Preparing from scratch takes about 3 weeks, wherever you fly from.
Costa Rica sets its own requirements for bringing in dogs and cats. From any departure country your pet needs microchip, rabies vaccination, additional vaccination, parasite treatment, veterinary health certificate and import permit. The rules are the same for dogs and cats.
Order matters more than the list: the microchip goes in before the rabies vaccination, or the vaccination does not count. 8 carriers in our directory fly direct to Costa Rica, and their pet conditions differ.
Free, no signup: timings, documents and airlines for your pet
8 airlines in our directory fly direct to and from Costa Rica. Their conditions differ — the cabin weight limit, whether they carry pets in the hold, the fee and breed restrictions — so it is worth choosing the carrier before buying the ticket.
| Airline | Cabin | Hold | Cabin fee | Direct flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avianca no snub-nosed breeds in the hold |
✓ up to 10 kg | ✓ | — | from 10 cities in 7 countries |
| United Airlines | ✓ | no pets | 150 USD per flight |
from 6 cities in 1 country |
| Copa Airlines | ✓ up to 10 kg | ✓ | — | from 3 cities in 3 countries |
| Air Canada no snub-nosed breeds in the hold |
✓ | ✓ up to 45 kg | 50 CAD | from 3 cities in 2 countries |
| Delta Air Lines | ✓ | no pets | 150 USD per flight |
from 2 cities in 1 country |
| JetBlue | ✓ up to 9 kg | no pets | 150 USD per flight |
from 2 cities in 1 country |
| Southwest Airlines | domestic flights only | no pets | 125 USD per flight |
from 4 cities in 1 country |
| American Airlines | closed on these flights | no pets | 150 USD per flight |
from 3 cities in 1 country |
Showing the 8 carriers serving the most cities out of 8 with direct flights. Schedules: AeroDataBox, AirLabs, Travelpayouts; pet conditions come from our airline directory.
The limits people find out about last: how many animals one person may bring, the minimum age and which breeds are turned away at the border.
These are the country's rules. Airlines refuse some breeds on their own — their limits are in the carrier table above.
If the requirements are not met, entry is refused and the pet is returned to the country of departure.
If the country you return to requires a rabies antibody test, carry its result — you will need it to arrange export from Costa Rica.
The full list of documents and procedures for entering Costa Rica. Every item carries its official source and last-checked date, and is marked as always required or required only from some departure countries.
A microchip is required; its number is stated in the certificate.
Rabies vaccination is required for animals over 3 months and must be valid at entry. Costa Rica sets no minimum before travel; giving it at least 21 days ahead is recommended.
Dogs (as age allows) need vaccinations against distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus and leptospirosis, valid at entry; details go in the certificate.
Treatment against internal and external parasites within 15 days before arrival; the certificate states the product, batch and expiry.
Official veterinary certificate from the exporting country's competent authority; clinical examination within 2 weeks before travel.
If the pet travels as cargo, an import permit must be obtained in advance through a customs agent.
The order matters more than the list: a step done too early has to be repeated. The intervals come from the same rule fields the engine uses for the earliest departure date.
Steps marked “depends on origin” are not needed by everyone — see the table above or check your own route.
The requirements are the same whichever country you fly from — this country draws no distinction between departure countries. Below is the same engine answer on six examples, counted from zero: no microchip and no vaccination yet, preparation starting today.
| From | Microchip | Rabies jab | Other vaccines | Treatment | Health certificate | Import permit | Earliest departurepreparing from scratch | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | October 16, 2026 | Plan → |
| 🇫🇷 France | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | October 16, 2026 | Plan → |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | October 16, 2026 | Plan → |
| 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | October 16, 2026 | Plan → |
| 🇨🇳 China | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | October 16, 2026 | Plan → |
| 🇺🇸 United States | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | October 16, 2026 | Plan → |
If the microchip and vaccination are already done, the wait is shorter: the clock runs from the vaccination date, not from today. Breed, weight and connections change the answer too — check your own route with the form above.
The country's rules place no restriction on the arrival airport. Below are airports with direct flights; marked where we have documented the arrival procedure.
From any country: microchip, rabies vaccination, additional vaccination, parasite treatment, veterinary health certificate, import permit.
No, a titre test is not required for entry.
The country's rules list no breed bans. Individual airlines have their own restrictions — see the carrier table.
For example: Avianca, United Airlines, Copa Airlines, Air Canada, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue. The full list with conditions is in the table above.