I'm thinking of moving to Costa Rica. Is it legal to take my cat with me?

Question

I'm thinking of moving to Costa Rica. Is it legal to take my cat with me?

Answer 1

Hey!

I remember you....

you asked earlier about where u should move to retire.

And I answered it.

Good Choice....I hope you love it there as much as I do!

Lol I'm Costa Rican

I'm actually going for my vacation there this Thursday.

I'm coming back August.

Well,nice to talk to you Again.

Good luck with the retirement.

Oh and to answer your original question. I think you can take pets to different countries.

Answer 2

There is no quarantine on dogs, cats, or birds provided you have the right documentation. If you don’t, your pets will be taken from you at customs and put into a MINAE approved quarantine facility guaranteed.

What you need is for your dog/cat to be current on all of their vaccinations. They must be administered within one year at the time of travel. Rabies vaccination MUST be over 30 days old and under 1 year at the time of travel. You cannot enter Costa Rica with a 3-year rabies vaccine. Your animal will be put in quarantine if you attempt this.

You will need health certificates from your veterinarian including proof of rabies. You will also need form 7001 from the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) signed by the State Veterinarian certifying that all vaccinations have been administered and your animal is in good health, Your vet should know all about this but some don’t have the form in their office. They can get this from the USDA or contact GACR and we can give you the office where you can get the form. Easiest is for your vet to acquire this form.

At present, this paperwork does not need to be validated by the Costa Rican embassy in the US but this can change at any time so check with GACR for the current rules regarding this.

Your vet should know the immunizations required for shipping pets internationally. If he/she doesn't, contact GACR for the specifics and we would be happy to help.

There are pet embargo’s (Summer embargo is from May to September) during the very hot and very cold seasons (usually January and February) of the year. This is for your pets protection but often times we can find ways around this by flying very early or very late in the day to avoid the extreme heat issues. There is not much we can do about the embargo’s because of the cold, there are just several months where it is difficult to fly your pets so planning ahead is very, VERY important. Check with GACR to see if these dates will affect you and your time of travel and how we can possibly work around it. It is always best to plan your departure to avoid these dates.

Answer 3

if he has the shots, there is no problem...