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I’ve received many mixed messages,I need to know exactly what the immunizations are and how long before you get them before entering Costa Rica, we have purchased a home in Playa Chiquita and are waiting for it to cool down in Dallas before we can leave with our dog and cat. Very much appreciated. Chiquita pura vida
These regulations are changing all the time, you need to speak with a Costa Rica veterinarian to ensure all is well and liaise with your veterinarian in your own country to ensure that you are following all the guidelines.
It’s not a complicated procedure to bring your dogs and cats into Costa Rica (birds are a different matter) but yo do need to make sure you do it right …
You can see Dr. Molina’s telephone numbers at
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comOnly the rabies vaccination is required to bring in a pet to Costa Rica. The vaccination must be administered within 30 days of arrival, and the health certificate signed by your vet and authenticated by the USDA must be done within two weeks or ten days of shceduled travel. You do NOT need an import certificate if you animal is a household pet. The USDA office near you can give you all the details about how to get that form signed and how much it costs (usually about $25). Here is a link to the USDA website that tells you everything you need to know. You also do NOT need to have any health documents stamped by the CR consulate, although if you call the consulate, they will tell you that this is necessary and they will charge you about $40 – $80.
Maravilla, I think the rabies vaccination must be administered more than thirty days prior to the animal’s arrival, not within thirty days. That’s due to the incubation period for rabies.
What’s more, Costa Rica only recognizes a one-year rabies vaccination, so the animal must be innoculated more than thirty days but less than one year prior to arrival.
There is an International Health Certificate form which must be completed by the vet in the U.S., too. It is available from the USDA/Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service but only a veterinarian can get it. This is the form which the U.S. vet must complete and which you must get the USDA to annoint.
Remember there are also regulations on size of animals and number of animals allowed per flight. If you need to bring the dog under the plane, look into Continental’s PetSafe program it was perfect for us.
yes, you’re right, I meant to say “at least 30 days” instead of “within 30 days” – I was thinking of our own case where I had our dog vaccinated exactly 30 days before we flew.
MAKE SURE!!!
We are bringing a small dog to CR for 4 months…and leave in 30 days…
We just found out from Continental that if the flight to LIR is over 75% full, that pets will NOT be allowed on the plane and there is NOTHING we can do….
After panicking for a few hours and many phone calls to Continental…we found that only ONE PET PER PLANE can have a certified reservation….we made them fax us this confirmation..
Call Continental and get something in writing….!!!
Are you saying that Continental will only put ONE dog in cargo??? When we come down for the winter, we will be bringing our two dogs (just got a Blue Heeler) and he will have to go under the plane while the other dog goes in the cabin (he’s a service dog and they cannot deny him going on the plane). We were going to fly Continental, but it might be better for us to come Frontier when they initiate their non-stop flight from Denver. Almost every flight I’ve taken to CR was full to capacity so is that 75% full rule only for LIR or for all destinations?
Call Continental to verify….have them give you a written confirmation that your pet will be allowed on the flight…
GOOD LUCK….
(we are bringing a blue heeler /daschund mix)Now that must be one funny looking dog. We have a daschund/Scottie mix and the purebred blue heeler. Does your dog herd everything in sight? Mine does, including ME! I did call Continental. They said a written confirmation wasn’t necessary, and that when I book my flight, I will also be booking the space for the dog (damn near as expensive as a human ticket at $239 one-way!) They also allow a max of 4 dogs in the cabin at any one time. And when I called Frontier airlines, they said they do not fly dogs to Costa Rica (their service starts 11/30) because the dogs may be used to smuggle drugs. I told them that was ridiculous because people could be smuggling drugs on a domestic flight, and besides they DO fly dogs to Canada and THAT’S considered an international flight. They said maybe the rules would change when the route actually starts.
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