Bringing in pets to Costa Rica

Pets are very welcome in Costa Rica unlike many other counties. The procedures of bringing in pets into Costa Rica are much simpler and very well defined. They are in themselves not very demanding except for some patience, a diminutive fee and a little paper work.

As a first step in the entire procedure, it is absolutely essential for your pet to have a physiology test to check for internal and external parasites which normally done and confirmed by a veterinarian from the pet’s hometown. It is obligatory to have your pet vaccinated against all infectious and contagious diseases like rabies (the vaccination of which should not exceed a year), leptospirosis, distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus for dogs and cats; or one needs to verify what disease might one’s pet be vulnerable to, and make sure that their pet gets a bill of immaculate health from the vet. The examination report should specify the identification of your animal according to its name, breed, species, color, sex, along with the owner’s name and address. All of these need certified documents to be forwarded to the consulate of Costa Rica in your hometown who will arrange Certificate #10-SC, having a validity of ten days and needs renewal if necessary. While flying you are recommended to notify the flying authorities or the airline staff about your pet. Also make sure that your pet, if it is a dog or a cat, has an airline permitted kennel, or resting place, because there are strict rules regarding the proportion of the kennel in respect to your pet. Another inspection will be conducted in the Costa Rican airport where you pet will be examined visually for which you will be charged US$1.

If you want to bring in exotic animals like lizards, parakeet, macaw, etc it would need specific permits from the Convention of International Species in Danger of Extinction and the Natural Resources Ministry of Costa Rica and evidently the paperwork would be a little more complicated. Livestock would need consent from Agriculture Ministry’s Animal Sanitation Department of Costa Rica to enter the country. If you get to Costa Rica with all your papers in the right order, you should have no problems in getting your animal accepted by the authorities.

Though the Costa Ricans adore their pets, they conceive them differently from how the North Americans do. Dogs are esteemed as protectors of property and people, and are not allowed inside the house. Most public transport will not allow pets, though it is expected, by law that they allow pets. Some hotels do accept pets, but not all of them. There are abundant vets around Costa Rica, and the ones around rural areas are more likely to specialize in livestock.

If you are taking your pets out of Costa Rica, they would need an exit permit. Almost the same course of action needs to be followed, this time only it might be a little more complicated in getting your pet out of the country. Upon leaving Costa Rica, you will have to fill up a form, issued by the Department of Health, Costa Rica. The stricter rules should be considered very well before one leaves for Costa Rica. The form needs much of the information that was used for bringing the pets into the country. The requirements are mentioned in the form, though the form is available only in Spanish and you really cannot choose any other language. The most important point you need to remember is to enquire about the current rules and regulations regarding bringing in pets to Costa Rica, because they keep changing.