*This post will no longer be updated to reflect current COVID cases. There are no COVID-19 restrictions in Costa Rica at all anymore. In case something does change, we will update this post but as of 2023, there have not been any restrictions.*
Costa Rica COVID Travel Restrictions and Border Opening
Costa Rica closed their borders beginning of March 2020.
On November 1, 2020, Costa Rica opened their borders to all countries in the world via air. On April 5, 2021, Costa Rica opened the land borders between Nicaragua and Panama.
Costa Rica Entry Requirements (COVID-19)
**As of April 1, 2022, all previous COVID entry requirements have been removed.** Costa Rica does not require quarantine, a health pass, travel insurance, QR code or a negative COVID-19 test to enter. There are no COVID-19 sanitary requirements to enter Costa Rica. Entering Costa Rica is exactly how it used to be before the pandemic.
Traveling around Costa Rica is nearly exactly how it used to be before COVID. There are nearly zero restrictions.
Do I have to be vaccinated to go to Costa Rica?
No. You do not have to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for Costa Rica. Costa Rica is not requiring tourists to be vaccinated against COVID. Fully vaccinated, partially vaccinated and unvaccinated people can enter Costa Rica. You don’t need to have any booster shots to enter Costa Rica.
Costa Rica will not ask you for any COVID-19 vaccination information when you enter the country.
Costa Rica COVID-19 Travel Restrictions Tourists Need to Know About
There are no restrictions – no driving restrictions, no curfew, etc. Costa Rican establishments do not require any proof of vaccination to enter.
Please check our post Costa Rica COVID to see details.
Do I Need to Wear a Mask in Costa Rica?
As of May 11, 2022, face masks in public spaces, open spaces and indoors have no longer been mandatory in Costa Rica except for health officials. However, individual establishments may still require them for their guests and people can still wear them if they wish.
Likewise, the face mask mandate may be reinstated at any point, particularly indoors and public transportation settings, so please be aware of this and bring at least one mask with you still.
Where to Get a COVID test in Costa Rica
In case you need to get a COVID test in Costa Rica whether you are feeling sick or if you need one to re-enter your home country, nearly all labs, clinics and hospitals can administer COVID tests.
Please check your home country requirements to see what they require for re-entry. **The United States has removed its COVID test requirement on June 12, 2022. That means that air travelers entering the United States from abroad will no longer need to produce a 24 hour negative COVID test result.***
COVID tests in Costa Rica are done via a nasal swab.
Cost and Turnaround Time
The cost of a COVID test in Costa Rica varies between $55-300 USD per test. Antigen tests have an average of 1-8 hour turnaround time and are cheaper ~$50 USD. A PCR test is around $150 USD with a turnaround time of around 24-72 hours. Some labs may offer same day PCR tests for ~$300 and at home tests are now available. Results will be emailed in English or Spanish.
What Happens If You Test Positive for COVID in Costa Rica?
First, if you are feeling sick or believe you have COVID-19, isolate yourself and go to a clinic or lab to get tested.
If you need hospitalization, Costa Rica will not refuse anyone who requires COVID-19 hospital care regardless of their immigration and vaccination status.
Then if you are taking the test to re-enter your home country, airlines will not let you board with a positive test result. If your home country requires a negative test and you test positive, you will have to quarantine a given amount of days (usually 5- 14), which is determined by the doctor who attended you and the severity of the disease. You will have to comply with the entire duration of your stay at home order – even if you test negative during that period of time.
Tourists won’t be penalized if they overstay their tourist visa due to a stay at home quarantine order.
This is one of the reasons why we highly tourists to purchase a travel insurance, even though it is not mandatory. Many travel insurances will now cover COVID costs and it is especially important now since travel is still very messy with lots of flight delays and cancellations. Check our post for travel insurance recommendations for Costa Rica here.
What Is Open in Costa Rica Right Now During COVID-19?
Everything. It is exactly how it used to be pre-COVID. There are no restrictions at all.
Planning Your Trip to Costa Rica? Here Are Some Helpful Resources
Costa Rica destinations guide (Best places to visit)
Mytanfeet Costa Rica destination map
How to avoid crowds in Costa Rica
Disclaimer: Costa Rica border openings, travel restrictions and entry requirements are ever changing. We do our best to update this post with the latest information as much as possible. Please remember that the decision to travel is up to you and it is your responsibility to stay safe. Make sure to check the recommendations of your country when it comes to international travel.
LN says
Hi! Thank you for the information you have shared. Very helpful.
I am curious if you know about any requirements when arriving back in the USA after a visit to CR?
I am considering traveling from USA April 29, 2023 and returning May 6, 2023.
Sammi says
US no longer requires a negative COVID test to reenter the country from abroad
Sammi says
In order to get the quarantine, if you took an at home test, you need to contact the ministry of health yourself because with an at home test, results are not sent to the government, if you tested positive from a test done at a lab in costa rica, your results will be sent and the doctor will give you your quarantine information.
We just had a client test positive last week after getting her results back from her lab test here and they gave her order in one day so try to call them or maybe the email went to spam? Or you can try to call the lab you got your test with if you took a test in costa rica
Ann says
Hello. I am in San Jose right now 6/1 and I tested positive for covid. I am confused as to when I will hear from the ministry of health. How long has it taken for other people to get their quarantine orders? I’m already self quarantining but I haven’t heard anything and I have no idea if I have to stay here for two more days or 10 more days since my symptoms started 7 days ago (And I have been quarantined for six of those days already, due to a positive home test, before I even got this official test). So my question is, how long does it normally take for the ministry of health to contact a covid positive tourist? I cannot find anything official about this. So barring anything official, can I hear about experiences with testing positive upon departure?