Foreign travel advice

Costa Rica

Health

Before you travel check that:聽

  • your destination can provide the healthcare you may need聽
  • you have appropriate travel insurance for local treatment or unexpected medical evacuation聽

This is particularly important if you have a health condition or are pregnant.

Emergency medical number聽

Call 911 and ask for an ambulance.听

Contact your insurance company quickly if you鈥檙e referred to a medical facility for treatment.

Vaccine recommendations and health risks聽

To enter Costa Rica, you must have a certificate to prove you鈥檝e had a yellow fever vaccination if you鈥檙e coming from a聽.

For details about medical entry requirements and recommended vaccinations, see聽.

See what health risks you鈥檒l face in Costa Rica, including:

  • malaria
  • dengue
  • Zika Virus

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Prescriptions from the UK cannot be used locally. To find a pharmacy (鈥榝armacia鈥�) look for one of the big national chains such as Farmacia Fischel, Farmacia Sucre, FarmaValue, Farmacia Saba, or Farmacia Santa Lucia, among others; a quick search online should help you to identify the nearest one open.听

Read .听

Healthcare in Costa Rica聽聽

Medical care in Costa Rica is of a generally high standard. Ambulance services in remote areas may vary. Only initial emergency medical treatment is available without charge for visitors. Subsequent treatment will be charged. Make sure you have adequate travel health insurance and accessible funds to cover the cost of any medical treatment abroad and repatriation.

FCDO has a list of medical providers in Costa Rica where some staff will speak English.

Travel and mental health聽

Read FCDO guidance on travel and mental health. There is also .听