I have written about this many times before but some things bear repeating time and time again 🙂 . There is so much bad information out there and just this weekend I learned of another poor animal, in this instance a cat, dying because someone received BAD information.

If you do not have taken the time to gather the information, do NOT send your poor pet because they will suffer and maybe even die.  This poor cat that came in last week flew in from Canada and after many hours in flight spent many more unnecessary hours in the customs warehouse because the paperwork was not in order and it could not be released.

ALL pets coming as manifest cargo MUST have an import permit.  This permit must be applied for 4 business days prior to the pet arriving with the Senasa.  In order to apply, the Senasa must have a copy of the pets vaccination records.  Any pet over 3 months old must have a current rabies vaccination that is under one year.  No exceptions under any circumstances to this rabies law.  No puppies under 3 months permitted and no dogs with rabies over one year old accepted.

The permit cannot be applied for by an individual.  It must be applied for through a broker and there is a process that must be followed.  The original is held by the agency that is clearing the pet through customs.  The owner cannot do this themselves without the pet spending much unnecessary time sitting on pallets in the customs warehouse.

This is only a brief outline of some of what you need to know when moving to Costa Rica with Pets.  For more information, contact one of our our pet travel specialists.