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My husband and I are planning on moving to Costa Rica from Canada, we are bringing our 2 dogs and 1 cat to CR.
We do plan to Rent before we buy…
Our dilema (maybe it’s not) Should we come down to CR first and Rent a home, then send for our Pets? If we send for our Pets, does someone have to travel with them?
I heard that there is not alot of Pet friendly Hotels in CR, is that so? Does anyone know of a Pet friendly Hotel, that will Rent to us with our Pets, long term until we find a home to Rent?
Will Taxi’s allow Pets in their vehicles? Same question for Rental vehicles?
Thank You all for your valuable advise and Thank You Scott for making this Forum possible…YAY!Roger and Sarah from Canada
Any undertaking as major as a move from Canada to Costa Rica should only be undertaken very carefully and with a great deal of planning. Such a move that involves three pets will require even more arranging.
If it is your plan to rent a home, you should come here, see the property in person, make all the arrangements and commitments, and only then begin planning to bring the rest of the family.
Not every hotel will admit you with two dogs and a cat. Nor will they be welcomed on public transportation, and I fail to see how the five of you are likely to fit in any one taxi.
Moving to Costa Rica and getting settled isn’t going to be cheap. If you cannot afford to come here first, on a planning trip, and then return to accompany the rest of the family, then you probably don’t have the wherewithal to make the move at all. The arrangements you will depend upon won’t be universally available, so you must know in advance what your first moves will be once you get off the plane.
You could engage the services of a professional international pet transportation service, but that will not come cheaply either.
One of my favorite adages is, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Please think about it.
Well, Thank You Dave for your response.
We are trying to get our “Ducks” in a row, which also includes asking alot of questions, so that we can be “Knowledgeable” as to what we are to expect once we arrive in CR.
So any and all info that “any person” can share with us, would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you all.:wink:
Roger and Sarah from CanadaYou should read the info [url=http://www.costaricalaw.com/legalnet/residency.html]regarding residency in Costa Rica[/url], first. Then, if everything is too your satisfaction, come for an [b][i]extended [/i][/b]visit, then make plans to sell your possessions, pack the rest …
It would be cheaper to return for your pets, then to have them shipped by a professional or via cargo.
From another Canadian.Thank you so much for responding to my message , Any tidbit of info helps..It’s all a welcome learning experience.
Roger and Sarah from Canada 😀
[quote=”costaricafinca”]
It would be cheaper to return for your pets, then to have them shipped by a professional or via cargo.
From another Canadian.[/quote]Shirley is absolutely correct on this. In 2005, we shipped our Labrador from Detroit to San Jose using a professional pet transporter, Pets Away! They did a fine job, but it cost us $2,300! For the three members of your family in question, the cost would be staggering.
Make your arrangements here first, then go home for the family.
Or….could we have our Adult son bring them down when we are ready for them?
Of course all three would be Vet checked and vaccinated before coming to CR…including adult son..he,heRoger and Sarah from Canada
Bringing pets into Costa Rica is a little complicated. The airlines have their requirements and the government will impose its own. You need to have all these details fully worked out well in advance.
Not having made the arrangements myself, I’ll have to leave it to others to elaborate. Anyone?
having someone bring the pets is a lot easier and cheaper — depending on which airlines you use. some will have restrictions on the number of pets you ship as luggage, but the process of pet certification is relatively easy — you need an international health certificate 10 days in advance of your trip but the rabies has to be at least 30 days old but not more than one year. continental is the most expensive; american was the cheapest ($100) when i shipped my cattle dog. maybe the cat could go ON the plane??? and there are dog weight restrictions, too, so you need to check into that, but whatever you do, do NOT bring these animals on your fact-finding mission. it will be the biggest hassle of your life between cars, lodging, etc.
Hi… my husband and I just moved here in January from the States and we brought 1 dog and 3 cats with us and I too wanted all my ducks in a row.
The information posted is correct with respect to the health papers (although this is from the U.S. and not Canada) If you are traveling with your pets you need the health certificate signed by your veterinarian and the USDA vet within 10 days of your travel. Rabies needs to be done within the year of travel, but more than 30 days. I also recommend (working in the veterinary business) having your dog up to date with distemper, lepto and lyme. I also advise you to bring a years worth of heartworm and flea/tick meds with you. They are expensive here. I had my cats vaccinated for leukemia as well as distemper and rabies before I left.
The next part of traveling is really based on the airline you travel with. All have different requirements. I flew with American because I was allowed 2 carriers per passenger. All my animals flew with the luggage (although in a seperate compartment where the pressure was controlled.) I put 2 cats in one carrier, one in another and the dog in one. The charge was $150.00/carrier. My weight limit was 50#/carrier without incurring a seperate charge. Some airlines allow you to bring one pet/passenger ON the plane if it fits under the seat. I believe there still is a charge for this.
They did look thru all my paperwork at check-in and even made the phone call about temperatures because you are not allowed to fly pets if at any point in your travel the temperature is above 84 degrees!
Once the animals were on the plane all went smooth. I arrived in Liberia, the animals were fine and they asked for the paperwork but didn’t really look at them (probably because they couldn’t read english) just counted the pets on the health certificate with the # of pets that I had with me.
I did already have a cabina ready for me to rent that was pet friendly and I had a van waiting at the airport to pick all of us up.
All have adjusted to the pura vida lifestyle.
If you have any questions you can e-mail me and I’d be happy to help.
there is no lyme disease in costa rica. erlichiosis, yes, but lyme, no. as for pet meds, i get mine from a farm store, and i get a brand that is made in either Chile or Argentina by one of the big latin pharmas. it is the exact same ingredients as the high’end stuff from the states as about half the price.
No lyme disease, thanks goodness…but plenty of ticks!
BTW, it is much easier to fly into Liberia with pets, than SJO.i’ve flown into SJO a dozen times with pets and never encountered a problem. only once or twice did anyone even check the paperwork for either of my dogs. after the 5th or 6th time, they would just wave me through.
[quote=”kmfrigault”]Hi… my husband and I just moved here in January from the States and we brought 1 dog and 3 cats with us and I too wanted all my ducks in a row.
The information posted is correct with respect to the health papers (although this is from the U.S. and not Canada) If you are traveling with your pets you need the health certificate signed by your veterinarian and the USDA vet within 10 days of your travel. Rabies needs to be done within the year of travel, but more than 30 days. I also recommend (working in the veterinary business) having your dog up to date with distemper, lepto and lyme. I also advise you to bring a years worth of heartworm and flea/tick meds with you. They are expensive here. I had my cats vaccinated for leukemia as well as distemper and rabies before I left.
The next part of traveling is really based on the airline you travel with. All have different requirements. I flew with American because I was allowed 2 carriers per passenger. All my animals flew with the luggage (although in a seperate compartment where the pressure was controlled.) I put 2 cats in one carrier, one in another and the dog in one. The charge was $150.00/carrier. My weight limit was 50#/carrier without incurring a seperate charge. Some airlines allow you to bring one pet/passenger ON the plane if it fits under the seat. I believe there still is a charge for this.
They did look thru all my paperwork at check-in and even made the phone call about temperatures because you are not allowed to fly pets if at any point in your travel the temperature is above 84 degrees!
Once the animals were on the plane all went smooth. I arrived in Liberia, the animals were fine and they asked for the paperwork but didn’t really look at them (probably because they couldn’t read english) just counted the pets on the health certificate with the # of pets that I had with me.
I did already have a cabina ready for me to rent that was pet friendly and I had a van waiting at the airport to pick all of us up.
All have adjusted to the pura vida lifestyle.
If you have any questions you can e-mail me and I’d be happy to help.
-From Roger and Sarah in Canada:
Thank You so much for your detailed info, It all was so informative, I would like your email address.
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