As the old saying goes, you don’t get to choose your family. Only your friends. And your pets. One of the perks of moving to Costa Rica is distance from certain family – or ex-family – you just as soon never see again. Good friends on the other hand will be difficult separate from.

But the beloved pets? They get to come along.

Based on the frequency and intensity of questions to residency expert Laura Gutiérrez from clients wishing to bring their pets to Costa Rica, the prospect of onerous red tape and even the possibility of quarantine upon arrival is worrisome. The good news is that Costa Rica is a very pet friendly country. Ticos particularly love their dogs. And none of the procedure involves the dreaded Department of Immigration.

They only get to torment humans.

As you can expect, there are specific procedures to follow well ahead of your trip with pets. Those involve veterinarians, various animal health agencies and of course, the airlines.

So here’s a brief outline of what you need to plan for with your pets. We’ll focus only on dogs or cats. (Laura’s clients have also brought horses with little issue.) Costa Rica will not allow importation of birds and certain other animals.

U.S.A.

You pet dog or cat has to have a health certificate obtained from a licensed vet. That must then be endorsed by your nearest Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), or a Veterinary Services (VS) veterinarian. Start on line. For the USDA page about Costa Rica, link to: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel/by-country/pettravel-costa-rica

Read carefully twice down to the “Pet Dogs and Cats” heading bar and click on it. You will also see a link to the International health Certificate PDF which is bilingual (English/Spanish) and as such will not require any translations. Everything you need to know and follow is on this site. Be assured that there are USDA offices located in every state.

Canada

Oh Oh…Incorrect info on the Canadian Gov’t site.

We reached out to Laura Gutierrez again, who in her favorite expression, de-confused us after her personal review with staff at the Costa Rica Embassy in Ottawa. Read the following page top to bottom twice. https://costaricaembassy.com/bringing-your-cat-or-dog-to-costa-rica/

There is a button on this site called: “GO TO CFIA PAGE”.

You will end up here: https://www.inspection.gc.ca/animal-health/terrestrial-animals/exports/pets/eng/1321265624789/1321281361100

The 2010 PDF’s found on that page are outdated and of no use. (The Embassy staff have notified the Canadian Government site techies – but no updates yet.)

To obtain the correct PDF application, you need to request it from the Costa Rica Embassy site above. Email is best. Phones are not readily answered and only between 9AM and 2PM in Ottawa. That PDF is bi-lingual in English and Spanish and will not require translation.

Whether from the U.S. or Canada, pay close attention to the time lines outlined in the rules on each website page. Vaccinations need to be done within 15 days prior to the arrival in Costa Rica. Also pay close attention to the specific vaccinations.

If your pet is healthy, and all the vaccinations have been administered, and all the forms are filled out, signed and properly authenticated as instructed on the sites, your pet will breeze through customs inspection. Pura Vida Fido and Garfield.

For EU or other countries, check with your local Costa Rican Embassy for requirements. https://www.embassy-worldwide.com/country/costa-rica/

Airlines

Policies for pet travel are becoming more liberal on airlines. Delta seems to be the most accommodating for on-board travel of pets. (That fit under a seat.) Unless they are certified emotional support dogs (ESA’s), large dogs will need to fly in the cargo hold. For rules on ESA’s, link to: https://www.esaregistration.org/ Regardless of the airline, they have strict limits as to how many pets are allowed on board any particular flight. So book well ahead and be certain. Airline travel is very stressful on pets, particularly older dogs or cats. The closer you can be with them during the flight, the easier it is on them.

The above instructions assume you will be travelling with the dog or cat. Pets sent solo without the presence of the owner have different rules. Also, on the websites linked to above, you will see instruction on how to return to the U.S. or Canada with your pet after you have been in Costa Rica longer than 30 days. If planning such trips, read the guidelines very carefully. The process involves the Costa Rica animal health system. And that is all in Español.