Starting to hear those familiar words. Welcome to Costa Rica
With the required testing becoming available, Costa Rica has again open it’s doors to more people including some US states. Of course, more will follow ever so shortly.
Right here I will advise you to remember something I have stated before and learned early during my life here in Costa Rica. “In Costa Rica, the government always throws out regulations and statements that are changed within days and weeks” We have seen that time after time, and it can be very confusing.
Why just a few countries and a handful of US states at this time? Lets figure out why. First here is a current list of the countries Costa Rica is excepting flights from:
CURRENT AS OF August 20, 2020
| Countries 1 | Countries 2 | Countries 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | Australia | Belgium |
| Bulgaria | Canada | China |
| Croatia | Czech Republic | Denmark |
| Estonia | Finland | France |
| Germany | Great Britain | Greece |
| Hungary | Iceland | Ireland |
| Italy | Japan | Korea |
| Latvia | Liechtenstein | Lithuania |
| Luxembourg | Malta | Monaco |
| Netherlands | New Zealand | Northern Ireland |
| Norway | Poland | Portugal |
| Romania | San Marino | Singapore |
| Slovak Republic | Slovenia | Spain |
| Sweden | Switzerland (Swiss Confederation) | Thailand |
| Uruguay | Vatican State |
USA (Partial) Residents from the states of; New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Connecticut.
This is one of those area’s that gets a little confusing.
Last week, Costa Rica informed the public, residents of other states and countries may also enter provided they can show proof of having quarantined in one of the admissible countries for 14 days prior to flying into Costa Rica. It would be apparent that quarantines in one of the 6 admissible USA states should suffice. However, I will admit I do not know the requirements to prove you were there for that timeframe. Other than a passport stamp upon entry into a certain country.
Costa Rica needed time like everyone else to figure out what this pandemic involved. It’s very easy to just through resources at a problem like this and have much of those same resources go to waste. As we know Costa Rica does a better job all and all then our Central American neighbors, yet they work with much less then you may be accustomed too. As an example, Costa Rica has now increased the number of intermediate-care beds to over 1000 and intensive-care beds to almost 300 for COVID-19 patients in the public health system. That is a major increase from a mere 24 intensive-care beds 5 months ago.
Costa Rica requires a RT-PCR test within 48 hours of boarding a flight for either San Jose or Liberia airports. The required Covid-19 test (RT-PCR Test) is not available everywhere at the moment. The test will become readily available in most parts of the world, as many countries, businesses, etc. have issued requirements asking for the specific test. As to why the 6 US states? We are told that is based on testing being available. Click this link for a short video about the RT-PCR test.
Costa Rica is not asking for much
The other main concern in accepting foreigners, was that Costa Rica has traditionally provided emergency health services to travelers. In looking at the bigger picture, it would help the remember that Costa Rica hosts a very large number of foreign workers. Along with many expats that take advantage of the system by doing border runs to renew the required passport stamps instead of applying for residency. The government became and still is worried the public system will be overwhelmed and as such the new insurance requirements will provide needed relieve in that department. Let’s take a quick moment to look at the requirement.
Costa Rica is not asking for much. The simple insurance requirement asks that a) it is valid throughout the planned visit to Costa Rica. B) Covers medical expenses in cases of COVID-19 in Costa Rica, for at least $50,000 (fifty thousand United States dollars). c) Includes a minimum coverage of $2,000 for expenses of extended lodging due to the pandemic. Insurance companies around the world can and are putting products in place to match these requirements.
As a matter fact, most policies cover far more that this already. Two things seem to stand in the way. First are the travel advisories or precaution levels issued by various countries. By default, those advisories can void current policies. Now that those same advisories are being removed, many policies are good again. Secondly is that the policy states Costa Rica and is accepted here. I hope to have some updated information very soon and will send out email to keep people up to speed. Costa Rica itself offers policies through INS and Sagicor or just go to All Insurance CR.
History will tell us if Costa Rica handled this pandemic well and I am certainly not going to ask you to take sides. One thing I have noticed from a Real Estate point of view, is that the serious property owners, including new buyers and current sellers are far more focused and patient than the average tourist. That speaks volumes for the type of people Costa Rica is attracting. Why do I mention that? Those same focused, patient people will be your new neighbors.
Yes, there are some deals to be had and they won’t last forever. Now is a great time to act on them. Give me a call today and lets get up to speed on your move to paradise. Remember I’m here to help anytime.