Costa Rica welcomes pets from the United States with no quarantine, and the process is clear once the paperwork is in order. Your pet needs an ISO microchip, a current rabies vaccination, a full set of other vaccinations, recent parasite treatment, and a USDA-endorsed international health certificate. Pet Travel Advisors prepares the documents, coordinates the vet steps, and arranges the crate and routing so your pet’s journey stays calm and compliant.
Different destinations, different routes, different challenges.
Because timelines, airline rules, and Costa Rica’s entry requirements all affect each other, we build a plan that fits your pet and your move date.
We use Costa Rica's official SENASA import rules as the baseline, then turn them into a simple checklist and timeline you can follow.
We help choose practical routes, travel windows, and handoff procedures so your pet’s trip is safer and more predictable.
Pet Travel Advisors assigns a move coordinator who keeps you updated and checks details before travel so nothing important is missed.
Moving a pet to Costa Rica is a clear process overseen by SENASA, with most of the timing tied to the final health certificate and parasite treatment rather than a long wait. If you would like a simple overview of international moves first, start here. Bringing a pet the other way, into the United States? See our US import guide.
To keep everything clear, we break the process into steps:
We confirm what rules apply based on your pet and travel details.
We map out what happens when, so steps are completed in the right order.
We help keep appointments and timing aligned with what’s required.
We check the details that cause delays (microchip digits, dates, names, signatures).
We help align crate setup and routing with airline handling expectations.
We guide you on travel-day handoff and what to expect on arrival.
We keep your checklist aligned with the official rules. For the US export side, we follow USDA APHIS guidance for US to Costa Rica travel. For the entry rules, we follow the SENASA guidance for importing pets.
Pets travel to Costa Rica by air, and the health certificate has to be endorsed close to travel, so timing matters. We confirm the route and time the documents so everything is current on arrival, where healthy, well-documented pets are released to you right away.
There is no quarantine for pets entering Costa Rica from the United States. Healthy pets with complete documents are released to you on arrival. The paperwork has tight timing, including a health certificate endorsed within fourteen days and parasite treatment within fifteen days, so we plan the final steps carefully.
Before scheduling vet steps or flights, we confirm what rules apply to your pet and whether airline policies affect travel. Most moves are dogs and cats, though we handle other pets too, and the requirements can differ by species. Eligibility can come down to your pet’s type and health, airline rules for certain breeds or conditions, the documentation and timing, and which routes are available. Ready to start? Request a quote.
Your pet will need an ISO microchip, a current rabies vaccination given at least twenty-one days before travel, a full set of other core vaccinations, internal and external parasite treatment within fifteen days of travel, and a USDA-endorsed international health certificate issued within fourteen days, with a Spanish translation. Costa Rica does not require a rabies titer test. We line these steps up in the right order and check that microchip numbers, dates, names, and signatures all match across the paperwork.
Costa Rica is fairly quick once vaccinations are current, with the final paperwork timed to travel. A typical timeline runs like this: a consultation and a records check, the microchip and rabies vaccination if needed, the other core vaccinations, then booking the route, the parasite treatment within fifteen days, the USDA-endorsed health certificate within fourteen days, a document review, and travel.
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.
Your pet needs an ISO microchip, a current rabies vaccination given at least twenty-one days before travel, a full set of core vaccinations, recent parasite treatment, and a USDA-endorsed international health certificate issued within fourteen days. A rabies titer test is not required.
No. There is no quarantine for pets entering Costa Rica from the United States. Healthy, well-documented pets are released to you on arrival.
Costa Rica is fairly quick once vaccinations are current. The main timing is the final paperwork: a health certificate within fourteen days and parasite treatment within fifteen days of travel.
Most healthy dogs and cats qualify. We confirm the vaccination set and the timing of the final documents for your specific pet.
We prepare the documents, coordinate the vet steps and timing, arrange a comfortable crate and routing, and stay with the move through arrival.
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