*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.
Michael says
Hello, You mention in your update not to rely on shared shuttles due to low availability. Is this still the case please?
Sammi says
Yes, never assume that all shared shuttle routes are running, many of them are now requiring at least 4 people to run so you will need to check availability if you are just 1 person
Sammi says
No, the insurance is required to enter the country for unvaccinated and partially vaccinated individuals but it won’t be accepted to enter establishments after Feb 8 (at least so far – government hasn’t made any new updates on it so they are only accepting the QR code for fully vaccinated individuals)
Matthew YANTZ says
Thank you for the help.
Matthew YANTZ says
Hello, I a. Planning on traveling to CR Feb 5 to 12. I am fully vaccinated but my wife is not vaccinated. We have both tested positive over Christmas. I have no problem buying the insurance for her, but I can’t find any info if the insurance covers us going to hotels, restaurants, bars etc.
Matt
Jolene says
Thank you for all this information, it’s very helpful! My husband and I plan to travel to CR next week and trying to research tests for coming back to the US. I have seen a few people who had at home Binax antigen tests done with verification via televisit to travel home when traveling abroad. Have you seen this allowed in CR?
Sammi says
The test to re-enter the US has to fulfill the USA regulations and requirements (not Costa Rica’s since you’re departing Costa Rica), I believe the CDC has a section about home tests on their international travel page
chris drown says
My husband and I, along with friends are coming to Costa Rica arriving Feb 5, 2022. We are thinking of purchasing the approved BinaxNow rapid test with telehealth service to bring with us. We plan to pack the test in our checked luggage. Do you know if customs at Liberia airport allows us to bring them into the country? We also plan to bring additional test kits to test once a week while there.
Thank you. I have enjoyed reading your site very much.
Sammi says
I think so – I’ve gotten some feedback from people who did their self administered test in CR so they brought it down themselves
Sandra says
Hi,
We are in this beautiful country and have been able to stay at places that are out of the grid in the jungle as only visitors and felt more safe than at home in our own country which is Sweden in this case. I strongly recommend people to investigate jungle lodges in our case in the south area (Corcovado & Golfo Dulce).
To my question, me and the boyfriend have been wondering if there is a specific quarantine accommodations, a list of accommodations one must choose from and that is mandated/listed by the CR authorities if one of us test positive?
We haven’t been able to find official I formation regarding the procedure when a tourist test positive.
Thanks in advance & thank you for sharing the info above!
Stay safe & God bless!
Sammi says
From what I have read, you will need to find your own place and hotels may deny you if you are COVID positive. The couple people I knew who tested positive rented an Airbnb
Dean Thompson says
Excellent blog site full of detailed and accurate info – KUDOS!
I have twice entered Costa Rica in the last 5 months (once by air initially and subsequently by land as a border hope to renew my tourist visa). I relied upon an electronic copy of a receipt for shuttle bus with a well established company in Costa Rica as proof of ongoing travel. They advised that this is very common practice and they have never had a problem. In neither case was I actually asked to show my proof of ongoing travel. All that said, I agree with blog authors that an ongoing plane ticket is most secure and lots of folks buy a ticket that is fully refundable and then cancel shortly after entering country to improve flexibility on how and when they will exit the country before their visa runs out.
Chaise says
Hello, thanks for your blog it really helps. My question is do you have any experience or an opinion on using a travel agency like bestonwardticket.com or onwardticket.com to provide proof of onward travel. The way I understand the process is that your renting a plane ticket and its all legit but im not sure.
Thanks again, Leaving for CR in 3 days!!!
Sammi says
I have known people who used that website – I have never personally used it but I know many people who have.
You can also purchase a refundable flight or many airlines have a 24 hour window where you can cancel without penalty
Sabrina says
Hi, thanks so much for your blog – it’s so useful!
I’m coming to Costa Rica in April and I plan to stay a couple of months and then travel around Central America. I was told that at the Airport they will accept a bus ticket out of Costa Rica as proof of you existing the country – is this your understanding too?
Just post just mentions flights, so I thought it was worth checking as it’s been worrying me!
Thanks.
Sammi says
It honestly depends – pre COVID they would sometimes accept bus tickets but airlines are getting stricter so they may not, it’ll depend on the agent. To avoid any hassle, a flight is the best proof out, you could try with a bus ticket but it really will depend on the agent if they decide its enough which is why I always recommend a flight as that is 100% to be accepted as proof
Judy Walsh says
Not a comment, but rather, a question. I live in CR and have for over 4-1/2 years. I applied for residency in October of 2019, and still have not received my Resolution. I am fully vaccinated with Pfizer and have had my booster shot two weeks ago today. I have my QR code. I need to make a border run in the next two weeks (Los Chiles) but I cannot find clear information about what I need to do for entry to Nicaragua and then return to CR the same day. Could you please help me understand what I do and do not need. I REALLY do not want to buy the insurance again for three more months.
Sammi says
Hi Judy, you’re fully vaccinated so you don’t need to purchase the insurance for Costa Rica anymore but Nicaragua does require a PCR test to enter and it’s within 72 hours from last time I had checked. Also although you’re in process for residency, I would recommend to still bring proof of you leaving Costa Rica within 90 days because from my experiences, immigration is classifying you as a resident if you have DIMEX card, and a tourist if you do NOT have a DIMEX card even if you’re in the process – they’re classifying it either tourist or resident, one or the other and not in between
Even though this one is for Penas Blancas, it is the same entry/exit requirements so you can check this post: https://mytanfeet.com/travel-tips/crossing-the-border-between-costa-rica-and-nicaragua/
Dennis christensen says
Hi Guys!
We are coming there again in march. We fly out on a Monday and we need to be tested within 72hrs of flying. Do they do testing and run the labs all weekend for results? We will be based in Tamarindo btw.
Sammi says
Some labs may not open Sunday but most open Saturday
Ramiro Tijerina says
This information is very helpful since I have a trip to CR in Sept. Every little bit will help out especially in this area. The content on this blog is straight to the point and easy to understand.