Prepare your phone before landing in Alajuela
Check that your handset is unlocked and supports the type of SIM you intend to use. Apple says an iPhone used with another provider abroad must show No SIM Restrictions under Network Provider Lock; its travel guidance also explains that a physical SIM and an eSIM can stay in the same iPhone when the model has a SIM tray. If you keep your home line active for texts, select the Costa Rican line for mobile data and check your home provider's roaming charges before the flight.
Costa Rica's regulator, SUTEL, offers a device homologation checker based on the handset's IMEI. Its explanation says homologated models are tested for use on domestic networks and have unique IMEIs. This is a useful compatibility check, especially for a phone imported from another market, but the page does not establish a special visitor customs registration deadline. Dial *#06# to display the IMEI if you want to use SUTEL's checker. Download offline maps and retain a copy of your activation instructions before travelling beyond the central valley.
Kölbi prepaid and the passport question
Kölbi says its prepaid service is sold through branded shops, ICE agencies and authorised points of sale. Its current requirements page asks customers to present identification according to their status. For foreigners, the page lists residence, refugee, special-category and diplomatic documents, but does not list a visitor passport. That omission matters if you intend to walk into a shop with only a passport: ask Kölbi directly which product and document route the outlet can accept before relying on a local SIM on arrival.
SUTEL's prepaid registration notice describes a different process: registering an existing line in your own name through the regulator's portal. That 2017 notice says a foreigner could use a passport and then verify the request with an SMS code. It does not prove that every Kölbi shop currently sells a new line against a tourist passport. Keep the distinction between purchasing a line and registering ownership clear. If you buy locally, have the retailer activate the line and test mobile data before leaving; Kölbi says ICE agencies and authorised retailers also sell prepaid top-up cards.
What Claro actually says about eSIM
Claro advertises eSIM for prepaid and postpaid customers in Costa Rica. Its published online purchase route starts by choosing an eSIM-capable phone, selecting eSIM as the SIM type and completing an order with personal details; Claro then says it emails a QR code and setup instructions. The described route is tied to buying a handset, so the page should not be read as a promise that a visitor can order a standalone prepaid eSIM remotely. Ask Claro whether it will issue an eSIM for your existing unlocked handset and what identity checks apply.
Liberty prepaid, top-ups and border trips
Liberty's current prepaid page lists a Plan Libre Prepago at ₡5,900, at the time of checking, with a 30-day renewal cycle. It describes minutes and SMS as well as a Liberty Sin Fronteras benefit. Other prepaid refill offers have shorter validity, so compare the actual package rather than assuming a refill amount buys the same duration or data allowance. Liberty says a prepaid line needs a chargeable activity, such as a call, message or refill, within 90 days to retain the number and remaining balance. Check the terms again if you plan to revisit Costa Rica.
The Mi Liberty app lets prepaid users check balance and consumption and purchase packages or refills. Liberty also says a SIM can be replaced with an eSIM at its shops; that is a store process rather than proof of instant online tourist activation. For a journey crossing to Nicaragua or Panama, examine the exact Liberty Sin Fronteras eligibility of your prepaid pack. Liberty's roaming page lists both neighbours, but says use of the domestic data allowance abroad depends on an eligible plan or pack. Your home operator's roaming offer is a separate contract.
Use SUTEL's maps for the actual itinerary
SUTEL provides an interactive mobile coverage and download-speed map with evaluation results from 2025 onwards, plus annual reports for Kölbi, Claro and Liberty. Consult the locations you will actually use, including the road from the airport and any remote accommodation. A national result cannot guarantee reception at a beach, trailhead or lodge. The regulator's map is particularly useful when a trip joins the central valley to Guanacaste, Puntarenas or Limón, where the terrain and the route matter more than a general country-wide promise.
Costa Rica's 5G deployment is still uneven. In its September 2026 first national 5G evaluation, SUTEL measured commercial Claro and Liberty networks and said ICE had not yet commercialised 5G at that date. It did not find Liberty 5G at the measured points in Cartago, Guanacaste, Puntarenas or Limón during its test journeys. That is a finding about specified places and dates, not proof that every part of those provinces lacks service. Liberty says its prepaid customers can access 5G with a compatible phone in a covered area; check both coverage and the package before paying for a perceived 5G advantage.
Use Juan Santamaría Wi-Fi as an arrival bridge
Juan Santamaría International Airport in Alajuela lists a free wireless network called SJO Free WiFi. This can give you a connection to retrieve an eSIM QR code, message a driver or inspect an operator's requirements after landing. The airport also lists charging points in its boarding areas. Do not assume the airport page confirms a particular mobile operator counter or its opening hours: arrange a shop stop separately if local SIM collection is essential to your journey.
Park entry is a reason to have data early
Costa Rica's SINAC reservation system lets visitors check availability and purchase entry for parks including Manuel Antonio, Poás, Tortuguero, Tenorio and Rincón de la Vieja. Its instructions ask for the park, date or time slot, visitor names and identification details, and payment card information. Several parks use timed visits, and SINAC says visitors should arrive for the selected slot. Deal with the reservation before heading into a poorly connected area; a mobile signal at the park gate is not a substitute for an already completed booking.
Keep a voice-capable emergency route
Costa Rica uses 9-1-1 for emergencies. SUTEL says a homologated handset has access to 911 from an available network even without a SIM, which is a statement about a phone's emergency calling function. It does not establish that every data-only eSIM includes ordinary voice calls or SMS. Check the product description before relying on it for calls; if it provides data only, identify which voice-capable line or handset you will use if urgent help is needed.
Networks our Costa Rica plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Costa Rica, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- Claro4G
- CLARO4G
- Claro CR4G
- CLARO CR4G
- LIBERTY5G
- movistar5G