Airport, Immigration, COVID & Customs Info – International Flights To & From Costa Rica

Please have all of your documents in order, all your i‘s dotted and t‘s crossed, because petty bureaucrats love nothing quite so much as rare, random, but rigid enforcement of seemingly arbitrary and capricious rules and regulations.

No matter how many “destination experts” on the travel forums try to tell you otherwise (“oh, they never check that…”) don’t get caught out being the exception when they do check.

International Flights to/from Costa Rica

LIR - Liberia airport has gotten extremely popular and overcrowded — LIR used to be a breeze but flights have quadrupled in recent years and now there can be long check-in lines.

Flying from Costa Rica – Checklist

3 hrs early and 1 hr to spare after check-in
Self check-in Kiosks available mid 2021
Passport valid on the day you return home
Departure tax paid and the passport and other information on the receipt filled in before you get in line to check-in
Empty all liquids before security
Global Entry not required but recommended

NOTE: Covid insurance and the health survey are NOT REQUIRED to enter Costa Rica. Testing is NOT REQUIRED for flights to the U.S., EU or Canada from Costa Rica.

Flying to Costa Rica

1) Valid Passport

Every traveler needs their own passport (yes that includes one day old infants). If you are traveling on a U.S., Canadian or European Union Passport you do not have to apply for a visa in advance.

Depending on your airline your passport may “expire” up to six months before the expiration date! Airlines have variable policies regarding passport expiration dates. You may not be allowed to board your plane with a passport that expires less than six months after your expected return date. Ask your airline for their policy.

For travel in 2023 or 2024 Costa Rica requires that most visitors (see list of countries) hold a passport valid for one day – on the day they arrive. There are lots of outdated articles on the internet because historically immigration has required passports to be valid for periods varying from 30 days to six months but the law in Costa Rica is currently one day.

Even though it’s technically possible it would be just plain stupid to travel on a passport that expired the day after you arrive but theoretically Costa Rican immigration will let you do it if you want to…

We typically renew our passports at least 90 days before they expire and if your passport is good for at least three months you’ll avoid potential problems.

Some other countries require advance Visa applications or have other passport validity requirements. Please see the website of the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería for details.

2) Ticket for a return flight

If you have a round trip ticket, returning in 90 days or less, using a single airline you are covered and can skip this section.

If not, you may need to present a printed out copy of the ticket for your flight home before you board your flight to Costa Rica and again when you arrive in Costa Rica.

If you’re leaving by bus, taxi or ox cart you will need some way to prove it. The authorities want to know that you’re not planning on moving to Costa Rica permanently without the appropriate residency status.

Despite dozens of inaccurate “Travel Expert” posts on TripAdvisor and Facebook saying “they never check that,” it’s currently standard to require “proof of onward travel.”

onward travel sign SJO — In October of 2019 signs were added at the queues for immigration alerting travelers to be ready to state their occupation, address in Costa Rica (the name of a hotel is okay) and to provide a “return ticket”

For years enforcement was actually very rare but it did happen occasionally. In early 2018 Costa Rican immigration suddenly decided it was important but fortunately our airline was aware and the gate agent in Denver printed return tickets for everyone as we boarded our flight. On arrival the immigration officers checked the first few printouts but once they realized that everyone was prepared they stopped looking.

A ticket confirmation app on your phone or an e-mail with a confirmation number works. You do not need a printed ticket.

3) Demonstration of Economic Solvency (legally required but practically never questioned)

Each visitor may be required to show they posses $US 100 for each 30 days or part of 30 days of their Visa. Since a standard tourist Visa is 90 days this means $US 300 per person.

We strongly advise that a family with three kids DOES NOT carry fifteen hundred bucks in cash – it’s a really good way to get mugged. In the rare cases we’ve heard of this being checked, the immigration officer accepted the possession of a credit card or showing an online bank statement as evidence of solvency.

We’ve been told by pierced and pony-tailed friends that the rule is mainly used to harass “undesirable looking elements” headed to the “hippie” gatherings of the Rainbow Family and Envision Fest.

When You Pass Through Immigration Pay Attention!

Look at the stamp in your passport! We have seen Costa Rican immigration officials make several errors including

neglecting to stamp the visa into the passport
stamping the incorrect date (off by 5 months!)
writing a completely illegible squiggle in for the duration of the visa (should say “90”)

If you don’t notice it becomes your (possibly serious and expensive) problem and you could face fines or delays at checkpoints while traveling, when you try to depart Costa Rica, or if you make a return visit.

Passport and Visa Stamps from Costa Rica — Typically a Costa Rica tourist entry visa stamp is valid for 90 days but sometimes it’s for “**Permanencia** §~@ß **dias**” as seen on the green entry stamp at top left center.

Although 90 days is the standard length of a tourist entry permission it is not obligatory. You may receive 30 days or 1 day at the discretion of the agent wielding the stamp. There’s nothing you can do about it if you get less than you wanted but at least if you’re aware you can avoid the overstay fines and banning from returning by doing a border run.

Etc.

There are a few other obscure requirements like a yellow fever vaccine if you’re arriving from some African or South American countries but it’s impractical to list every one for every possible country so if you have any doubts check with your embassy, consulate or airline.

The airlines try very hard to make sure they have all the requirements covered before they let you on the plane because they’re responsible for the cost of flying you home if you get turned back at the border.

SJO Airport Parking – An Escape Manual

The pay parking facility across the road from the airport charges ¢1,500 = $2.50 for each hour or part of and hour and $35 per day. Before departing you must find a kiosk, insert the ticket you received when you entered and pay by cash or card – lines are typically shortest at the machine upstairs, across the road next to the west departures entrance.

You must then exit the lot within ten minutes.

If the line of cars at any exit fails to move for 30 seconds and there appears to be a confused driver at the gate you may want to consider backing out, turning down an aisle or turning around if it is possible and heading for another exit. Ten minutes is normally plenty of time to get out of the tiny lot (it’s only a couple of blocks long by six rows wide), but if a driver who is accustomed to paying at the exit reaches the gate without a validated ticket all hell breaks loose.

They cannot move forward because the gate won’t open.

They cannot pull to the side because they are locked in by curb/medians
They cannot back up because there is a car (usually about 6″) behind them who also can’t back up because there’s a line of cars behind them and the aisles are extremely narrow and cramped.

There are no attendants to assist.

After someone explains how it works the confused driver usually ends up abandoning their car blocking the gate while they run upstairs and across the road to the payment kiosk… Unfortunately by the time they return with a paid ticket it has been more than 10 minutes since the next driver in line paid and now their ticket won’t open the gate because it has expired…next time just take a taxi…

Short term parking at LIR is free in the dirt lot.

NOTE: mid May 2019 – in an attempt to prevent Ubers (ride share is illegal in Costa Rica – see details) passenger drop-off and pick-up by the public was prohibited at SJO. Only registered airport taxis and tourist transportation companies were allowed to use the arrivals and departures ramps. Individuals were directed to the pay parking facility (~$2.50 for the first 5 minutes). The result was revolt and official backpedaling started immediately and public access to the passenger zones was restored a few days later.

Flying from Costa Rica

NOTE: Don’t forget about any restrictions or requirements to return home. As of January 26, 2021 any traveler boarding a flight to the U.S. from Costa Rica is required to show a negative virus test (details and locations for testing).

3 hours early and at least one hour after checking-in

The accepted advice is to arrive at the airport 3 hours prior to international flights.

The recommended hour after checking in isn’t so you have time to get through security or buy a $14 slice of pizza (no kidding, bring your own snacks) in the terminal. This is so the Costa Rican government agencies have time to check up on you before letting you leave.

Boarding on a rolling staircase isn’t bad when the sun is shining… Additional gates are proposed for both of Costa Rica’s international airports but Costa Rica’s rise in popularity continues to far outstrip increases in capacity

Usually you have some wiggle room on statements like “at least one hour in advance” but NOT in this case. The airlines are actually required by law to shut you out at the check-in window if your flight departs in less than an hour. The time is used to look for your passport on the OIJ most wanted list, confirm your immigration status, and most importantly find speeding tickets on your rental car.

We typically arrive 1.5 to 2 hours prior to our flight but we have priority status, global entry, and a willingness to miss our flight because we don’t mind being stuck in Costa Rica a few extra days.

Self Check-In Kiosks

Early in 2019 new kiosks for self check in allow travelers on some airlines to skip one of the lines.

Airline self check in kiosk at SJO — The lines at the regular check in counter were out the door but no one has discovered the new self check in Kiosks as evidenced by the yawning agent in the background.

Participating Airlines in Costa Rica — Self check-in Kiosks at SJO were introduced in 2019 and by April participating airlines included United, Southwest, American, Air Canada, Alaska, Volaris, Avianca, Latam and Copa.

Passport valid on the day you arrive at home

If you followed our advice on the way down your passport will still be valid for at least a few weeks and you’ll have nothing to worry about.

Departure tax paid and form filled out

The $29 per person departure/exit tax used to be paid in person but in 2014 the government announced it would be included in airfares. It took almost ten years but most tickets finally now include the tax. Please see the current airline list and how to determine if you already paid.

Empty all liquids before security…boarding security

For years Costa Rica allowed liquids through security but then confiscated them at a secondary check at the gate as you boarded the plane.

In 2016 they came in line with the rest of the world and you have to have the standard ziplock bag with little 100ml (3.4 oz) or smaller transparent liquid containers to pass through security. Beverages purchased on the concourse may now be carried onto the plane.

There are still sometimes secondary manual inspections at the gate before boarding so you may also want to be a bit more circumspect than normal about what you carry in your carry-on because the contents may be removed in full view of other passengers.

Coffee & Other Contraband

The U.S. TSA has rules on powdered substances in carry on luggage on international flights and quantities over 12 oz may be subject to secondary inspection. The most popular souvenir from Costa Rica is a 500 gr bag (approx 1 lb) of coffee.

A number of travelers have complained that their carry-on coffee has been confiscated. Security at LIR and SJO is sometimes a bit unclear on the concept and overzealous so we recommend that you put it in your checked bag or buy whole beans.

Besides coffee there are a few other unexpected items.

We’ve had sea glass confiscated because of misinterpretations of the laws prohibiting collection of sea shells and other flotsam – sea glass is not protected under maritime ecology rules…it is garbage.
When rules about Lithium batteries were introduced we lost a $30 brick of AA and AAA alkaline batteries to security because they didn’t understand the difference
9 times out of 10 my hiking pole breezes through security but once it took a supervisor’s intervention to prevent confiscation as a weapon

When in doubt it’s best to stick it in your checked bag. However, never put valuables in checked luggage – cash, camera, phone, laptop, tablet etc. – theft is a problem.

Global Entry

If you are from the U.S. and travel frequently by air you may want to consider the Global Entry/Federal ID/TSA-Pre program. We Love it.

It costs $100 for five years ($20 a year). There are other private programs that cost from $120 up to $180 per year but this is one case where the government version is just as good and almost ten times cheaper.

On U.S. domestic flights you skip the security line, keep your shoes on, leave your computer and other electronics in your bag and breeze through pre-check.

On international flights it only works in the U.S. airport but it lets you skip to the front of the customs and immigration lines and then also gets you through security if you have a connecting flight.