Residents and citizens of all states within the United States will be permitted to enter Costa Rica beginning Nov. 1, a measure that will help the country’s economic reactivation and job creation, announced Gustavo J. Segura, Costa Rica Tourism Minister.

Beginning Oct.15, residents of Florida, Georgia and Texas will be able to enter the country.

According to data from the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Policy (MIDEPLAN), calculated based on the Input-Output Matrix, allowing the entry of citizens and residents of all states within the United States could generate USD $1.5 billion in foreign currency for Costa Rica, which equals 2.5 points of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and about 80,000 jobs for the year 2021.

“Our conversations with technical teams in the airline sector allow us to determine that by opening the United States market, airlines could attract between 35% and 40% of 2019 air traffic, both originating in North America and connecting in that region. This will allow us to reactivate tourism so that companies can work, at least, above the equilibrium point during the high season, which runs from November 2020 to May 2021. A tourist visiting the country activates a series of productive chains, such as agriculture, fishing, commerce, transport, tourism guides, hotels, restaurants, operators, artisans – and in looking that, we must focus to continue with the reactivation, safeguarding sanitary measures against COVID-19,” explained Gustavo J. Segura, Costa Rica Tourism Minister.

Since Sept. 1, residents of New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia have been allowed to enter the country, and Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Colorado had previously been announced.

The states of Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico, Michigan and Rhode Island were permitted as of Sept. 15, and residents of California and Ohio, as of Oct. 1.

Before the pandemic, the North American market brought 1.6 million tourists to Costa Rican soil, with an average stay of 12 days and a daily expense of US $170 per person.

The size of the potential market for the United States is 23.5 million tourists.

Entry Requirements Residents and citizens of the United States of America who wish to visit Costa Rica must meet three requirements:

1. Complete the digital form called HEALTH PASS

2. Take the COVID-19 RT-PCR test and obtain a negative result; the sample for the test must be taken a maximum of 72 hours before the flight to Costa Rica

3. Obtain travel insurance that covers accommodations in case of quarantine and medical expenses due to COVID-19 illness. Travel insurance is mandatory and can be purchased from an international or Costa Rican insurers.

Beginning Nov. 1, 2020, it will no longer be necessary to present proof of US residency, as all states will be allowed to enter.

In addition to the United States, 44 additional countries have been authorized to enter Costa Rica as of Aug. 1, the day that Costa Rica’s airports reopened.

To date, approximately 6,000 tourists have entered the country, all complying with strict protocols, and none of whom have been reported as carriers or infected with COVID 19. “To reactivate employment, international tourism is a tool with a low epidemiological risk,” said the Costa Rica Tourism Minister.