Costa Rica sits in an awkward middle of my spreadsheet: not hard, but not paperwork-free either. There is an import permit to buy, a microchip to fit, and a health certificate that only stays good for 14 days. No quarantine and no titre test, though, which is the part that actually saves you months. Luna approves of anything that skips a blood draw.

Pet import to Costa Rica is regulated by SENASA - Direccion de Cuarentena Animal (Animal Quarantine Directorate). The core requirements are summarized below: a microchip, a rabies vaccine within the right window, and a government-endorsed health certificate. Some destinations also require a titer test or short quarantine — those are flagged in the table.

How Costa Rica handles your pet

Key points

  • Whether you need an import permit depends on how the pet travels, and this is the single most consequential fork in Costa Rica's rules
  • Travelling WITH your pet in the cabin or as checked baggage, no permit arises: "For pets that are transported in the cabin as hand luggage or checked luggage and are accompanied by their owner, only the health certificate issued by the veterinary/competent authority of the country of origin must be presented at the border inspection post" (SENASA DCA-PG-02-RS-01-IN-006 v11, s6.2)
  • Shipping the pet as manifested CARGO, or sending it unaccompanied, does require one: "Para importar una mascota declarada como carga, además de cumplir con los requisitos anteriores, es necesario gestionar el permiso previo de importación por medio de una agencia aduanal." (MAG)
  • It is filed by a Costa Rican customs broker and "The request will be resolved within a maximum period of twenty-four working hours" (s6.4)
  • The permit fields on this plan describe that cargo case, which is the stricter of the two
  • Rabies titre: Costa Rica does not require one to ENTER
  • The only titre sentence in the instrument is about going home again: "Pets coming from the European Union, United Kingdom and countries members of EFTA (Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein) that will return to their country of origin must bring, in addition to the International Veterinary Certificate, a valid rabies antibody titration test with result equal or greater than 0.5 UI/ml." (s5.7) — MAG confirms it is carried "para el posterior trámite para exportación"
  • If you are an EU/UK/EFTA resident bringing your pet back, you still need that test done before you leave home
  • Puppies and kittens under three months: "Puppies and kittens (dogs / cats) younger than three months should not be vaccinated against rabies; however, the vaccination plan must be certified according to age and species." (s5.6) — so a very young animal travels on a certified age-appropriate vaccination plan rather than a rabies shot
  • Microchip — sources differ, so assume it is required
  • MAG's December 2025 statement is unqualified: "Los perros y gatos que se importen deben estar identificados con microchip, cuyo número tiene que estar declarado en el certificado"
  • The SENASA instrument's certificate-content section is softer, listing "Pet's information: breed, sex, color, age and pet's identification (microchip or transponder if available)." (s4.1)
  • Chip the pet
  • If the paperwork fails, Costa Rica does not quarantine — it refuses entry: "En caso de incumplir con los requisitos sanitarios, el ingreso será denegado y se procederá con la devolución de la mascota al país de origen como medida sanitaria." (MAG)
  • No notarisation or consular stamp is needed: "The health certificate does not need to be signed by a notary public, nor does it need to be stamped by the Costa Rican consular office." (s6.6)

Each fact comes straight from the operator’s published policy. Tap the to read the exact wording; the opens the source page.

Health & documents

Microchip · Required Yesverified 2026-09-03
Microchip · Must be done before vaccination Noverified 2026-09-03
Quarantine · Required Noverified 2026-09-03
Import permit · CostCRC 10,653 (SENASA tariff code C.01, 'Autorización previa para importación', VAT-exempt; rate in force 1 Apr 2026 – 31 Jan 2027)verified 2026-09-03
Import permit · Required Yesverified 2026-09-03
Import permit · Lead time1 daysverified 2026-09-03
Import permit · Issuing authoritySENASA - Direccion de Cuarentena Animal (Animal Quarantine Directorate)verified 2026-09-03
Import permit · Documents required to obtainSanitary Requirements Form (Formulario de Requisitos Sanitarios), filed by a Costa Rican customs broker before the pet arrivesverified 2026-09-03
Health certificate · IssuerCompetent Authorityverified 2026-09-03
Health certificate · Required Yesverified 2026-09-03
Health certificate · Endorsed byOfficial Veterinary Services or Competent Authority of the country of originverified 2026-09-03
Health certificate · Validity days14 daysverified 2026-09-03
Health certificate · Original required Yesverified 2026-09-03
Health certificate · Government endorsed Yesverified 2026-09-03
Other vaccinations · Distemper Yesverified 2026-09-03
Other vaccinations · Adenovirus Yesverified 2026-09-03
Other vaccinations · Parvovirus Yesverified 2026-09-03
Other vaccinations · Leptospirosis Yesverified 2026-09-03
Rabies vaccination · Required Yesverified 2026-09-03
Rabies vaccination · Booster required Yesverified 2026-09-14
Rabies vaccination · Waiting period after vaccination0 daysverified 2026-09-03
Rabies vaccination · Min age at vaccination13 weeksverified 2026-09-03
Tapeworm treatment · Required Noverified 2026-09-03
Internal parasite treatment · Required Yesverified 2026-09-03
Internal parasite treatment · Timing notesWithin 15 days before arrival in Costa Ricaverified 2026-09-03

Other rules

Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-09-03

Timing chain

Day -90 microchip implant · Day -0 rabies vaccine deadline · Day -14 health certificate issued · Day 0 arrive at customs

The International Veterinary Certificate must carry the prescribed statement certifying that the entire consignment meets the requirements established in it. A certificate that omits the wording is rejected even when every vaccination behind it is correct. Ask the issuing veterinarian to use the official SENASA template rather than a clinic letterhead, and read the attestation paragraph before leaving the appointment.
The prior import authorisation is charged at 10653 CRC under SENASA tariff code C.01, VAT-exempt, at the rate in force from 1 April 2026 to 31 January 2027. That is the permit alone. The veterinary certificate, the microchip and the airline's own pet fee sit outside it, so treat the published tariff as a floor rather than a total.
Costa Rica comes down to two dates and one payment: the permit, the microchip, and a certificate that expires 14 days after signature. Line the vet appointment up against the flight rather than the booking date and nothing else needs rescheduling. Drop your travel dates into the plan builder and it will show you the window the certificate has to fall inside.
Get YOUR personalized plan for Costa Rica →

Glossary

ISO chip
ISO 11784/11785 — the universal microchip standard.
FAVN
Fluorescent Antibody Virus Neutralization — a rabies serology test required by rabies-free destinations.
Brachycephalic
Snub-nosed breeds (French Bulldogs, Pugs, Persians, Himalayans) with restricted airline acceptance due to heat-stress risk.
AVIH
Animal Vehicle In Hold — IATA's term for cargo pet shipment, with fees that vary by carrier and route.