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Hi, Ive been reading thru these message boards and Im really worried about bringing my chocolate lab to Costa Rica this winter (2008) .
Can anyone tell me if its difficult to do this? What about taking him home to Canada. We are staying for one month only .
Do you know what happenes if you ahve a stop over and have to change planes? can u visit your pup during the stop over?
Why is this vet on this site so great and what does he do for us gringos who bring in our pets to C.R.? One friend told me we may have to ahve him quarantined, but I see nothing about that here.
Is anyone from Canada?
Thanks!
AngieAngie, I’d miss my Lab, too, but I think jafranz makes a good point. It’s going to be expensive, and a bureaucratic hassle, for you to ship the dog both ways, and it may be hard on the dog, too. If this isn’t a permanent move for your pooch, think about sparing him or her the stress of a round trip.
Too, have you investigated the accommodations here in Costa Rica for those traveling with a dog? The culture here isn’t nearly as dog-friendly as it is in North America. Costa Ricans generally don’t see dogs as housepets, and the hotels may not either.
Or maybe I’m wrong.
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.
Which consulate? The CR consulate? It is NOT necessary to have them stamp anything. They will tell you that it’s necessary but that’s only so they can get some revenue. The consulate in Denver tried to tell me I couldn’t get my dog into CR without those stamps, but that is a blatant lie. Also we did NOT fill out any forms at customs. We only presented the health certificate to the customs agent, who gave it a cursory look, handed it back to us and waved us through.
Thanks Everyone for all your help in this. I know its only one month , but Bently is our babe, (he’s 14 months old) BUT now I do have some concessions about bringing him. It does sound like a hassle but then maybe not. I guess you have to have your ducks in a row “just in case”.. it is another country. Never know what can happen.
We are actually thinking about being in CR in 2009 for 6 months maybe longer, so this is the reason for the months stay. checking things out..Now, did I mention we are in Canada. So Im wondering who I could get the LEGAL info (in writing)from for Canada. US and other countries have different rules.
We actually have found several places to rent for a month that allow dogs. I was pleasantly surprised! we have decided on a place but havent paid yet.In Playa Coco, a condo and minutes to the beach. Our dog loves the water , of course!
Thank you to all of you for your knowleged, if anyone else has been thru this please let me know. Especially for Canadians.
Anyone want to housesit in Kelowna BC for a month and take extra special care of our pup?? 🙂 kidding.. maybe..
Hey Angie,
You can go to the Costa Rica Embassy for Canada website and get some info there. The link to the “pets and travelin” is under the “tourism” link.
http://www.costaricaembassy.com/
Taking your Pet to Costa Rica
Requirements:
1) An International Health Certificate that states that the pet has all the vaccines (Issue date of certificate must be no more than 3 months old). This Certificate can be issued by a respected veterinarian and/or by Agriculture Canada. If the document is signed only by a veterinarian, it is necessary to specify the complete name of the veterinarian and clinic, address, and phone number.
2) The Health Certificate must be authenticated by a Costa Rican Consulate before your trip. In order to do that, please mail the original certificate along with a pre-paid self-addressed envelope to the nearest Consulate of Costa Rica.
Consular fees: US$40. Some Consulates do request the payment of consular fees and others refer the bill to be paid in Costa Rica. Please ask the Consulate about it.
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.
raihnman and maravilla, thanks so much! I will definatly check out everything you have given me. I so appreciate your help!
I am concerend about the “rules” when we get there. maravilla, Im a bit confused, so did you end up actually paying the fee of 100 plus 80 the consulate wanted ?
how was your dog when you arrived?
Does anyone know about the stopovers? can u go get your dog if its a few hours?
Im really thinking we may not bring him out of concern for him . Just need a good caretaker for him! Thats really why we want to bring him.thank you so much!
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.
wow, what great information you have , obviously from experience! Id love it if you could keep me posted on what your situation turns out to be.
send me an email at angievavra@shaw.ca
I would have asked too about visiting and I have to be assured our dog doesnt end up on another plane! Im thinking more and more about finding someone to come here and stay. that perfect person. 🙂
You can try and check out air transat they are usually the discount flights , they allow dogs too.
thanks and hope to hear back from you!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.
Hello all,
We are coming to CR 11-30-07 for 5 months to secure permanent housing, as my husband and I are retiring at that time. Hopefully in the Atenas area. We are in Nashville, TN and have an 11 year old Bichon (15 #’s) and have a list of 4-5 things my vet would like to know about CR’s vetenarians care of pets. Can someone highly recommend a vet in that area?
Stephaniereally 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.
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