Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health announced an update on the yellow fever vaccine requirement for travel to 43 countries around the world, and travelers who don’t have it won’t be able to board their departing flights to their destination.
Starting January 11, 2025, according to the notice published in La Gaceta, all Costa Ricans who want to travel to the following destinations will be required to have this vaccine.
In the Americas, it applies to Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, French Guiana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela, and Trinidad and Tobago, no matter which city you’re visiting.
The measure also applies to the following countries in Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, and Ethiopia.
The list also includes Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Republic of South Sudan, Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia.
The Ministry of Health has said that at Juan Santamaría International Airport and Guanacaste Airport, airlines will be required to check your vaccination card before you leave Costa Rica.
Also keep in mind that if you have a layover in one of these countries and don’t leave the airport, you don’t need the vaccine.
For the yellow fever vaccine to be valid, once you’ve gotten it you have to go to the Ministry of Health and request your vaccination card. Note that the shot is given once in a lifetime.
The vaccine is available only at private pharmacies, and you need to get it at least 10 days before your trip.
