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My husband and I are planning to move to Costa Rica in Dec. 2012. We plan to bring our 6 lb. cat. Can anyone provide a resource for what paperwork Costa Rica requires when bringing a pet into the country and any other helpful links for information.
We’re super excited and can’t wait for our adventure to begin. Thanks for any information that you have to help make this move as smooth as possible.
MartiYou should Google “USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service”. They’re the ones who will provide your vet with the International Health Certificate which you, as a lay person, cannot obtain. That Certificate will have to be endorsed by the USDA’s state veterinarian in your state capital, too, before it’s valid.
APHIS can probably also advise you about the vaccination requirements for your cat. Costa Rican Customs will be very picky about your compliance with the requirements, so please do be sure to understand them and be in full compliance.
the USDA is always up to date on what is required to bring a pet into any country. there are things that have deadlines, such as the rabies vac, so i would start reading the website now and see what you have to do to prepare for your trip.
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]You should Google “USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service”. They’re the ones who will provide your vet with the International Health Certificate which you, as a lay person, cannot obtain. That Certificate will have to be endorsed by the USDA’s state veterinarian in your state capital, too, before it’s valid.
APHIS can probably also advise you about the vaccination requirements for your cat. Costa Rican Customs will be very picky about your compliance with the requirements, so please do be sure to understand them and be in full compliance.
[/quote]The USDA Vets are not necessarily located in the state capital. For example, I got the USDA vet in Gainesville, FL, to sign my certificate. There are generally multiple offices and you may find one closer to you than your state capital.
Thanks for the updates so far. I should have mentioned that we’re in Sarasota, FL. I will check to see if there is a USDA certified vet here or in Tampa.
not only does the vet have to be certified by the USDA, but the paperwork he signs must then be approved and signed off on by the vet at the USDA in whatever city is closest to you with a USDA office that does these things.
We are in Venice, Florida and we had to send the International Cerificate of Health Examination to Gainsville. It must be dated no more than 10 days before your travel date. Rabies vaccinnation must be no more than 1 year old nor less than 30 days old. Other vaccines may be required for your cat. We sent it to the US Dept of Agriculture in Gainsville using overnight delivery or 2nd day delivery. We also had to include a prepaid overnight label or 2nd day label with the paperwork from the vet. The vet needs to do an exam on the cat and cerify that it is healthy, has no infectious diseases and is free of anything that would make travel hazardous to the animal. The paperwork is a large 5 page form with carbons in-between. If your vet does not have the right form, the regular health certificate will not do. Find a vet who has the correct form. Make sure to get the phone number of the Dept of Agriculture to double check of the current cost. One year, my vet gave me a small paper with the instructions and the cost. I decided to call them to check on the cost and it had changed (increased of course). I would have sent the wrong amount that could have held up the paperwork possibly risking not getting it back before we left. When you get to Costa Rica, make sure you hold on to this paperwork. If you return to the US, you will need to go through the same process with a vet in Costa Rica. The vet in CR will be able to use the info on the US form to fill out the CR form. I hope this helps.
[quote=”martiowen”]My husband and I are planning to move to Costa Rica in Dec. 2012. We plan to bring our 6 lb. cat. Can anyone provide a resource for what paperwork Costa Rica requires when bringing a pet into the country and any other helpful links for information.
We’re super excited and can’t wait for our adventure to begin. Thanks for any information that you have to help make this move as smooth as possible.
Marti[/quote]We brought an 8 lb. dog. She had to have more paperwork that we did it seemed. Costa Rican consolulate will tell you exactly what you need, and be careful, Costa Rica changes it’s mind every other day and the rules can change from week to week. Bottom line, a veterinarian international checkup, and the vet should know what you need. You will have to send the forms into the state for validation, and there will be a terribly short window of opportunity – like 10 days total before the animal flies in. With all paperwork, you bring the animal in and they look your paperwork over, and you’re in. In our case, after all the overnight Fed X, rushing around to the vet, and more – we walked into the country and no officers even looked at the dog or paperwork. Go figure. Get ready for the adventure of your lives in pura vida-ville.
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