USA to Costa Rica
Pet Shipping from the USA to Costa Rica
We provide international pet transport from the USA to Costa Rica, planned around its import rules, the season and your move date.
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.
- Airline booking
- The travel crate
- The export and import paperwork
- Check-in at your US airport
- Pickup in Costa Rica with delivery to your new address
Costa Rica at a glance
Full requirementsSENASA, Costa Rica’s animal health service, asks for a prior import permit when a pet is shipped as cargo or arrives without its owner.
- Microchip
- Not on APHIS’s form; SENASA lists the number only if the pet has one
- Rabies vaccination
- For a pet over 3 months old, in force on the day of entry; no waiting period stated
- Other vaccinations
- Dogs: distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, leptospirosis. Cats: rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, panleukopenia
- Parasite treatment
- Internal and external, in the 15 days before export
- Health certificate
- A bilingual form, English and Spanish, after an exam within 2 weeks of departure, then endorsed by APHIS
Pet Shipping from the USA to Costa Rica
For a dog or cat leaving the United States, Costa Rica’s entry conditions are printed on the health certificate APHIS publishes for the route, in English and Spanish. A USDA-accredited veterinarian examines the pet and completes the form, and APHIS endorses it, digitally when it arrives through VEHCS. If you would like a simple overview of international moves first, start with our guide to international pet shipping destinations. Bringing a pet the other way, into the United States? See our US import guide.
Approved Routes and Entry into Costa Rica
How the pet travels changes the paperwork. SENASA’s requirements for dogs and cats from the United States, read October 29, 2026, say a pet carried in the cabin or as checked baggage by its owner presents only the health certificate at the border inspection post. A pet shipped as cargo, or entering Costa Rica without its owner, also needs SENASA’s prior import permit, which a customs broker hired in Costa Rica requests before the pet arrives, and SENASA resolves the request within 24 working hours of receiving the original document. In every case SENASA asks for the original certificate and a copy at the border inspection post. APHIS’s page names an import permit issued by Costa Rica for unaccompanied pets. APHIS adds that airlines and shipping lines keep pet policies and requirements of their own, so the carrier’s rules are read before a booking is made.
Route details: USA to Costa Rica
- Route
- USA to Costa Rica
- Arrival airports
- Juan Santamaría or Daniel Oduber airport: SENASA’s map of its main offices shows a border inspection post at each
- How the pet flies
- With the owner in the cabin or as checked baggage, or as manifest cargo, SENASA says; APHIS adds that airlines set their own rules
- Import permit
- Cargo or a pet without its owner: SENASA’s prior import permit, requested by a Costa Rican customs broker, resolved within 24 working hours
- Health certificate
- APHIS’s bilingual form, after a USDA-accredited vet’s exam within 2 weeks of departure, endorsed by APHIS (digital endorsement accepted)
- On arrival
- SENASA inspects the pet at the border inspection post and refuses entry to one with tumors, fresh or healing wounds, or external parasites
From official sources, read October 29, 2026: SENASA Costa Rica, Ubicaciones; SENASA Costa Rica, Dirección de Cuarentena Animal, Requisitos para la importación de perros y gatos de Estados Unidos de América, DCA-PG-02-RS-01-IN-007 v09; USDA APHIS, Pet Travel from the United States to Costa Rica; USDA APHIS, Veterinary Health Certificate for the Export of Dogs and Cats from the United States of America to Costa Rica; MAG Costa Rica, Conozca los requisitos sanitarios establecidos por SENASA para la importación de perros y gatos.
What are the entry requirements for pets going to Costa Rica?
The short answer
SENASA sets Costa Rica’s conditions for dogs and cats coming from the United States, and the health certificate APHIS publishes carries them: an exam within 2 weeks of departure, treatment for internal and external parasites in the 15 days before export, the vaccines it names for each species, and a rabies vaccination for any pet over 3 months old. A USDA-accredited veterinarian signs it, APHIS endorses it, and a pet shipped as cargo or traveling without its owner also needs SENASA’s prior import permit.
Import Eligibility for Pets
APHIS publishes certificates for dogs and cats, for rabbits, and for guinea pigs, the last covering no more than five animals in one shipment, and says Costa Rica does not allow pet birds to be imported. For any other animal, APHIS says it has not been told Costa Rica’s requirements and suggests asking a government official of that country. The certificate for dogs and cats, read September 25, 2026, names no breed and sets no quarantine period.
A rabbit or a guinea pig travels on its own APHIS certificate rather than the one for dogs and cats, and its steps come from that document. Ready to start? Request a quote.
Health Preparation and Documentation
The certificate has the veterinarian confirm five things. The pet was examined within 2 weeks of the departure date and found healthy. It was treated against internal and external parasites with approved products in the 15 days before export, and the date, brand, active ingredient and lot number of each treatment are written on the form. A dog was vaccinated against distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus and leptospirosis. A cat was vaccinated against panleukopenia, calicivirus and feline viral rhinotracheitis. A pet over 3 months old was vaccinated against rabies, and the Spanish text adds that the vaccine must still be in force on the day the pet enters Costa Rica. The form identifies the pet by name or identification number, breed, sex, color and age. Read September 25, 2026, it states no waiting period after that vaccination, does not ask for a microchip and lists no rabies titer test. SENASA’s requirements ask for a microchip number on the certificate only if the pet has one, though a news item from Costa Rica’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, dated December 18, 2025, says imported dogs and cats must be microchipped.
| Requirement | Costa Rica, from the United States |
|---|---|
| Microchip | Not on APHIS’s form; SENASA lists the number only if the pet has one |
| Rabies vaccination | For a pet over 3 months old, in force on the day of entry; no waiting period stated |
| Other vaccinations | Dogs: distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, leptospirosis. Cats: rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, panleukopenia |
| Parasite treatment | Internal and external, in the 15 days before export |
| Health certificate | A bilingual form, English and Spanish, after an exam within 2 weeks of departure, then endorsed by APHIS |
Three documents are behind this checklist. APHIS’s US to Costa Rica page, last modified February 6, 2026, was read September 23, 2026 and again October 29, 2026, and the health certificate for dogs and cats it links, a protocol dated December 2016 and updated January 2017, was read September 25, 2026. SENASA’s requirements for dogs and cats from the United States, version 09, in force since July 19, 2024, were read October 29, 2026, and set the same exam, parasite treatment and vaccines as the certificate.
Planning Timeline for Pet Shipping to Costa Rica
The fixed dates all sit at the end. The certificate sets no window for the routine shots, only that the rabies vaccination be in force on arrival. The parasite treatment falls in the 15 days before the pet leaves and the veterinarian’s exam in the 2 weeks before departure, so both land close to the flight, and APHIS endorses the certificate after the exam.
Planning the budget? See what shipping a pet from the USA to Costa Rica costs, fee by fee.
Moving to Panama instead? Our Panama page covers a route with five required vaccines and a 4 month age floor.
Every Pet Travels
Differently
Different destinations, different routes, different challenges.
Destination-Focused Planning
The parasite products, their lot numbers and the vaccination dates are written onto the certificate itself, so each one is checked against the vet records before the form goes to APHIS.
Smart Routing and Logistics
We help choose practical routes, travel windows, and handoff procedures so your pet’s trip is safer and more predictable.
Personalized Support
Pet Travel Advisors assigns a move coordinator who keeps you updated and checks details before travel so nothing important is missed.
Questions about moving a pet to Costa Rica
Request a QuoteWhat does it cost to ship a pet from the USA to Costa Rica?
Costs depend on your pet’s size and crate, the route and airline, vet and document fees, and whether the move is door to door. The fastest way to get a real number is a quote based on your origin city and travel date. Request a quote here.
Does my pet have to go into quarantine in Costa Rica?
Neither the health certificate APHIS publishes for Costa Rica, read September 25, 2026, nor SENASA’s requirements for dogs and cats from the United States, read October 29, 2026, sets a quarantine period. SENASA inspects the pet at the border inspection post on arrival and refuses entry to one showing tumors, fresh or healing wounds, or external parasites, and Costa Rica’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock says a pet that does not meet the requirements is sent back to its country of origin.
How does Pet Travel Advisors help with a move to Costa Rica?
Book any piece separately: the flights, a crate for the journey, the certificate paperwork with APHIS’s endorsement, airport check-in on the US side, and a meet on arrival in Costa Rica with the drive to the new address. Door-to-door covers every stage, and any smaller set of services can be booked instead.
Ready to start?
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.