COVID Test Requirement for International Travel

If you are traveling anywhere internationally (including to Puerto Vallarta) in the near future, the CDC is requiring, as of January 26th, 2021, to have a negative Covid test within three days of departing back to the United States. The exception to this is if you have recently had Covid and can provide a copy of your positive test results and a letter from a medical professional stating you are cleared to travel. The US requires a NAAT, PCR, or Antigen Test (note Canada only allows PCR tests). All tests are harmless and done by nose/mouth swabs.

Please check out this website for additional details:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html

We realize this is a bit of an inconvenience but the info below is here to make it as painless as possible. We also hope that this requirement will be lifted soon and it is possible it may not even apply to your upcoming vacation depending on your dates but currently there is no set end date.

Here are just a few of the many testing options available:

Joya Medical Center Emergency Clinic: You will need to provide your legal name, date of birth, phone number and email and the date and time you would like the test. Recommended two days prior to travel. Not open on Sundays.
Contact: ecare@hospitaljoya.com
Approx. Price in USD: $30 for Antigen Test, $150 for PCR Test
Mobile service onsite at property: Available for a fee 500 to 1000 pesos
Estimated Result Delivery Time: 8 hours for Antigen, 24 hours for PCR
Result delivery method: Email

PVR Airport: Must provide proof you are flying out same day.
Approx. Price in USD: $22 for Antigen Test; $73 for PCR Test
Cannot come to you at rental.
Estimated Result Delivery Time: 30 mins to 1 hour
Result delivery method: Email or physical Copy

CMQ Premiere Hospital: Recommended two to three days prior to travel.
Phone: +52 322 226 6500
Website: https://hospitalcmq.com/hospital/cmq-premiere/
Approx. Price in USD: $63 for Antigen Test $197 for PCR Test
Cannot come to you at rental.
Estimated Result Delivery Time: 24 Hours
Result delivery method: Email or physical copy

SANMARE Health Care Group: Recommended two to three days prior to travel. No Antigen Tests Available.
Phone: +52 322 252 1711
Website: http://sanmare.mx
Approx. Price in USD: $190 for PCR Test
Cannot come to you at rental.
Estimated Result Delivery Time: 24 Hours
Result delivery method: Email

Health Care Resources PV: If you would like to take the stress away from having to acquire the test yourself, this is the “easy button” and yes they speak English. You will need to provide your legal name, date of birth, country of residence, phone number and email and the date you would like the test.

Phone: +52 322 107 7007
Website: https://healthcareresourcespv.com
Email for pricing
Mobile service onsite at property: Available for a fee 500 to 1000 pesos
Estimated Result Delivery Time: 24 Hours
Result delivery method: Email

Please note these recommendations have been provided to you but we are not in any way affiliated with any testing facilities and cannot guarantee availability, pricing, or on time delivery of results. There are also MANY other options available to you if you do your own research.

Many of our recent guests have found PV to feel very safe, and in some cases even safer than their own hometown. PV and where you will be staying are both going above and beyond to make sure tourists are taken care of, new cleaning and disinfecting protocols are in place, masks are being worn, limitations on gatherings are in place and social distancing is encouraged. Restaurants are operating at a reduced capacity to allow for more generous spacing between groups. Most things being done in cities across the US have been introduced down in PV so that you can have a safe and memorable vacation.

How does calling work while I'm on vacation in PV?

So you are on vacation in sunny Puerto Vallarta and you want to brag to your friends and family back home about how great of a time you are having. We approve. How do you go about it? Well of course there are a number of apps out there like Whatsapp or Skype, Facebook messenger, Facetime, etc that you can use to text or video chat back and forth, but sometimes you just need to make a good old fashion call and you can’t connect to Wi-Fi or maybe you are trying to call somewhere local to make reservations for dinner or to go on an adventure.

Check with your provider, some carriers like AT&T have a $10 a day international pass and you only have to pay the daily fee for the days you are abroad! If you are on the T-Mobile ONE plan you can get texting and unlimited date in over 200 countries and Mexico is one of them! One thing to remember is you may want to keep your phone on airplane mode so you don’t rack up a nasty roaming charge if you don’t decide to do one of these phone plans.

Some people recommend bringing an unlocked phone to PV and having a sim card installed. The sim cards are cheap if you do want to go that route and it won’t take more than 15 minutes to set up. This would make sense if you plan to make a lot of local calls but won’t be at your accommodation. Telcel and Movistar are the two big cell phone carriers. Today there are so many restaurants, cafes and places around town do have free Wi-Fi you can use, and of course if you book accommodation with Vacation Vallarta, all of our properties do have Wi-Fi too.

Here is the logistics of making phone calls:

If someone will be calling you (say at the villa you are staying at) from the US or Canada, you will need to have them dial the necessary international access code, then 52 (which is Mexico’s country code) the area code, and then the rest of the number. PV and Nuevo Vallarta’s area code is 322. 

When you are in PV and you need to call internationally dial 00, then the country code (1 for the US and Canada) and then the area code and the number. Always ask the place you are staying if they allow international calls. Some may have a fee associated.

When you call a cell phone in Puerto Vallarta you need to add the area code of 322 and then the rest of the seven digits. If you are calling a landline however you can skip the 322. Most places will not charge for local calls from their landlines.

Be sure to ask the staff at the property you are at for assistance if needed.