Questions regarding the Costa Rica Health Pass continue to be asked on social media and this is just a refresher to go with the two previous articles pertaining to this subject (see foot of this article).
The Health Pass is an electronic form that all visitors to Costa Rica must complete within 72 hours of entry to the country. The “Pase de Salud” (Health Pass) process will create an individual QR Code for you to show to authorities when you arrive in Costa Rica.
Insurance Exemption
Costa Rica also has an “Exemption” to the “Mandatory Travel Insurance for Medical Expenses associated with Covid-19”. That exemption was introduction on August 1st 2021 and identifies two categories of passengers that will be permitted entry to Costa Rica without Covid Travel Insurance.
Namely;
1) anyone under the age of 18 years and,
2) those over 18 years of age providing they can prove they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in accordance with the Health Pass rules.
However, it’s not any or all vaccinations, it’s a list of 4 named vaccines as well as their individual derivatives (those manufactured under license and have a different name) that are acceptable for the Insurance Exemption.
In order to find out if your vaccine and vaccination certificate is acceptable to the exemption rules, visit the Costa Rica Health Pass website at this link.
As soon as you click on the blue box marked “Fill Form” you will be on https://salud.go.cr/step1 and will see the current list of acceptable vaccines.
If you are vaccinated correctly and can prove that with your vaccination certificate, then you should qualify for the insurance exemption when entering Costa Rica. As you will see, a combination of vaccine brands is acceptable, as long as they (if two doses are required) are within the authorized brands.
Digital Certificate
Upload a photo of your vaccination certificate when you complete the Health Pass form. Costa Rica will then accept that digital certificate when you enter the country. Source: Entry Requirements Costa Rica Q and A’s – Question 5
The current authorized vaccines are:
- AstraZeneca (AZD1222 / Vaxzevria / Covishield, ChAdOx1_nCoV19)
- Johnson & Johnson (Janssen Pharmaceuticals / Ad26.COV2.S)
- Moderna (Spikevax / mRNA-1273)
- Pfizer & BioNTech (Comirnaty / BNT162b2 / Tozinameran)
If you have not been vaccinated as per Option 1, the scroll down to Option 2 where I explains the insurance requirements.
All of this information and more can be accessed at the Step 1 stage prior to giving your name and starting to fill out the form.
Previous Nica-Biz articles on this:
Covid-19 Insurance Exemptions for Entry to Costa Rica
Costa Rica and Nicaragua Border Crossings – Info and Links
