute (INS) and Sagicor complies with these exigencies. The lodging exceptions mentioned in the section Insurance Matters will apply.

  • Residents who enter using Insurance and not CAJA will have these 22 natural days to visit the corresponding CAJA/EBAIS/Clinic to get their CAJA up to date. The Immigration Police will be in charge of supervising that Residents comply with this obligation. Failure to update the CAJA within these 22 natural days will result in the cancellation of the Residency. This does not apply to people with Estancias or Special Category as Students. See title Residents Entering with Outdated CAJAS below for further information.

4. Complete the Health Pass. The link for the Health Pass can be found here. The Health Pass must be completed 48 hours prior to entering the country.

5. Costa Rican nationals can present just a passport or cedula. Immigration may accept other documents such as a birth certificate.

If you have a specific question regarding the Health Pass, you can reach out to pasedesalud@misalud.go.cr

Tourists & People with Applications in Progress

People under these categories may enter the country via air (Juan Santamaría Airport, Daniel Oduber Quirós Airport, Tobías Bolaños Airport) or through one of our maritime borders (Golfito, Los Sueños, Pez Vela, Banana Bay y Papagayo*). Starting April 5th, people in this category can also enter via land through the authorized ports of entry. This category includes:

• Tourists

• People with applications in progress, meaning people who have a process filed at Immigration, yet to be approved.

If you are under any of the categories mentioned above, you must present the following documentation:

1. Every person over the age of 18 is obliged to present: Proof of complete vaccination against COVID-19 (vaccination card). The last or only vaccine, depending on the vaccine received (for example, the Johnson & Johson vaccine requires only one does) must have been applied at least 14 days prior to entering the country. Please read below the information under the title Accepted Vaccines to learn more about this. If you have not been vaccinated, you have not completed your full vaccine series or you do not meet the minimum 14-day requirement, you will need to purchase insurance to enter Costa Rica. Costa Rica demands insurance that covers hospitalization and accommodation in case you require quarantine due to COVID19. Insurance offered by the National Insurance Institute (INS) and Sagicor complies with these exigencies. The lodging exceptions mentioned in the section Insurance Matters below will apply. The tourist days granted will depend on the insurance. If you present insurance that covers you for 10 days, you will be granted a 10-day stay. Immigration no longer grants tourists a 90-day stay automatically. If you need to remain in the country as a tourist for 90-days, you need insurance that covers you for 90 days. See titles Insurance Matters and Accepted Vaccines below for more detailed information.

2. Valid passport.

3. Round-trip ticket or reservation showing an eventual departure from Costa Rica.

4. Complete the Health Pass, one per family can be completed. The link for the Health Pass can be found here. The Health Pass must be completed 48 hours prior to entering the country.

5. If you have an application in progress, we would suggest you carry with you the application filing receipt (known as plantilla) that shows your application number (expediente).

6. If the foreign national has a restricted nationality (you can read further on the matter here) and requires a visa to enter Costa Rica, he/she will not be allowed to enter unless he/she presents a valid US, EU, or Canadian visa (please refer to the article pertaining to restricted nationalities). This cannot be a transit visa.

If you have a specific question regarding the Health Pass, you can reach out to pasedesalud@misalud.go.cr

*The rules for entry via maritime borders are very specific. Please reach out to us if further information is needed.

Accepted Vaccines

Starting August 1st, 2021, children under the age of 18 and people who are fully vaccinated will be allowed to enter the country as tourists without the need for purchasing insurance.

To be allowed to enter without insurance, the COVID-19 vaccination record card will be mandatory. This card must be uploaded when completing the Health Pass mentioned above.

The document must include:

• Complete name of the person
• Date of application per every dose*
• Corresponding Pharmaceutical Company (only Moderna, Pfizer-BioTech, AstraZeneca y Johnson & Johnson will be accepted, every one of these vaccines, except for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, requires 2 doses. If you have received the Moderna, Pfizer-BioTech, or AstraZeneca vaccine and you have received only 1 shot, then you cannot enter on the basis of your vaccination card and you will need insurance).

*The last or only dose of the vaccine must have been applied at least 14 days prior to arriving in Costa Rica to be able to enter without insurance.

If you wish to receive a 90-day entry stamp and you will enter with a vaccination record card, the suggestion is to enter with the card and a round-trip ticket or reservation showing a departure 90 days after arrival. If you enter using a round-trip ticket or reservation showing a departure 10 days after arrival, Immigration will most likely stamp a 10-day entry stamp in your passport allowing you to stay for 10 days only. Please make sure to check the number written down on your entry stamp. That is the number of days you are allowed to stay in the country.

Insurance Matters

If you are not fully vaccinated, you will need insurance to enter the country. Regarding insurance, the insurance should cover you for the duration of your stay. The days of stay that you will be granted at the airport will depend on the insurance and on your round trip ticket or reservation showing an eventual departure from the country. People are no longer automatically granted 90 days. You will be allowed to stay depending on the number of days your insurance provides coverage. This shall also match with your round-trip ticket or reservation. Hence, if you enter the country using 10-day insurance, you will be granted a 10-day entry stamp. If you enter the country using 90-day insurance and show an exit ticket for 10 days after arrival, you will be granted a 10-day entry stamp only. There needs to be congruence between the information you provide  Please make sure to check the number written down on your entry stamp. That is the number of days you are allowed to stay in the country.

If you receive an entry stamp of under 90 days, you can process an extension, however, the process is rather cumbersome and it entails securing an appointment at the Immigration Department, paying a fee, gathering documents, and attending an appointment. It is better to plan ahead and purchase insurance for the time you know you are going to be in the country. You can read further on that process here.

Per ICT’s confirmation, if a foreign national will enter the country with international insurance, it is essential that sufficient documentation is provided (in English or Spanish) to ensure that the policy guarantees:

1. Coverage for medical expenses in case of contracting COVID19. The insurance policy shall cover you for at least $50,000 USD in medical expenses.

2. A minimum coverage of $2,000 USD for lodging.

Alternatively, the INS or Sagicor insurance can be purchased. If you purchase any of the local insurances, the minimum coverage is of $20,000 USD.

Many ex-pats have reached out regarding lodging coverage asking if it is plausible to avoid this part of the insurance if they have a house or a rental in Costa Rica. We called the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) and received written confirmation on September 1st, 2020  stating that this will be possible however, they also clarified that this is not supported by any Decree, Resolution, or Circular. 

This means that if you wish to enter using proof that you have a home or a rental (it must be for more than 1 month, in your name. It cannot be an Airbnb or similar), we cannot assure you that it will be accepted since this is not supported, in writing, by any current ruling or law. ICT’s written confirmation is not equivalent to a Decree, Resolution, or Circular. We know of some people who have already entered this way; however, the situation is so unstable at the airport that we cannot assure you a smooth entry. Ultimately, if the documentation you provide is not enough, you can purchase the insurance upon arrival.

Residents Entering with Outdated CAJAS

Residents whose CAJAs are not up to date may enter the country by purchasing insurance with a minimum coverage of 22 days. Upon entry, Immigration will issue these Residents a notice stating that they have 22 natural days to update all CAJA matters, per family member. Failure to comply with this instruction will result in the cancellation of your Residency.

For minor children, as long as the parents appear to be duly registered in CAJA, the children’s CAJA coverage will be deemed up to date. The CAJA system that Immigration and the ICT check is this one: https://sfa.ccss.sa.cr/servMedicos/validarDerechos.do. Try searching by name only. This will inform you if your CAJA, and every family member’s CAJA, is up to date.

This does not apply to people with Estancias or Special Category as Student.

Please be advised that entering the country through non-authorized ports of entry can result in the cancellation of your status if you already have Residency in Costa Rica or have an application in progress at the Immigration Department. If you are a tourist, deportation proceedings will apply.