Bringing our dog from Canada to C.R

Hey Angie,

Here is some info about bringing a pet to Costa Rica. We recently had a family rent a house in our area and they brought two very large dogs with them from the USA. They had no problems. If all of your paperwork is in order it shouldn’t be a problem. When we moved to Costa Rica 3 years ago we brought two cats.

I think the only real concern is for the safety of the pet during traveling. If it is an older animal the stress could affect it more than if it is a younger pet. If you love your pet then there is no reason you shouldn’t be able to bring it with you to Costa Rica. Below is some info regarding the paperwork process.

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http://www.worldheadquarters.com/cr/animal_transportation/
First, your dog or cat must be taken to a local veterinarian for a complete examination; the animal must be free from all infectious and/or contagious diseases, including rabies (the rabies shot must be no sooner than 30 days prior to departure and no later than 1 year). The examination report must also identify the animals name, specie, breed, sex, color and name, in addition to the owners name and address. This examination report (health certificate) must be on business letterhead and signed by the appropriate veterinarian.

When this process is completed the papers must be forwarded to the Consulate in your area. Upon receipt of that material, the Consulate will prepare Certificate #10-SC, which is filled out by the Consulate; you are not required to fill out this form. Providing that the required health documents are completed properly this certificate will be completed, signed, sealed and sent back to you for your departure. In addition, a fee of $40.00 US dollars is required for two stamps which are placed on this Certificate; the price may vary depending on your location.

When flying it is recommended that you notify the airline personnel regarding your pet. It is important that the compartment in which your dog is place is properly heated during the flight; some airplanes have special compartments set aside for animals.

If you arrive with all your documents in proper order, and present them in an orderly way, you should have no problem getting your animal at the airport in which you arrive; there is no quarantine required. Upon departing Costa Rica you will have to complete a form which is supplied by the Department of Health, or more specifically the Department of Zoonosis. This office is located behind the Hospital of San Juan Dios on Avenida 2nd. The form is titled “Solicitud de Permiso” and requires much of the same information necessary to bring your pet into the county. All the requirements are on the back of the form, however, they are in Spanish; there are no documents provided in any other language.

The consular stamps, according to the USDA, are not necessary. See this link for the list of requirements regarding bringing in a pet from the US. http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ncie/iregs/animals/cs_cn.pdf

Now, maybe it’s different for Canada but I doubt it. The embassy will say it’s mandatory, but it’s just their way of raising money. I made several calls to the USDA on this issue. They assured me that they had the final word on what was and was not required. Perhaps the Agri department in Canada can shed some light on this. If I had listened to everyone who told me I had to pay this or that fee to bring my dog to Costa Rica, it would’ve cost me nearly $300. I was told that a vet had to sign off on the papers when we got to CR. That is also not true, but the fee was $100, plus the $80 that the CR consulate wanted, and the fees to the vet and the USDA, which was all I wound up paying. There is a lot of misinformation out there about this process. I guess they figure if you’re a gringo you will pay whatever they demand.

We took our dog in the cabin with us because he is a service dog, and does not pay. My next big problem is that I have to get our second dog down there so I’ve spent all morning on the phone with the airlines about this. No, you cannot visit your dog between flights. I asked. They laughed. And there must be at least a two hour layover between flights to insure that your dog gets on YOUR flight. From Canada that’s a long trip! The airlines won’t walk, feed, or water your pet. You could hire a transport service to do that, but you will pay through the nose.

I didn’t pay ANY of those fees — the consular fees or the vet fees upon arrival in Costa Rica. If your dog is a pet, the import fees and documentation do not apply. I did have to pay for the health exam and rabies vaccination ($80) and pay for the USDA international health certificate ($24). But that was ALL! We walked off the plane with the dog, they peeked at the paperwork and waved us through.

Frontier Airlines will have a direct flight from Denver to San Jose in November. I thought this would be perfect to get our pets down there — one in the cabin and one in cargo, but, get this, Frontier won’t fly pets internationally, although they fly pets to Canada in cargo. They told me it was because of drug smuggling — maybe I’m going to be putting cocaine in the dog’s belly. Don’t laugh. That’s what they told me. So, on Frontier it would’ve cost $100 for the dog, but now I have to fly Continental and they charge $239 EACH way for the dog in cargo. Sheesh. Maybe I’ll have our second dog declared a service dog, too!! it can get complicated AND expensive traveling with a pet, espcially on vacation, especially since you are so far away. We’ll be spending 4 – 6 months down there, so we have to take the dogs.

Air transat?? Never heard of them, and when I do a Kayak.com search, they don’t come up. Is that a charter airlines? AirTran is owned by Frontier, I think. Not sure, but my husband has flown AirTran with the dog, but he was in the cabin. We are trying to figure out how to get our second dog in the cabin on Frontier — it would be a 5 hour flight versus 8.5 hours with the two hour check-in time — seems like such a long time to have a dog in a crate. By the time I’ve researched these issues, there is very little I don’t know. Our dogs are more than pets. And we will do anything to get them to CR with ease and comfort for them AND us! I just don’t understand why Frontier will fly a dog to Canada and back but won’t fly them to Costa Rica, unless that rule changes once they get their route up and running. I won’t know yet for a few weeks just WHEN we are coming down, but I will keep you posted. I don’t know where in Canada you are, but it’s a lot farther than Denver so you have to consider what your pet will go through being in a crate that long (you can’t drug him!) and being subjected to perhaps extreme weather — some airlines won’t let you fly a dog if the temps are below 45 or above 85. There is a lot to learn about transporting pets to a foreign country.

really Angie, take the advice and leave the dog at home until you move here. I have a feeling you will regret bringing it.

He’s just a pup; flying is extremely stressful for a dog and that’s if everything goes smoothly. Don’t put him through it twice unless you are prepared to charter a plane and put him in the cabin. I’m not kidding and I know people that have done this from the U.K. to Spain.

Personally I would not put my dogs through it; if I ever moved back to the U.K. they would come on the QM2 with me..it would be worth it and the kennels cost very little.

Why do you think they sedate horses in planes? Just because everyone fly’s with their dogs these days doesn’t mean it’s okay.