Costa Rica does not quarantine pets. If your paperwork is correct, your dog or cat walks out of the airport with you the same day.
That is the good news, and it is worth stating first because most people arrive at this question braced for six months in a kennel. The catch is that “correct” means several documents, in a specific order, within specific time windows — and getting one of them wrong can mean your animal is refused entry and returned to the country of origin.
The authority
Everything runs through SENASA (Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal), part of the Ministry of Agriculture. Phone 2587-1600, or info@senasa.go.cr. When in doubt, ask them rather than a forum.
What you need
1. Official health certificate
Issued by the competent animal-health authority of your country of origin, within two weeks of travel, and including the results of a veterinary clinical examination.
For pets travelling from the United States that means a certificate written by a USDA-accredited veterinarian and then endorsed by USDA APHIS in your state. The US Embassy in Costa Rica confirms the endorsement requirement explicitly. Endorsement is electronic through VEHCS and usually quick — but do not leave it to the final 48 hours. A Spanish or bilingual version is expected.
2. Microchip
SENASA’s official statement requires microchip identification with the number recorded on the certificate.
Worth flagging: some commercial pet-relocation sites describe the microchip as merely recommended. SENASA is the authority, and SENASA says required. Use an ISO 11784/11785 standard chip so a Costa Rican scanner can read it.
3. Rabies vaccination
Mandatory for dogs and cats over three months old, and current on arrival.
Here the sources genuinely conflict. SENASA’s own text says only that it must be current. Other sources say at least 21 days before travel; others say a month. There is no single confirmed figure, so the safe approach is to vaccinate at least 30 days before travel and confirm directly with SENASA.
4. The other vaccines
All must be current on arrival.
- Dogs: distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, leptospirosis, rabies
- Cats: feline rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, panleukopenia, rabies
For each vaccine, the certificate must record the application date, commercial brand, lot number and validity date. This level of detail catches people out — a vet who simply writes “vaccines current” has not met the requirement.
5. Parasite treatment
Internal and external deworming within 15 days before arrival, with product brand, lot number and validity recorded on the certificate.
Do you need an import permit?
This is the point most often misunderstood.
No permit is needed for up to five personal pets travelling accompanied — in the cabin or as accompanied excess baggage.
A permit and customs-broker authorisation are required if the animal travels unaccompanied or as air cargo. Given airline cabin size limits, that is the situation for most medium and large dogs — so read this carefully before assuming you are exempt.
We could not verify the current permit fee or processing time. Get both from SENASA directly.
Quarantine
None — provided every requirement above is met.
The consequence of not meeting them is worth stating plainly, because it is severe. SENASA’s own wording is denial of entry and mandatory return to the country of origin. Other sources add quarantine at the owner’s expense, or in extreme cases euthanasia. This is not a paperwork formality to improvise at the airport.
On arrival
Pets enter through Juan Santamaría (SJO) or Daniel Oduber (LIR). A SENASA officer reviews both the documentation and the animal.
Two practical points: bring originals, not photocopies, and keep them in your hand luggage, not in a checked bag you may not see before inspection.
The airline is a separate problem
These requirements come from your carrier, not from SENASA, and they are frequently the harder obstacle.
- IATA-compliant hard-sided kennel, large enough for the animal to stand and turn, with food and water dishes attached and live-animal labelling.
- Temperature embargoes. Most carriers refuse live-animal transport when forecast ground temperatures anywhere on the route fall below roughly 45°F/7°C or rise above 85°F/29°C. In practice this means avoiding midday summer connections through Houston, Miami or Dallas — a route that looks fine in January can be embargoed in July.
- Brachycephalic breeds — bulldogs, pugs, Persians, Boston terriers — are refused for cargo by many airlines outright, because they die in cargo holds at disproportionate rates.
Thresholds, breed lists and pricing vary by carrier and change often. Confirm with your specific airline, and book the pet before you book yourself — cabin spots are limited per flight.
Cost
We could not verify current totals to a citable source, so here are the line items rather than a made-up number:
- Veterinary examination and vaccines
- APHIS endorsement fee
- A compliant kennel
- The airline’s in-cabin fee — typically low hundreds of dollars — or cargo/excess baggage, which frequently runs to four figures for a large dog
- If unaccompanied: SENASA permit plus customs-broker fees
The airline is almost always the largest single item.
Going the other way — taking a dog to the US
Worth knowing if you plan to travel back and forth. Since the CDC’s 2024 overhaul, every dog entering the United States must be:
- At least six months old
- Have a detectable microchip
- Appear healthy on arrival
- Have a completed CDC Dog Import Form receipt
For dogs coming from a low-risk country, that CDC form is the only form required. Costa Rica does not appear on the CDC’s high-risk list — but that list is revised, so check it before you fly.
A realistic timeline
Working backwards from your flight:
- 30+ days before: microchip and rabies vaccination if not already current
- 15 days before: internal and external parasite treatment
- 14 days before: health certificate from your accredited vet
- Immediately after: APHIS endorsement
- Throughout: confirm airline kennel, temperature and breed rules
SENASA republished these requirements in December 2025 with no substantive change, but they are revised in response to global animal-health alerts. Check senasa.go.cr shortly before you travel rather than relying on any guide, this one included.
Moving the whole household?
Pets are one part of relocating. CRIE — Costa Rica Immigration Experts handles the human paperwork — residency applications, renewals and citizenship.
See the residency options in Costa Rica, or get in touch.
Requirements change. Verify with SENASA and your airline before travelling.