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Here we go again with lots of odd information, some of which isn’t current. I checked the article that is posted here by Dr. Molina on what is required for importing a dog, and it is much different than what is required on the USDA website which posts all the rules for Costa Rica. It states at the USDA site that in 2004 all vaccination requirements except for rabies has been lifted, therefore, a dog does not need to be vaccinated against leptosporosis, hepatitis, parvo etc. It also said that it is NOT necessary to have the documents notarized or stamped by the Costa Rica consulate. Has anyone recently imported a pet to Costa Rica and NOT had all those other vaccinations NOR had the form stamped by the CR consulate in your area? I know they insist that it’s necessary but even the USDA said it was more a money-making gimmick than an official requirement.
When we imported our Lab, Max, in September of 2005, the Costa Rican consulate played no part whatsoever. No stamps, no notarizations, no nuthin’. What was required was a USDA International Health Certificate completed by the dog’s veterinarian and countersigned by the USDA’s veterinarian. There’s one in each state capitol. The health certificate was good for two weeks.
At that time, we were required to have all his shots up to date. Of importance is that Costa Rica only recognizes a one-year rabies vaccination and it MUST be given at least 30 days prior to bringing the dog into Costa Rica — the rabies incubation period.
Thanks David, but what I’m still not clear and am getting mixed messages from the USDA and the ARCR regarding all vaccinations except for rabies. The USDA says that ONLY rabies is required and they claim to have the most up to date info provided by the CR gov’t. The ARCR says I need lepto, hepatitis, and parvo plus rabies. My dog is 13 and the less vaccines he has the better as far as I’m concerned. So did your lab have all those other shots, or just the rabies? So how the hell do I time this thing? I’m probably coming back down on the 18 or 22 of January — so if the rabies vaccine has to be given 30 days prior, that’s around the 20th of this month, but if the certificate is only good for two weeks, do I get that later and then submit it to the USDA (which said it was only a day or two turnaround time after we have first faxed a copy of the certificate to them, then I have to go there in person to have it signed). I must sound like a complete dunderhead but all these websites have different answers to the same questions. grrrrrr
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ncie/iregs/animals/history04.html
You’ll see that in September 2004 they did away with all requirements except for rabies.
Maravilla, I don’t claim to have all the current information, and I know you can find conflicting statements about what’s required. I think I’d put my faith in (1)whatever you can glean from an official Costa Rican website and then (2)the USDA.
You must have a rabies vaccination within the past year but not less than thirty days before traveling. That’s because Costa Rica only recognizes a one-year vaccination and because rabies has a thirty-day incubation period in dogs. So 45 days or so before your planned travel date, have the dog vaccinated. As one with a background in public health, I DO believe in vaccinations as a means of preventing disease and Max did, in fact, get the entire treatment.
Not later than when your dog is vaccinated for rabies, tell your vet that you’ll be needing the USDA International Health Certificate. Only vets can get them, not you and me, so don’t bother trying. Then, fourteen days before your dog’s planned departure date, have the dog examined by the vet who will find him/her to be in good health and who will complete the USDA International Health Certificate.
Fax that certificate to the USDA vet in your state capitol who runs the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). S/he will endorse the certificate and fax it back to you. Somewhere in there, there’s about a $25 fee which you’ll have to figure out how to pay. Call the APHIS office at the USDA in your state capitol for details.
Once you have the International Health Certificate endorsed by the USDA vet, you’re on your way.
Do be advised, however, that the airlines won’t accept any animal as either additional luggage or cargo if anywhere along your planned route the temperature is forecast to be 85 degrees F or more. The airlines do their own weather predicting and only predict six days in advance.
This whole thing screams for Dr. Spock’s transporter technology.
Okay, David, I think I’ve got the schedule now for when what has to be done. Thanks for the detailed explanation. The USDA told me that after I’ve faxed the copy of the form to them, I will then have to go there in person to have the original signed, and probably pay whatever fee is required. It’s only about 10 miles from where I live.
Luckily, we had our dog declared a companion animal so it gets to ride with us in the plane, and doesn’t have to be crated at all (he only weighs 20 pounds anyway). In fact, the last time my husband flew with the dog, they bumped him to first class and gave the dog its own seat by the window!
one last question: How does the ARCR or Dr. Molina fit into this process? Do they actually DO something at the airport when you bring in a pet or is it just another money-making scheme? David, did you use either of these entitites when you imported your dog? And if you didn’t, what was the procedure at the airport when you went through customs?
Along with my little four legged friend, I met with Dr. Molina again on Monday and can assure you that he is not a ‘money-hungry’ individual, he is most definitely a very caring veterinarian who will do what he can to make the transportation process as smooth as possible for a worried pet owner.
As we have established here, the requirements to import pets are changing regularly and we regularly get conflicting information about many aspects of this process so it’s certainly important that we try to get the right information.
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comPS. Just for the record, Dr. Adrian Molina does not pay to “advertise” his professional services on this site – He has never paid me. Like many of the people recommended on WeLoveCostaRica.com Dr. Molina is recommended because A: He appears to be very good at what he does and B: All the animals I have taken to see him, like him and C: So do I.
But what is his ROLE in importing a pet to Costa Rica? This is what I don’t understand. Is he there at the airport when the pet goes through customs? Does he sign off on the pet? If not, then why do I need to “hire” him? I was told by the CR consulate in Denver that THEY had to put stamps on the pet forms, which I then found out is not necessary; that’s it’s just a way for the consulate to get some extra money. I see the ARCR also charges about $80 to bring your pet in, but is this REALLY necessary and has anyone done it without using Dr. Molina or the ARCR? From everything I’ve read about Dr. Molina, he seems like a caring guy, so I didn’t mean to imply he was doing this jsut for the money, but it seems that there are fees for every little thing in this process and sometimes they are an overkill.
Thanks Maravilla
I will ask Dr. Adrian to A: make sure our existing articles are up to date and B: Specify exactly why it’s important to use his professional services.
Scott Oliver
Thanks Scott. It seems to me that in this labyrinthine world of bureaucracy it’s important to understand just HOW the system works and who does what for how much and are those services absolutely vital to the outcome of a particular scenario. The residency process is a prime example, as is importing a pet. I read the article Dr. Molina posted on your site, but even THAT information isn’t up to date as far as the USDA is concerned. Over-vaccination of our pets leads to all kinds of cancers, so if a vaccination isn’t absolutely necessary, then I don’t want my dog to have it. According to the USDA only rabies is REQUIRED for entry into Costa Rica, although damn near every other website list 4 more vaccines that I’d prefer my dog not to have and which are NOT required as of 2004. I realize it’s a case of plus ca change, plus ca la meme chose, so it would be great to have updated info available for everyone.
Maravilla, I spent the entire summer of 2005 trying (in vain) to sort out the process of bringing our Lab to Costa Rica. I must have spent $100 for Excedrin and most days still thought my head might explode.
We looked at every alternative we could find. That included treating him as an extra piece of luggage, air freighting him, using UPS, FedEx or DHL, and chartering a plane just for ourselves. I finally ran out of Excedrin and patience.
On one of the websites, there was a mention of a national (U.S.) association of pet transporters. Turns out, there are companies who will schlep your pet to just about anyplace and take care of all the details. All it takes is money.
Not willing to run the risk of having Max left behind, in the hands of baggage handlers who might not give a rat’s youknowhwhat, we ponied up the money and made arrangements for him to be transported professionally.
We dropped him off at the designated kennel near Detroit Metro Airport and flew to Costa Rica. The next day, he flew to Houston where he spent the night. The third day, he flew to Costa Rica where he was met by Dr. Eduardo Bitter, DVM who greased whatever skids needed greasing in Customs and delivered him to us in Denny’s parking lot. Max was none the worse for the experience, although he looked really, really forlorn in the kennel in Detroit.
None of this came cheap, you understand, but the peace of mind knowing that he was in good hands was worth it.
Oh, I’m sure it was anything but cheap, but we already crossed the big hurdle by having our dog declared a companion dog thereby eliminating the need for the dog to travel in cargo. As a service dog, he does not even have to be in a carrier. He can just sit in our laps or at our feet, or with any luck at all, he gets the middle seat in bulkhead. It was either that or put hubby in cargo WITH the dog! It’s jumping through all the other hoops that is getting exhausting, but at least I eliminated the $40+ charge to the CR consulate, now I just have to figure out the role a vet plays in all this customs stuff and who has the best deal on those services.
Hola Maravilla. I flew October 19, 2006 with my puppy of 4 months and 3 adult cats. They all flew as Cargo (sad!) on American and fared just fine. I had spoken with Dr. Molina a few weeks before we moved to C.R and he assured me we DID NOT need an import certificate from him. The airline and the CR Embassy site claimed all we needed was: 1. International Health certifcate for each pet filled our by our vet and signed off by the USDA (in our case in Gainesville, FL) 10 days before the flight to CR. All pets had their rabies shots that were more than a month old, but less than a year. All the animals were vaccinated a couple of months for all the other shots needed (but I forget what they were…see the CR embassy website for info). When I got to the Liberia Airport, the customs guy looked at all my docs and said “Gracias” looked at the pets and waived me through. ALL THAT RUNNING AROUND FOR?? Just kidding. My pets are all well worth it, but I just went through all this and really didn’t think it was bad at all. However, I do agree that there is SO much conflicting info on so many different sites. I only know how to ship your pets with a passenger, so I couldn’t fill you in on how to do it without. Buena suerte.
Thanks MT! That is the information I was looking for. It will be pretty easy to get the rabies booster, and get the appropriate paperwork signed off in Denver by the USDA. I also just read the Minterior de Salud website about the importation of perros and it only mentioned rabies there, too. If Dr. Molina said you didn’t need an import certificate from HIM, I guess I don’t need to pay the ARCR $80 to get one from them either! Sheesh.
No problem. Well, I opted to pass on paying $80 to ARCR also. Dr. Molina told me that the only reason you would need an import certificate is for COMMERCIAL importation of animals, not personal import. Save your colones and don’t pay fees you don’t have to. You are already going to spend lots o $$ on the vaccinations, health certificate and shipping fees…I am confident you and your pet(s) will fare just fine!
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