With the upcoming re-opening of the Costa Rica land borders on Monday 5th of April 2021, various options will once again be available to visitors to Nicaragua. (No breaking news, we just haven’t mentioned this up until now)
Flights in and out of the Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport in Liberia and the Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José can again be considered by travelers.
Long before Covid-19 changed our lives, several transport businesses had mastered the procedure for the trip up to the Peñas Blancas border in an almost seamless run using a CR driver to the border and a Nicaraguan for the trip this side. For budget travelers, the public transport system is also efficient and cost effective.
From April 5th 2021, to cross any of the Costa Rica Land Borders to enter CR you must meet these Covid entry requirements;
Health – 48 hours before travel, complete an online epidemiological form known as a “Health Pass”.
Insurance – Any policy that meets the following requirements will be accepted; Valid during your entire stay in Costa Rica (with coverage dates identified). Up to US $50,000 for medical expenses, must state coverage includes coverage for COVID-19 disease, up to US $2,000 for accommodation expenses in the event that you require of COVID-19 quarantine.
This insurance also applies to Costa Rican residents who are not up to date with their Costa Rican Social Security Fund payments, colloquially known as “Caja”. If they are behind, they must purchase a 22 day policy while they get current.
NOTE: NO COVID-19 test required on entry and Costa Rica has REVOKED the previous 15-Day Quarantine Order for Costa Rican citizens and residents crossing by land.
Source: Official Site of Costa Rica a great page for all the links you need.
There is no change to entering Nicaragua by border crossing from Costa Rica;
The General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners require that national citizens and foreigners must present the following at border crossings:
Passport – Valid for at least six months.
Visa – If from a county that requires it. (Visa Exempt are; USA, Canada, Australia, Great Britain and the EU)
COVID 19 – Negative Test Result from a PCR test carried out in a period no longer than 72 hours before entering the country.
More Nica Biz information about entering Nicaragua here: https://nica-biz.com/2021/03/08/immigration-rules-for-entering-nicaragua/
History
Costa Rica closed all borders on March 19th, 2020 due to Covid-19. In August 2020, the CR authorities decided to implement a staggered re-opening of the country, allowing entry by air and also by sea (if certain conditions were met).
The tradeoff in the discussions of controlling Covid-19 versus the need to reactivate tourism in Costa Rica (and permit foreign residents to return for the 20/21 season) had been that land borders remained closed to all tourists.
In March 23rd 2021, Costa Rican Tourism Minister Gustavo Segura announced that the land borders of Costa Rica will be open as of April 5th, 2021 and that foreigners can enter CR by land from Nicaragua or Panama (as well as by air and sea).
