Costa Rica is researched for dental care, private hospital care, diagnostics, and elective procedures. This guide focuses on the part that matters most before travel: verifying the hospital or clinic, the doctor or dentist, and what happens if care does not go as planned.
This guide is for research and planning only. It is not medical advice and does not recommend any provider.
Start With the Facility
Ask for, and check against the facility’s own official website:
- the exact legal name and street address of the hospital or clinic;
- whether it is a hospital, an outpatient clinic, a dental practice, or a surgical center;
- which accreditation it claims, and whether the accrediting body’s own directory lists that exact site;
- which services are performed at that address, and which are referred elsewhere;
- whether it has an international patient office and a named contact.
The U.S. State Department notes that medical care in San José is usually good, while services outside San José may be limited. Where the facility sits affects follow-up visits and emergency access.
See How to Verify International Hospital Accreditation for how to read accreditation claims.
Verify the Doctor or Dentist
Ask:
- What is the treating doctor’s or dentist’s full name?
- Are they registered with the relevant Costa Rican professional college? Physicians and surgeons register with the Colegio de Médicos y Cirujanos de Costa Rica; dentists with the Colegio de Cirujanos Dentistas de Costa Rica.
- What specialty training and procedure experience can be verified?
- Who provides anesthesia, if any is planned?
- Will medical records be available in English, and can the clinician talk with your doctor or dentist at home?
Health facility oversight in Costa Rica sits with the Ministerio de Salud. Ask the facility what licensing applies to it and confirm the answer with official sources where you can.
Emergency and Geography Questions
- Where would urgent or hospital care happen if a complication occurs?
- How far is that hospital from the clinic and from where you will stay?
- Who arranges transport in an emergency, and who pays?
- What happens if you need to stay longer than planned?
Wellness Programs Are Not Medical Facilities
Costa Rica is also known for wellness retreats. A retreat, spa, or complementary health program should not be treated as a medical facility unless it is licensed and staffed for medical care. Ask who leads the program, what qualifications are current and verifiable, whether it makes disease-treatment claims, and what emergency care is nearby. NCCIH guidance on complementary health practitioners is a useful framework.
Logistics After Care
If the trip follows a procedure, compare travel time from the clinic to lodging, road conditions, stairs and room access, heat, meals that fit medical instructions, and whether the stay can be extended. Ask the clinician when travel, swimming, tours, alcohol, or exercise are reasonable.
Medication and Insurance Questions
- Are regular medications legal and available in Costa Rica?
- Are prescriptions carried in original packaging with copies of prescriptions?
- Does insurance cover care abroad or only reimburse later?
- Is medical evacuation coverage needed?
- Will private facilities require payment or proof of insurance before treatment?
Do not assume U.S. or Canadian insurance works the same way outside the country. Ask insurers in writing before travel.
Directory listings for this guide
Source-reviewed research listings that match this guide's country. Listings are research starting points, not recommendations or rankings.
Related Guides
- Costa Rica Medical Tourism and Wellness Research Guide
- Dental Tourism Research Guide
- Medical Travel Insurance and Evacuation Guide
- Medical Records to Get Before Returning Home