Tourists on yachts and sailboats will be able to enter Costa Rica

Tourists who wish to enter Costa Rica on yachts or sailboats may do so regardless of where they set sail, according to Executive Decree No. 42585-MGP-S, published on August 29 by the Government of the Republic.

Those who enter the country by sea from the list of allowed countries and who have not made a stopover elsewhere, should not be subjected to isolation considering the days they were in waters.

However, if the passengers do not bring the negative PCR test with them (the sample must be taken 72 hours prior to the trip to Costa Rica) or they set sail in a city or country not authorized until now, they will receive a sanitary isolation order for 14 days, from which the days they have been at sea will be deducted from the last set sail that is recorded in the yacht's log.

Among the requirements that tourists coming from yachts or sailboats must meet are:

Have medical insurance that offers coverage in case of contracting the SARS-coV-2 virus.
Deliver the document "International Ship Shipment".
Complete the Health Pass issued by the Ministry of Health.

For the entry of tourists by sea, the yachts or sailboats must dock in the authorized marinas.

These provisions could represent the entry of a hundred private yachts in the remainder of the year in the different marinas: Golfito, Los Sueños, Pez Vela, Banana Bay and Papagayo.

Health insurance
As it applies to travelers who enter Costa Rica by air, people who do so by yacht or sailboats must have mandatory travel insurance that covers accommodation in case of quarantine and medical expenses due to COVID illness.

Said insurance can be international or purchased from Costa Rican insurers.

In the case of insurance with international coverage, the Costa Rican Tourism Institute assumes the task of verifying compliance with the minimum conditions established in the Executive Decree.

The verification mechanism will be digital; However, while the procedure is being digitized, Institution staff personally attend to tourists at the airport with international coverage.

The tourist will have to request from the international insurer a certification issued in English or Spanish, stating at least three conditions:

Validity of the effective policy during the visit in Costa Rica
Guarantee that it covers medical expenses in cases of pandemic disease COVID 19 in Costa Rica, for at least $ 50,000 (fifty thousand dollars of the United States of America).
That includes a minimum coverage of $ 2,000 for extended lodging expenses due to pandemic illness.

The review of said international certification will be digital, for which the vessels must send the email insurance@ict.go.cr, the certification that their insurance complies with the conditions indicated above, together with a copy of the policy.

To know the list of authorized countries you can enter:
https://www.ministeriodesalud.go.cr/sobre_ministerio/prensa/decretos_cvd/disposiciones_apertura_aerea.pdf