.png)
Traveling is fun, liberating, and exciting to some but overwhelming to others. COVID-19 has made traveling more complicated for everyone and has added additional requirements to go from country to country. All countries want to keep their people safe and make sure that the pandemic does not worsen. As some may have leaner requirements, other countries are enforcing more strict requirements for travel.
Let's look at the requirements established by Costa Rica and US governments to travel to their countries.
Traveling to Costa Rica
*IMPORTANT UPDATES: On July 9th, 2021 the Costa Rican Government announced that starting August 1st, 2021, fully vaccinated travelers and all minors (under 18) do not need to show proof of COVID-19 travel insurance. (More information below)
As everyone is aware travel has taken a hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Governments have had to establish new requirements to enter to maintain control of the pandemic in their countries. A lot of countries require a negative COVID test, but Costa Rica is not part of those countries requiring the test. Instead, tourist is required to complete a HEALTH PASS and to show proof of medical insurance.
The HEALTH PASS is available online (Pase de Salud Costa Rica) and shall be completed within 48 hours before departure. A form must be completed per person, including minors, without exception. Tourists should be prepared to show HEALTH PASS upon arrival to Costa Rica.
The medical insurance that tourists should acquire shall cover lodging in the event of quarantine as well as medical expenses due to contracting COVID-19. Being vaccinated does not exempt tourists from this requirement.
Tourists can acquire medical insurance from any international insurance company, but the insurance must meet the following requirements:
Valid for the entire stay in Costa Rica
50,000 USD for medical expenses, including those for COVID-19
2,000 USD for lodging expenses in the event of COVID-19 quarantine
It is important to bring a certificate from the insurance company indicating the requirements stated above and most importantly it shall indicate that it does cover COVID-19.
Costa Rica also offers medical insurance that can be purchased by any tourist. These insurances are:
UPDATED INFORMATION AS OF JULY 9TH 2021: As of August 1ST 2021, all minors or vaccinated persons may enter the country without a travel policy.
The vaccines accepted are from the pharmaceutical: Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson. The vaccine must be applied at a minimum of 14 days before entering the country.
They must present a certificate and vaccination card with the following information:
Full name of the vaccinated person
Dates of application of each dose
Pharmaceutical (Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, or Johnson & Johnson)
In the case of the US, the "COVID-19 vaccination record card" will be accepted.
All tourists must return home, so it is important to know and understand the requirements set in place for returning to both US and Canada from Costa Rica.
Traveling to the USA from Costa Rica
All passengers traveling to the US must show a negative Covid-19 test regardless of their immunization status. This applies to everyone 2 years and older. The US accepts two types of tests: PCR or antigen tests.
Before boarding a flight to the United States, you are required to show one of the following:
If you are fully vaccinated: Proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test result taken no more than 3 days before travel.
If you are NOT fully vaccinated: A negative COVID-19 test result taken no more than 1 day before travel.
The negative result must be presented to the airline when doing check-in.
All airlines are required to review the documentation and decide if the passenger shall travel or not.
If you had COVID-19 and you are already recovered, passengers must show a positive result plus a letter from your healthcare provider or health official stating that you are cleared to travel.
In addition, all passengers must present the “Passenger disclosure and attestation requirement to the United States of America”, in which they certify that they are COVID-19 free.
In Costa Rica there are several labs authorized by the Ministry of Health to do the tests, depending on the lab results will be delivered by email within 2 to 8 hours for the antigen test and 24 to 48 hours for the PCR. The test range ranges from 90 to 120 dollars for the PCR test and from 48 to 60 dollars for the antigen.
The White House announced that vaccines will be required for international travelers coming into the United States, with an effective date of November 8, 2021. For purposes of entry into the United States, vaccines accepted will include FDA-approved or authorized and WHO Emergency Use Listing vaccines. (cdc.gov)
Accepted COVID-19 Vaccines
| Vaccines Approved or Authorized by the U.S. FDA | Vaccines Listed for Emergency Use by the WHO |
Single-dose |
|
|
2-dose series |
|
|
Acceptable Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination
Documentation Type | Examples |
Verifiable records (digital or paper) | |
Non-verifiable paper records | Printout of COVID-19 vaccination record or a COVID-19 vaccination certificate issued at national or subnational level or by an authorized vaccine provider (e.g., the CDC vaccination card) |
Non-verifiable digital records | Digital photos of vaccination card or record, downloaded vaccine record or vaccination certificate from official source (e.g., public health agency, government agency, or other authorized vaccine provider), or a mobile phone application without QR code1 |
You are considered fully vaccinated on the 14th day after the vaccination series was completed.
All forms of proof of COVID-19 vaccination must have personal identifiers (full name plus at least one other identifier), name of official source issuing the record, and vaccine manufacturer and dates of vaccination.
Proof of vaccination must be confirmed by airlines and aircraft operators, if documents are not in English, you should check with your airline operator before travel to see if documents need to be translated.
To learn more about the requirements to travel to the United States by air you can download the following file to learn more:
COVID-19 changed the travel industry, but Costa Rica is trying to make it simple for tourists to meet requirements without having to change their plans. Right now, no matter where you are you do not need to come back to San Jose to get tested, right now there is an authorized lab in all provinces of Costa Rica near the most visited places.
Keep in mind that at Medical Tourism Advisoran another authorized vaccine provider we will help our clients navigate the requirements and fill out any form needed to travel to Costa Rica and the US. Rest assured that we will make sure you meet the requirements without creating any hassle in your travel plans.
*THIS IS AN ACTIVE POST IF REQUIREMENTS CHANGE THE POST WILL BE UPDATED: Last Updated: 7/13/2021
Commentaires