San Jose International Airport Costa Rica (Juan Santamaria SJO Airport)

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Costa Rica’s main international airport is Juan Santamaria International Airport, commonly known as the San Jose International Airport in Alajuela.

It’s much bigger than its fellow international airport, Guanacaste Airport and offers the most international flights.

If you’re flying into San Jose International Airport, check our guide below to help you navigate through the main international airport in Costa Rica.

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San Jose International Airport Location

San Jose International Airport is located in the province of Alajuela, about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from downtown San Jose, Costa Rica.

This is extremely important to know if you are looking to book an airport hotel as downtown San Jose is around a 30 minute drive to the airport without traffic.

If you’re looking for an airport hotel, the closest hotels will be in the Alajuela province. Don’t look for one in downtown San Jose, as that is at least 30 minutes away from the airport.

Check our list of best San Jose International Airport hotels here.

About San Jose International Airport and Airport Code

The name Juan Santamaria is after a drummer boy who died helping Costa Rica prevent getting taken over by the United States in 1856.

The San Jose International Airport airport code is SJO.

IMPORTANT!!! Do NOT get SJO confused with San Jose, California whose airport code is SJC. Or San Juan, Puerto Rico whose airport code is SJU.

san jose international airport
SJO Airport

In 2024, San Jose International Airport welcomed 2.6 million tourists.

San Jose Airport has 20 gates servicing 24 airlines from North America, Latin America and Europe. They have expansion plans to accommodate the many new flights, especially in high season.

Getting to Juan Santamaria International Airport

That being said, if you are not staying at an airport hotel that offers free airport shuttle, then there are a couple of easy ways to from your hotel to the airport.

San Jose International Airport Costa Rica SJO
At the departures area of San Jose Costa Rica Airport. In Spanish, departures is “Salidas”

Uber: Uber is readily available in the Central Valley cities (Heredia, Alajuela, San Jose and Cartago). We have been able to call an Uber at at all hours of the day to catch a ride to the airport.

However make sure you give yourself at least 20-30 minutes to call your Uber since during rush hour, there is a lot of demand and traffic. I recommend to schedule your Uber the day before if you need to get to the airport for your flight home.

From downtown San Jose, an Uber X costs around 9000 CRC (~$17 USD).

Private shuttle: Book a private shuttle at the time of your choice. Your driver will show up right at your designated time, help your group to load the vehicle and whisk you away straight to the airport departures gates. As a private shuttle, you won’t be waiting around for anyone else.

Contact us if you want to book your private airport shuttle. For up to 8 passengers plus luggage, the private shuttle costs ~$60 USD.

For departures, you should arrive at the airport at least 3 hours before your departure time if you will be traveling during busy tourism season months (December through April and July).

Exit tax: The $29 USD exit tax is now included in most of the airline tickets. Some airlines do not though (some Canadian and budget airlines). You can check the billboard in the check in area to see if you need to pay it.

Arriving at San Jose International Airport

One you land at the San Jose International Airport on an international flight, all visitors must go through immigration and customs. Remember, immigration is for people, customs is for luggage.

You will go through immigration first where you need to supply the officer your details such as name, occupation, length of time in Costa Rica, first destination in Costa Rica and date of departure.

Then you will collect your luggage to go through customs. Put EVERYTHING except duty free on the scanners.

Next to baggage claim 5, there is a Claro SIM card stand in case you need to purchase a Costa Rican prepaid SIM card. Open everyday from 5 AM to 9 PM, sometimes 11 PM on weekends. There is also one 24/7 duty free store with alcohol.

After clearing customs, you will exit the airport terminal to get a taxi or meet your shuttle driver.

Once you exit the airport terminal, you will see tons of people waiting around holding signs. You will need to turn to your right and walk down this hall to find your agent

You can check our customs and immigration at San Jose International Airport and Guanacaste Airport guide for more details.

Leaving San Jose International Airport

From San Jose Airport, you can find many ways to get to your next destination.

Bus: There is a public bus stop down the ramp from arrivals that goes into downtown San Jose. It runs fairly frequently and is very cheap, going to the other cities in the Central Valley and downtown San Jose.

If you plan to take this bus, we highly recommend to exchange at least $5 USD into local currency at the airport to pay for the bus. There are ATMs at baggage claim and a money exchange.

Private shuttle: If you reserved a private shuttle, your driver will be waiting for you outside the airport terminal, holding a sign with your name on it.

Shared shuttle: If you booked a shared shuttle, most shared shuttle companies will have you meet them at the Denny’s Restaurant, Fiesta Casino or Rostipollos Restaurant which is 1.5 km away (~1 mile). Some shared shuttles may pick you up at the airport, so make sure to double check.

Get 10% off your Interbus shared shuttle in the link!

Taxi: Official taxis in Costa Rica are red and orange for airport taxis. There is an official taxi stand right when you exit the airport.

Uber: We personally prefer taking Uber in Costa Rica. Some Uber drivers will have you meet them at departures upstairs or by the Malinche restaurant at arrivals. They may also ask you to sit in the front seat.

San Jose Airport Car Rentals

If you made a car rental reservation, then you need to look for the agency’s counter after customs, when you exit through the double doors, before exiting the airport. The agents will assist you in taking the shuttle to the off-site offices to collect the car.

Since the airport is not big enough to accommodate all the car rental companies’ offices, they will take you to their satellite airport office nearby to pick up the car.

Read more about renting a car in Costa Rica and get our Costa Rica car rental discount here.

We have a partnership with Adobe Rent a Car to give car rental discounts and extra benefits (free cooler, free prepaid SIM card, etc.).

Get our “Costa Rica car rental discount” to make a reservation. Adobe will pick up passengers from the airport and take them to their nearby airport office via complimentary shuttle.

Flying Out of SJO Airport: San Jose Airport Food, Shopping and Other Services

You should arrive at the airport 3 hours before your departure time. It’s not a huge airport but there are a LOT of flights that leave around the same time during the high tourism season.

San Jose International Airport has free Wi-Fi, restaurants, souvenir stores, luggage packing services, bathrooms, duty free shopping and VIP lounges.

There is only one level in San Jose Airport so after you clear security, go up an escalator. You’ll be at the level where all the gates, food and shops are.

There are two VIP Lounges. The VIP lounge for BAC Credomatic is at Gate 19-20 everyday from 430 AM to 430 PM. The VIP Lounge for Star Alliance passengers is at Gate 5, superior level from 430 AM to 8 PM.

SJO Airport Fast Track

If you are visiting during peak tourism times and want to bypass the long lines at security and immigration, you can purchase a FAST TRACK pass for $100 per person each time. Children 0-6 are free as long as they are traveling with a paying adult.

You can purchase FAST TRACK passes on this website: https://www.eticket.cr/eventos.aspx?idartista=1291

Parking

San Jose International Airport has its own parking lot. It costs $2.48 USD per hour, $35 USD per day and $200 USD per week. It is under roof parking.

If you are leaving the country for a trip and need to park your car close by but do not want to leave it at the airport parking garage (it is expensive), there are options.

Many airport hotels will allow you to leave your car for either a small fee or free if you stay as a hotel guest before or after your trip.

Some hotels that offer parking for hotel guests are Mango Hotel, Pura Vida Hotel, El Rodeo Estancia Boutique Hotel and the Fairfield by Marriott San Jose Airport Alajuela.

If you stay a night (or more) at the Fairfield by Marriott either before you leave or when you come back, you can leave your car there for free in their secure parking lot. Same with El Rodeo Estancia (20 minutes to SJO Airport).

San Jose Airport Hotels

There are many hotels around San Jose Airport with free airport shuttles included. You can read our post “Best hotels near San Jose Airport” for recommendations.

San Jose Domestic Terminal

For those flying on a local airline to take a domestic flight with Sansa, Aerobell or Green, you need to go to the Domestic Terminal SJO for your flight.

This is a separate terminal, about a 5 minute walk from the international terminal. On Google Maps, it is called “Terminal Domestica SJO.”

Should You Fly Into Liberia or San Jose Airport?

San Jose and Guanacaste Airport are hubs for different parts of the country. Find out which you should fly into before booking flights.

Read more about which Costa Rica international airport is best for you.

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110 responses

  1. Michelle B

    If arriving at SJO and then getting on a Sansa flight – how much time do I have to give myself to make that next flight?

    Reply
    1. Sammi

      Hello Michelle, the walk from the international terminal to the domestic terminal takes about 5 minutes.

      Normally, you need to check in at the domestic airport at least 1 hour before your flight. If you are arriving at SJO on an international flight, checking in luggage, and visiting during peak high season (landing between 11:00 AM -1:00 PM), we recommend allowing at least 1.5 to 2 hours for taking a Sansa domestic flight.

      However, considering time for immigration, baggage claim, customs, and potential delays, especially during high season, we recommend allowing at least 3 hours between your international arrival and domestic departure to be on the safe side.

      Reply
  2. Michelle

    Do you know if there are public showers available near the airport. We fly out just after midnight and didn’t want to have to book a hotel room just to shower before take off.

    Reply
    1. Sammi

      No the airport doesn’t have showers, I would honestly just book a cheap room at a hotel near the airport and check out late, there are many very reasonably priced hotels nearby.

      Reply
  3. Lisa

    Tips on buying distilled water for CPAP machine? We fly into SJO and then our tour starts from Hotel Barcelo in San Jose.

    Reply
    1. Sammi

      They should have it in pharmacies

      Reply
  4. Lázaro Vindel

    Gracias por compartir un artículo tan útil y completo sobre el Aeropuerto Internacional de San José. Es fantástico tener toda esta información en un solo lugar, especialmente para quienes vamos a Costa Rica por primera vez. Siempre es importante saber la distancia entre el aeródromo y el centro de la ciudad para planificar bien el transporte y evitar llegar tarde.

    ¿Podrías contar si ha habido alguna mejora reciente en las instalaciones o servicios que el aeropuerto ofrece a los viajeros? Estoy planeando unas vacaciones durante la temporada alta y me preocupa que el tráfico sea un problema.

    Una guía similar sobre el aeropuerto de Guanacaste sería también muy apreciada. ¡Saludos y muchas gracias de nuevo por la información excelente!

    Reply
    1. Sammi

      Hola, ya tenemos una guia a Guanacaste Airport.

      Reply
  5. Sam

    Hi there! Thanks for all the wonderful info on your site, it’s been a lifesaver planning for my trip to CR! I have a question. My flight arrives at about 1am to SJO… will I be able to spend a few hours hanging out at a restaurant in the airport, or will I need to arrange transport and a hotel? I’m a solo female traveler so I’m looking to stay safe as well since it will be the middle of the night.

    Reply
    1. Sammi

      Hi Sam, I’d definitely find a hotel for the night. There are only a couple small cafes and a restaurant at SJO and they are not open at 1 AM.

      However, there is a Denny’s Restaurant about 5 minutes away by car that is open 24 hours. You can call an Uber or grab one of the airport taxis and go there to chill. I’m not sure what your plan is to get to your next destination, but that is an option.

      Reply
  6. Jaymee

    Hi Sammi,
    Thank you for all the great information in your website. We are wondering how much time is needed to arrive at SJO for an international flight out from Costa Rica to Mexico (Cancun). Is 2 hours enough? Or should we arrive 3 hrs prior? We are flying Volaris at 8am on Sunday morning. Thank you!

    Reply
    1. Sammi

      Hi Jaymee, for international flights its usually recommended 3 hours nowadays.

      Reply
  7. Jonathan Wells

    Hey Sammi

    What a great site. Thank you! Couple of queries on Costa Rica Green Airways, if you buy economy flight it says one checked in bag up to 25 pounds is included but it doesn’t mention about hand bag. Can you take a small ruck sack on the plane or would they charge you for that? If your checked in bag ends up being heavier than 25 pounds at airport do they fine you or just charge you next tariff up?

    And second question…we have 3 hours between local flight and international flight on our return. Is that enough? Do you know if Costa Rica Green Airways would compensate you if you miss your international flight (British Airways) if there is a delay?

    Many thanks again! Jay

    Reply
    1. Sammi

      Hello Jay, we would love to help you with your questions but we don’t work with Green or are affiliated with them so the information we have is the same on their website. For specific information, please contact them as they will be able to help you out directly.

      Reply
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