Costa Rica Travel Risk Overview
Is Costa Rica safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
Costa Rica scores 50/100 on our travel risk index (Elevated). The US State Department rates Costa Rica Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution, updated 2 Apr 2026); the UK has no advice against travel; Canada says: exercise a high degree of caution. CDC travel health notice: Level 2, Chikungunya in Costa Rica (30 Jul 2026). No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
Costa Rica has a Travel Risk Calculator score of 50 out of 100 (elevated risk tier); city-level files are available for 26 cities. The score combines five layers (security, crime and scams, health and medical access, natural hazards, current alerts) built from government advisories and open data. This page also covers nine safety categories (crime, disease & health, government advisory, political & civil unrest, natural disaster & weather, transport & route, environmental, digital security, money safety), the current US State Department advisory, GDACS disaster alerts, CDC health notices for Costa Rica, recent news headlines, plus links to every city we have an editorial file for.
Run a personalized Costa Rica assessmentAI safety snapshot · refreshed Oct 15, 2026
Costa Rica maintains a Level 2 travel advisory with a baseline composite risk score of 50 out of 100. Current safety concerns include an ongoing drought, a global Level 1 CDC dengue notice, and recent regional natural disaster alerts regarding tsunamis.
AI-summarized strictly from the live public-source data below (US State Dept advisory, GDACS, CDC, Google News). Auto-refreshed at most once per day on the first visit. Not official advice.
Live conditions last refreshed: Oct 16, 2026 03:15 UTC
How safe is Costa Rica to visit in 2026?
Costa Rica currently sits at 50/100 on Travel Risk Calculator's five-layer score, which puts it in the elevated-risk tier. Travelers should plan Costa Rica trips more carefully than the global average. Register with your embassy, check the live advisory in the section below, and read the per-city files for your specific destination. The full live US State Department advisory text for Costa Rica, current GDACS disaster alerts, CDC health notices, and recent news headlines are shown in the Live conditions section below. For city-specific files (San José, Puntarenas, San Marcos), see the City Risk Files section below — they include neighborhood-level scam patterns, transport notes, and medical-access details where available.
Country score
Driven by: crime and scams (71/100) and security (40/100).
Costa Rica's score of 50 is higher than the scores of 67% of the 241 countries we cover.
Data file
| Source | calibrated 2026-05-09 v1.0 (knowledge-based; State Dept advisory tiers, GPI, OSAC patterns) |
|---|---|
| Last updated | 2026-05-09 11:01:52 |
| City files | 26 |
Assessment memory
Anonymous assessments help Travel Risk Calculator identify which country and city files deserve deeper review.
| Saved assessments | 0 |
|---|---|
| Average composite | No saved signal yet |
Score layers
Safety categories
Official Government Travel Advisories
Cross-referenced official travel advice from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, normalized to a unified 1–4 risk scale.
Department of State
Exercise increased cautionin Costa Rica due to crime. Petty crime is common throughout Costa Rica. Violent crime also affects tourists. This includes armed robb…
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Latest FCDO travel advice for Costa Rica. Includes safety and security, insurance, entry requirements and legal differences.
Global Affairs Canada
Natural disasters and climate section – added information on El Niño
UK content contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Canadian advice provided by Global Affairs Canada under open government terms. US advice provided by the US Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs.
Entry Requirements & Local Laws
Official travel advice summary from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
🛂 Entry Requirements
This information is for people travelling on a full ‘British citizen’ passport from the UK. It is based on the UK government’s understanding of Costa Rica’s current rules for the most common types of travel. The authorities in Costa Rica set and enforce entry rules. If you’re not sure how these requirements apply to you, contact the Costa Rican Embassy in the UK. Passport validity requirements Your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 1 day after the day you plan to leave Costa Rica. Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to. You will be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen. Dual nationals When returning t
Summary of UK FCDO advice, updated May 19, 2026 · Full requirements →
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Travel Advisory Level History
Historical official advisory level changes over time.
Protests, Strikes & Closures This Week
Verified recent event reports monitored for Costa Rica within the last 7 days.
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UNREST US floats unfreezing some Russian assets to restart Ukraine peace talks: Report - Anadolu AjansıAnadolu Ajansı · Oct 15
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Reuters · Oct 14
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UNREST India opens resident mission in Costa Rica to strengthen Central American ties - The Times of IndiaThe Times of India · Oct 13
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The Daniel Island News · Oct 13
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The New York Times · Oct 12
What Changed This Month in Costa Rica
Chronological record of verified security, advisory, health, and hazard updates over the past 30 days.
- Jul 3, 2026 GDACS Alert Drought is on going in The Bahamas, Belize, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua, El Salvador (orange).
- Oct 2, 2026 CDC Notice Level 1 - Global Dengue (Watch).
- Sep 23, 2026 CDC Notice Level 2 - Global Polio (Alert).
- Oct 14, 2026 Score Change Alajuela risk score moved from 51 to 52 (Daily recalculation (scoring v2)).
- Oct 14, 2026 Score Change Aguas Zarcas risk score moved from 52 to 53 (Daily recalculation (scoring v2)).
- Oct 14, 2026 Score Change Alajuelita risk score moved from 52 to 53 (Daily recalculation (scoring v2)).
City Risk Files in Costa Rica
Showing 26 destination files with city-specific safety data in Costa Rica, ranked by demand and population.
San José
Tier ASan José
Puntarenas
Tier BPuntarenas
San Marcos
Tier BAlajuela
Escazú
Tier BSan José
Puerto Limón
Tier BLimón
Guápiles
Tier BLimón
Nandayure
Tier BGuanacaste
Upala
Tier BAlajuela
Grecia
Tier BAlajuela
Santo Domingo
Tier BHeredia
Matina
Tier BLimón
Quepos
Tier BPuntarenas
Puerto Jiménez
Tier BPuntarenas
La Cruz
Tier BGuanacaste
San Ignacio
Tier BSan José
Sartalillo
Tier BCartago
Copalchí
Tier BCartago
Dulce Nombre de Jesús
Tier BSan José
Alajuela
Tier BAlajuela
Horquetas
Tier BHeredia
Jacó
Tier BPuntarenas
Carrillos
Tier BAlajuela
Heredia
Tier BHeredia
La Uruca
Tier BSan José
Palmares
Tier BAlajuela
Mora
Tier BHeredia
All towns in Costa Rica (72 additional local facts pages)
These localities carry verified regional geography, nearest hospitals, airports, and natural hazard records with the country baseline risk score.
Live conditions in Costa Rica
Country-scoped real-time data — official advisory from the US State Department, disaster alerts from GDACS, health notices from the CDC, news from Google News. For city-specific weather and air quality, open any city page below.
Official travel advisory
Level 2 · Exercise Increased Caution
Costa Rica - Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
Read full advisory → · US Department of State
Track Costa Rica’s advisory
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Traveller notes from government advice
Advice for women travellers
Rapes and sexual assaults have increased, some of which appear targeted toward tourists. Avoid leaving drinks unattended in bars as there have been reports of ‘spiked’ drinks resulting in assault and theft.
Women travelling alone have reported having to pay extra attention to their personal safety.
See advice for women travelling abroad.
Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (Open Government Licence v3.0), updated 19 May 2026. Full advice
LGBT+ travellers
Costa Rica is generally welcoming of LGBT+ travellers. Read more advice for LGBT+ travellers.
Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (Open Government Licence v3.0), updated 19 May 2026. Full advice
Local laws and customs
Personal ID
As a foreigner, you must carry ID such as a passport. The police will usually accept a printed copy. Make sure you have the original available somewhere safe in case they ask to see it.
Illegal drugs and prison sentences
Do not get involved with drugs of any kind. The Costa Rican authorities treat the possession of drugs and drug trafficking severely. The minimum sentence is 8 years imprisonment.
LGBT+ travellers
Costa Rica is generally welcoming of LGBT+ travellers. Read more advice for LGBT+ travellers.
Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (Open Government Licence v3.0), updated 19 May 2026. Full advice
Entry requirements
This information is for people travelling on a full ‘British citizen’ passport from the UK. It is based on the UK government’s understanding of Costa Rica’s current rules for the most common types of travel.
The authorities in Costa Rica set and enforce entry rules. If you’re not sure how these requirements apply to you, contact the Costa Rican Embassy in the UK.
Passport validity requirements
Your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 1 day after the day you plan to leave Costa Rica.
Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.
You will be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel…
Check the official entry requirements for your nationality before you travel.
Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (Open Government Licence v3.0), updated 19 May 2026. Official entry requirements
Disaster alerts
Active Disaster Alerts
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Drought is on going in The Bahamas, Belize, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua, El Salvador ORANGE · country-wide · 2026-07-03
The Drought notification level is Orange.
“~N km away” = event centroid within ~500 km of this location; “country-wide” = a national/regional alert that may not be near this specific city. Source: GDACS · fetched 2026-10-16 03:07:06 UTC
Health notices
CDC Traveler Health Notices
- Level 1 - Hepatitis A in Costa Rica (Level 1, 18 Sep 2026)
- Level 2 - Chikungunya in Costa Rica (Level 2, 30 Jul 2026)
Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Public Domain).
Health Notices for this Destination
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Level 1 - Global Dengue WATCH · 2026-10-02
Dengue is a year-round risk in many parts of the world, with outbreaks commonly occurring every 2–5 years. Travelers to risk areas should prevent mosquito bites. Country List : Colombia, Vietnam, Maldives, Bolivia, Cambodia, Kenya, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Mar
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Level 2 - Global Polio ALERT · 2026-09-23
Some international destinations have circulating poliovirus. Before any international travel, make sure you are up to date on your polio vaccines. Country List : Afghanistan, Algeria, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, Nig
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Level 1 - Hepatitis A in Costa Rica WATCH · 2026-09-18
There is an outbreak of hepatitis A (HAV) in Costa Rica. Most cases have been reported in San José province.
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Level 2 - Chikungunya in Costa Rica ALERT · 2026-07-30
There is an outbreak of chikungunya in northwest Costa Rica. You can protect yourself by preventing mosquito bites.
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Level 1 - Global Measles WATCH · 2025-05-28
Measles cases are rising in many countries around the world. All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to CDC's measles vaccination recommendations for international travel. Country List : Afghan
Source: CDC Travelers’ Health · fetched 2026-10-15 19:24:31 UTC
Recent headlines
Recent Headlines · Costa Rica
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Natural Disaster Alert: Tsunami Warning (October 9, 2026) Costa Rica
U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica (.gov) · 6d ago
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Mystery woman sought after American found dead in Costa Rican tourist destination
FOX 32 Chicago · 1d ago
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Tsunami alert after Panama earthquake: Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico and 5 other countries at risk | Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times · 6d ago
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Tsunami alerts after Panama quake raise concern in Costa Rica
https://www.thetraveler.org/ · 3d ago
Source: Google News · headlines verbatim, dates from publishers · fetched 2026-10-16 03:15:13 UTC
Automated safety monitor
Recent safety-relevant news for Costa Rica
Headlines are an early-warning monitor, not risk assessments. Verify material developments with official authorities and the linked publisher.
- General Costa Rica minister fired for unapproved meeting with Trump in US - Al Jazeera www.aljazeera.com · Sep 24, 2026 23:35 UTC · via Googlenews
- General Costa Rica Fires Foreign Minister After Trump Meeting Dispute - The Tico Times ticotimes.net · Sep 24, 2026 23:30 UTC · via Googlenews
- General Costa Rican Foreign Minister dismissed after attending a Trump security meeting - Reuters www.reuters.com · Sep 24, 2026 17:13 UTC · via Googlenews
- General News - 621 CRW inactivates its two Mobility Support Advisory Squadrons - DVIDS www.dvidshub.net · Sep 23, 2026 18:16 UTC · via Googlenews
- Safety Costa Rica Pilot Faces Discipline After Aviation Safety Criticism - The Tico Times ticotimes.net · Sep 22, 2026 13:10 UTC · via Googlenews
- General Opinion | In the New World Taking Shape, We’re All on Our Own - nytimes.com www.nytimes.com · Sep 22, 2026 05:00 UTC · via Googlenews
- General Costa Rica - Nature, Economy, Politics - Britannica www.britannica.com · Sep 22, 2026 05:00 UTC · via Googlenews
- Crime Yaneek Page | Ja’s crime rate nears Costa Rica’s, but growth promise unfulfilled - Jamaica Gleaner jamaica-gleaner.com · Sep 20, 2026 05:06 UTC · via Googlenews
1991–2020 climate normals
Seasonal risk & best time to visit Costa Rica
The most weather-stable two-month window for Costa Rica is January–February, when typical daily temperatures run from about 17°C to 25°C and monthly rain averages 101 mm.
Seasonal planning flags include heavy rain season in May–December; hurricane season in June–November. These are climate patterns, not forecasts.
Climate normals are planning context, not a short-range forecast. Source: Open-Meteo Climate API. Refreshed Sep 5, 2026.
Calculate risk for these travel dates Compare seasonal windows →
Diplomatic assistance
Embassies in San José
Consulado de la República de Costa de Marfil and Consulado de Nueva Zelanda and 3 other embassies are mapped in San José.
OpenStreetMap coverage is a location aid, not an official diplomatic directory. Before travel, save the address and emergency contact details published by your own foreign ministry.
Emergency Numbers
| Police | 911 |
|---|---|
| Ambulance | 911 |
| Fire | 911 |
| General emergency | 911 |
Essential local emergency phrases
Show this screen to first responders, hotel staff, or passersby if you cannot speak the local language during an emergency.
Latest AI-assisted briefing for Costa Rica
La Fortuna offers a moderate overall security environment characterized by routine travel conditions and standard precautions typical for Costa Rican adventure tourism destinations. Visitors should account for localized disaster and crime scores while planning travel logistics around the area.
Top risk drivers
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Disaster exposure considerations
· disaster
A disaster score of 45 reflects moderate exposure to natural hazards in the region, which requires baseline readiness during exploration.
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Crime score baseline
· crime
A crime score of 40 indicates moderate risk requiring standard situational awareness regarding personal belongings.
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No travel insurance
· Money/Health
Out-of-pocket costs after illness or theft can be significant.
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Crime exposure
· Crime
Pickpocketing and tourist-targeted scams are common in busy areas.
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Personal preparation
· Readiness
Preparedness can reduce the impact of small incidents.
Live intelligence cited 8 public-source snippets. Every claim above is grounded in one of them — verify any specific detail by following the snippet links on the full assessment page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Costa Rica safe to visit right now?
Costa Rica has heightened risk profile. Plan carefully, register with your embassy, and check the live advisory and per-city details below. Composite baseline: 50/100 (Elevated risk). Always cross-check with your home country's foreign-ministry advisory within 7 days of departure; the live US State Department advisory is shown above. Last refreshed October 2026.
What is the current travel advisory for Costa Rica?
The current US State Department advisory level for Costa Rica is shown in the Live conditions section above and is re-fetched every 6 hours from the official RSS feed. UK FCDO, Canada GAC, and Australia DFAT also publish advisories — for high-stakes trips, cross-check at least one foreign-ministry advisory in addition to your home country's. See our travel advisory guide for how to read each tier system.
Is it safe to visit Costa Rica in October 2026?
For October 2026, the baseline composite for Costa Rica is 50/100 (Elevated risk). Live data — advisories every 6 hours, disaster alerts every 30 minutes, health notices every 12 hours, news every hour — is shown in the Live conditions section above. For a personalized risk briefing for your specific trip and traveler profile, use the Travel Risk Calculator linked above.
How are these country-level travel risk scores calculated?
Each category is scored 0-100 from government advisories (US State Dept), crime indices, Global Peace Index data, WHO/CDC health context, and curated regional editorial knowledge. The composite is a weighted sum across nine categories — see /methodology for the full weight breakdown. Live data (advisories, news, disaster alerts, health notices) is layered on top of the baseline at request time.
Where can I find city-specific safety information for Costa Rica?
City-specific files for Costa Rica are listed in the City Risk Files section above. Each city page covers the same nine categories at city scope, plus city-specific scam patterns, transport-hub safety notes, medical-access detail, and (where available) neighborhood-level guidance. Use the header search to find a specific city directly.
When was this page last reviewed?
The baseline scores for Costa Rica were last reviewed on May 9, 2026. Live intelligence (advisory, disaster alerts, health notices, news) refreshes automatically on the cadences described above.
Is this a substitute for an official travel advisory?
No. Travel Risk Calculator provides estimated risk information for planning purposes only. Always check your home country's official travel advisory and any health notices from your national health authority before traveling.
When is the best time to visit Costa Rica?
January–February is the most weather-stable two-month window in the stored 1991-2020 normals. The most weather-stable two-month window for Costa Rica is January–February, when typical daily temperatures run from about 17°C to 25°C and monthly rain averages 101 mm.
What is the rainy, hurricane, or severe-weather season in Costa Rica?
heavy rain season: May–December; hurricane season: June–November.
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Disclaimer
Travel Risk Calculator provides estimated travel-threat information for preparation purposes only. It does not replace official government advisories, medical advice, emergency alerts, immigration rules, insurance advice, police guidance, embassy information, or professional security consultation.