Costa Rica Covid-Related Entry Requirements

Costa Rica has managed Covid-19 remarkably well, and has experienced a relatively low rate of disease and loss.
Masks are required in all indoor public spaces, and this requirement is strictly enforced.
Luckily, the best of Costa Rica, including restaurants, are all outdoors where risk of transmission are minimal.

Costa Rica does impose two requirements for guests crossing its borders.
They are relatively simple to fulfill.

1.
Insurance.

Costa Rica requires two types of insurance for non-citizens entering the country:

• Medical insurance in the amount of $50,000 per traveler if obtained through a non- Costa Rican insurer and $20,000 per traveler if obtained through a Costa Rican insurer; and
• insurance covering two weeks of lodging expense, at a minimum of $2,000 USD.

Costa Rican insurance offerings that meet these requirements are available from INS or from a private Costa Rican insurer called Sagicor. Prices for the medical policy are based upon age and the length of stay, and tend to be high.
Policies run about $15 per day of your stay.
You can get firm pricing and purchase the policy at these links:

• Grupo INS https://cotiza.ins-cr.com/frmDatosIncluir.aspx?P=431
• Sagicor https://tiendasagicor.com/en/

Fortunately,
Costa Rica also accepts international policies that meet these minimum requirements.
Trawick International offers and excellent product that also provides additional benefits such as higher levels of medical coverage, medical evacuation coverage, trip delay or interruption coverage, etc.
Trawick recently quoted $41 for a 15-day policy for a 64 year old person.
This included $250,000 in primary medical coverage, $1,000,000 for emergency evacuation coverage, and travel delay coverage.
When the policy is purchased, Trawick provides a letter establishing that it meets Costa Rica requirements, which you upload into the Health Questionnaire discussed below.

Note that you may be quoted a rate with trip cancellation coverage, which increases rates dramatically. As Trawick’s introductory page instructs, if you don’t need trip cancellation coverage, enter “0” in the trip cost section of the quote request.

• https://www.trawickinternational.com/travel-insurance-plans/costa-rica- required-travel-insurance

2.
Health Questionnaire

Costa Rica also requires each person to complete a health questionnaire”
found at
https://salud.go.cr.

The health questionnaire will require you to upload the Trawick insurance coverage letter noted previously.

The health questionnaire will also ask you to designated from a drop down menu the place where you will be staying.

Once the questionnaire is complete, the Department of Health will email to you a Health Pass (Salud Paso) that has a QR code on it.
Save this electronically and keep a hard copy with you for presentation during check-in on your airline and in the even Costa Rican immigration authorities request it.

That’s it.
The process is extraordinarily clear in practice and efficient.

Resources:

1. The Costa Rica ICT tourism agency information page:
   https:// www.visitcostarica.com/en/costa-rica/planning-your-trip/entry-requirements.
2. Grupo INS: https://cotiza.ins-cr.com/frmDatosIncluir.aspx?P=431
3. Sagicor: https://tiendasagicor.com/en/
4. Trawick Internationl: https://www.trawickinternational.com/travel-insurance-plans/costa-rica-required-travel-insurance