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I know bringing dogs to CR has been discussed and I’ve looked at older posts. I’m looking for the most up to date info. The US Embassy site says we will need distemper, parvo, hepatitis, rabies (1 or 3yr) and Leptospirosis shots. The USDA (confirmed thru email correspondence) says rabies and Leptospirosis only. Anyone done this recently?
The USDA is the ruling authority in this case and their requirements are only for rabies and Leptospirosis. The international Health Certificate that you will need is issued by the USDA. Here is a link to their latest information for dogs and cats (2012):
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/regulations/vs/iregs/animals/downloads/cs_pets_req.pdfWe take our two dogs back and forth from the US to Costa Rica every year. They are service dogs but the health certificate requirements are the same for them as for pet cats and dogs.
There is distemper and parvo in Costa Rica, however, so you might want to make sure your dogs are also protected from those diseases for your own peace of mind either by vaccination at least every 3 years after the age of three or by titering.
If you have access to United Airlines they are the most seamless way to do this. They have a great website that explains all, https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/travel/animals/petsafe.aspx. Also if you call and talk with them, they will do the following that is very IMPORTANT for coming into Costa Rica. One, they will book your dog first on a flight AND THEN you can book yourself<—IMPORTANT as you don't want your dog sitting in the Customs Warehouse in SJO and you still transit. Second, United has an agent in the SJO airport area who can come an pickup your money and go and pay your import duty on the pet(s). This agent is bond to do this so you can stay at the Warehouse until they are released. Three, make certain all shots, vaccinations and health examinations must be done by a vet who is authorized to sign a USDA form APHIS FORM 7001 (INTERNATIONAL HEALTH CERTIFICATE (H/C)). Go to this link and you will see the instructions I used for getting the signature of the USDA area vet in for the Pacific Northwest APHIS FORM 7001. I don't know what other airlines do, but I was compelled to use United because I was leaving from Seattle. They will probably help you even if you aren't flying United. PetSafe employee's are all pet owners and take their information very seriously. I think my Custom's duties for my girl was about $320 when I got her from the warehouse after our arrival. If you need somebody who speaks both English/Spanish for safety sake, I know a person here that has also a big van that can run interference with Custom's and deliver you, the pet(s), and luggage in the Central Valley. He delivered me to the mountains high outside Grecia, Alajuela.
You don’t need to ship your dog through cargo, [i]unless[/i] it is over 100lbs including crate/kennel…so then you are not charged brokerage fees. This can make a difference of $$$’s. Check airlines to see how a dog the same size as yours can travel. If a small dog under 20lb including crate/kennel it can go ‘in cabin’ or if in between the two, it may, depending on airline, travel as ‘excess baggage’.
To clarify, in order for your pets to fly as “excess baggage” they must be booked on the same flight as you are flying. This eliminates shipping them as cargo, paying import fees and brokerage fees and going to a warehouse to pick them up; they come out when your luggage comes out. There will be airline fees for pets to fly as baggage or in the cabin unless they are service dogs. Service dogs fly on all airlines without crates in the cabin with the person they serve without charge although there may be size limits for larger dogs on some flights. Airlines vary in the fees they charge and whether they accept pets as excess baggage or cargo. Some do not fly pets in the belly of the plane but do accept pets small enough to carry on the plane in carriers. Some airlines have a limit on the number of pets flying as baggage or in the cabin so make these plans as early as possible. There are also temperature restrictions (high and low) that limit when pets can fly. Pets flying in the cabin are not subject to these temperature limitations.
Thank you to all who replied. Our trip went well and now we are preparing for the return flight. Here is the question: We need a Certificate of Good Health issued by our vet in Costa Rica. We also need “stamps” issued by the Costa Rican government. Are these 2 steps completed simultaneously by our vet in CR? My concern is the “timeline” because the info on the US Embassy site says we should start the process about 30 days from departure and American Airlines wants the Health Certificate to be issued within 10 days of the flight. Any thoughts on how this all comes together?
Don’t listen to the Embassy. They don’t know what they are talking about. Within 10 days of your return flight, go to your CR vet and tell them you need the international Health certificate to fly your dog home. Take all of the paperwork that you got from the US plus the dog of course. The vet will use the information on that form to fill out the CR form. Make sure your CR vet knows how to do this. Most CR vets that speak English and have US and foreign clients know how to do this. The vet will either send or take the form to the Dept of Agriculture vet for his/her signature and the doc stamps. In San Isidro, there is now a Dept of Agriculture vet in the town and sometimes we get the paperwork back the same day or the next day. Several years ago, the vet had to send the paperwork to San Jose to be signed and so we made sure to allow 4 or 5 days until the flight. The original vet exam must be within 10 days of your flight. Your vet should be able to tell you how many days before your flight to schedule your appointment. The only thing additional that the vet will do (besides an exam to make sure the dog is in good health) will be a fecal check.
Thank you rosiemaji! Just the info I was looking for, and this was confirmed by our CR vet today as well. My biggest complaint regarding online info is the lack of date attached to the information. I mentioned this to the vet at APHIS (the folks who stamp the health certificate in the US) and I noticed that the most recent info they have at the USDA is well documented with dates. Maybe it does pay to complain! Thanks again!
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