Bringing your dog or cat to Costa Rica from the U.S.

Start with the animal and the itinerary

Moving a pet involves three separate checks: permission to enter Costa Rica, acceptance by the airline, and any requirements for the journey home. A reservation for you does not establish that your animal can travel on the same flight.

The USDA’s Costa Rica pet-travel page is the starting point for dogs and cats leaving the United States. It requires APHIS endorsement after a USDA-accredited veterinarian issues the health certificate. Unaccompanied pets also need a Costa Rican import permit. If a cargo company is handling transport, have it explain which procedure applies before you pay.

This guide covers dogs and cats. Other species have different rules; USDA specifically says Costa Rica does not allow pet birds. Do not use a dog-and-cat checklist for a different animal.

Work backward from the departure date

Send your veterinarian the current Costa Rica health-certificate form, your departure date and the complete route. The form calls for an examination within two weeks of departure and internal and external parasite treatments within the 15 days before export. These are distinct timing requirements.

The certificate also lists required vaccinations for dogs and cats, including rabies for animals over three months old. Ask the veterinarian to review the full vaccination history early, then schedule the final examination, treatments and endorsement. An early planning appointment is useful even when the certificate itself must wait.

If the flight changes, ask the veterinarian to recheck every date. Do not assume an endorsed certificate remains usable after any delay.

Ask the airline specific questions

USDA notes that carriers impose their own transport requirements. Get answers for the operating airline on every segment, including connections:

• Will this particular pet travel in the cabin, as checked baggage or as cargo?
• What carrier dimensions, combined weight and animal restrictions apply?
• Are there temperature restrictions or seasonal embargoes for this route?
• Does a connection require collection, rechecking or additional country paperwork?
• What happens to the animal’s reservation if your flight is changed?

Keep the answers with the booking. Discuss your animal’s fitness to fly with the veterinarian, especially for an older pet or one with breathing or other medical problems. A travel agent cannot make that clinical judgment.

Make arrival manageable

Prepare one folder with the endorsed certificate, vaccination history, booking confirmation and any permit required for your arrangement. Keep digital copies as a backup and confirm what originals must accompany the animal. Check names, animal descriptions and dates before leaving the veterinary office.

For the first accommodation, get written permission for your actual animal, not just a listing that says “pets considered.” Ask about fencing, shared outdoor spaces, stairs and the distance to a veterinary clinic. Arrange suitable airport transport before arrival. These practical details belong in the moving timeline alongside your own documents.

Plan the U.S. return before leaving

The U.S. return has a separate rulebook. Under the CDC rules for dogs arriving from rabies-free or low-risk countries, dogs must be healthy on arrival, at least six months old and identifiable by a scannable microchip. The traveler also needs a CDC Dog Import Form receipt.

That route depends on all countries the dog visited in the preceding six months. Check CDC’s current country list and the complete itinerary instead of assuming the last departure point is the only country that matters. A young puppy able to enter Costa Rica might still be too young to return to the United States.

CDC’s dog requirements are not the cat requirements. Recheck the rules for your animal, destination state and airline before booking the return.