Costa Rica Drops Health Insurance Requirement for Travelers

Costa Rica has updated its entry requirements, dropping mandatory travel insurance.  

Beginning Aug. 1, travelers vaccinated against COVID-19 and minors under the age of 18 will no longer be required to purchase travel insurance, Costa Rica’s Minister of Tourism announced, with the aim of increasing tourist visitation,  

The new protocols will take effect one year after the reopening of the border to commercial flights.  

Accepted vaccines include Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson. U.S. travelers will be required to present their “COVID-19 Vaccinated Record Card” as proof.   

“As vaccination advances in priority markets for Costa Rican tourism and to benefit the reactivation of international travel, it is important to make the requirements more flexible for individuals who do not represent a high risk of serious disease nor hospitalization for the State,” said the Minister. 

Costa Rica will continue to require tourists, regardless of age or vaccination status, to complete the Health Pass form at least 72 hours before their trip. Those who are vaccinated can attach their certificate to the form.  

The destination also recently announced it will resume cruise operations Sept. 1 for the 2021-22 season in order to further stimulate the tourism industry.  

As a requirement, vessels must guarantee complete vaccination schedules against the COVID-19 virus in all crew members and 95 percent of passengers who are of age to be vaccinated. 

“The resumption of this tourist activity will benefit the ports of Limón, Puntarenas, Caldera, Quepos and Golfito,” said Gustavo J. Segura, minister of tourism, in a press statement. “Each passenger spends an average of $137 per day, which has an important impact on the reactivation of local economies in coastal communities.” 

Segura said that in the run-up to the reopening, nine cruise lines have included Costa Rica in their itineraries: Windstar Cruises, Lindblad Expeditions, Sea Cloud Cruises’ Sea Cloud, Seabourn’s Seabourn Quest, Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Millennium, Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Pride, Princess Cruises’ Crown Princess and Diamond Princess, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Mariner.