Costa Rica EcoTours & Travel | Traveling To Costa Rica
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Traveling To Costa Rica
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Passport and visa requirements
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A passport in good condition and valid for 30 days after arrival in Costa Rica is required to enter and leave the country. At this time, a visa is not required for citizens of the US, Canada and certain other countries, if visiting for less than 90 days. It is the passenger's responsibility to check with local immigration offices or the Costa Rican consulate prior to departure for the most up to date entrance requirements. For more information see www.passportexpress.com or www.costarica-embassy.org.
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Immunizations
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Though no vaccinations are currently required, the following are recommended when visiting any area of Costa Rica:
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Hepatitis A
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Hepatitis B
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Typhoid
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The Centers for Disease Control provides immunization information for travel in Latin America. www.cdc.gov
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Customs
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Entry
During the flight to San Jose (or Liberia), a flight attendant distributes a Costa Rica entrance form to all passengers. At Customs, travelers are asked to show the completed form along with their passport and are asked how many days they plan to be in Costa Rica. Normally, the passport will be stamped indicating a permissible stay of 60 or 90 days and a copy of the customs form will be returned to the traveler.
Exit
The customs document must be presented when exiting the country. Passengers leaving on an international flight pay a departure tax of $26US.
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Exchanging currency
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Costa Rica's unit of currency is the Colon. Current exchange rate information is available on our website under "Traveler Information." US dollars are welcome most everywhere. Expect local currency as change. ATM machines (Visa/MasterCard/Cirrus/Plus), with directions in English, are widely available 24 hours a day in all major cities and large towns, providing a convenient and economical way to obtain colones. On trips of two weeks or less, we recommend carrying only US cash in $20 denominations to exchange as needed. Hotels exchange money, and most offer safe-keeping for valuables. Before departure, we send booked passengers a packet of trip information that contains operating hours for money exchange offices (Casas de Cambio) and more money tips.
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Using electricity
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For American-made electrical appliances, it is not necessary to pack a converter or adapter since Costa Rica uses the same electricity (110 volts and 60 cycles) with standard US two-prong plugs. For video cameras, we suggest packing an extra set of charged batteries. Some hotels have hair dryers for guest use, but most do not.
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