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General Information
Paying Customs Duty
Calculating Customs Duty
Pet's Customs Appraised Value
Pet's Market Value (PMV)
Freight (F)
Freight Insurance (FI):
Custom Duty Percentage (CDP%)
General Information: When you pass through customs with your pet, a Customs officer will conduct a visual examination of your pet. There is a $1.00US (one U.S. dollar) fee per pet.
If your pet has a highly contagious disease that puts in threat the fauna of Costa Rica, your pet will not be allowed in the country, and you will be required to take your pet out of Costa Rica. If you do not take your pet out of the country, your pet will be destroyed.
If your pet has a disease that is not highly contagious, your pet will be treated by a veterinarian and must be hosted for 40 days or until the disease is terminated at the Custom Animal Shelter of the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Control.
You or the customs broker that you hired will be required to present the pet's health certificate. If your pet does not have this certificate, your pet will not be allowed into the country, and you will have to send it back home.
Then, you will be required to file for a pet's quarantine permit at the the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Control ("Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganaderia"). Once you get this permit, you can take your pet anywhere within Costa Rica without restrictions.
Customs will not release your pet unless you have the pet's quarantine permit. Your pet will remain at Customs or will be transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Control ("Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganaderia") Customs Animal Shelter in San José, Costa Rica until you get the permit: it all depends on how fast you can get the quarantine permit. The shelter is not in the greatest condition, thus, you might want to bring additional pet accessories to ensure your pet's comfort. The shelter does not offer food, however, you will have a visit schedule where you can come and feed your pet.
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Paying Customs Duty:
Once Customs accepts your pet's health certificate, you must pay Customs duty based on your pet's market value.
If your pet's market value is below $100.00 (one hundred U.S. dollars), you have not brought pets into the country for the last two years - Customs will check their records-, and you are not into the import export business, your pet will be considered to be an import of non-commercial nature and no Customs Duty will be required.
If you come with your pet in the same plane/bus/ship, and you declare it as part of your luggage, or you are traveling with your pet and you will be staying for no more than 30 days, your pet will only need the pet's health certificate and the quarantine permit. No Customs Duties will be required.
Recent invoices are the ideal proof of your pet's market value. However, if you do not have an invoice available, a letter stating your current pet's market value would be enough. Your pet's market value shown in your letter is subject to change at Customs own discretion.
Pets are generally dutiable at a 24.30% of Customs Appraised Value
Calculating Customs Duty:
The dutiable amount of your pet is calculated as follows
Customs Duty = (PCAV) * CDP%
PCAV: Pet's Customs Appraised Value
CDP%: Customs Duty Percentage
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Pet's Customs Appraised Value:
Your Pet's Customs Appraised Value (VCAV) is calculated by adding your Pet's market value, your Pet's freight, and your Pet's freight insurance.
PCAV = PMV + F + FI
PMV: Pet's Market Value
F: Freight
FI: Freight Insurance
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Pet's Market Value (PMV):
You may show your invoice if you purchase your pet recently or your letter stating the value of your pet. However, Customs may reject prices shown on an invoice/letter at their own discretion.
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Freight (F):
It is the cost to transport your pet from your country to Costa Rica. They will look at your bill of lading in order to determine that.
If there is no bill of lading and/or you drove from a country to Costa Rica, your freight will be equaled to 7% (seven percent) of the market value of your pet according to your invoice/letter stating the value of your pet. Customs will abide by this formula:
Freight = PMV * 0.07
PMV: Pet's Market Value
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Freight Insurance (FI):
It is the amount of money that you pay to insure your pet.
If you did not pay any insurance, Customs will calculate the insurance as follows:
Customs will take your Pet's market value according to your invoice/letter stating the value of your pet, then add the amount of money of the freight. Multiply by 110% and then by 1.5% (see formula):
Freight Insurance = (PMV + F ) * 1.10 * 0.015
PMV: Pet's Market Value
F: Freight
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Custom Duty Percentage (CDP%):
Once Customs appraise your pet, they will use that amount to calculate the percentage that you must pay in order to enter Costa Rica with your pet. The percentage is usually 24.30%.
Customs duty that you have to pay based on the following formula:
Customs Duty = (PMV + F + FI ) * 0.2430
PMV = Pet's Market Value
F = Freight
FI = Freight Insurance
For example, if your pet costs $120.00US, the freight to bring your pet from your country to Costa Rica is $60.00US, and the freight insurance you paid was $5.00:
($120.00 + $60.00 + $5.00) * 0.2430 = $44.96
The Customs duty due is $44.96
If you did not pay freight insurance, customs will add it to the formula and will calculate it for you implementing the following:
(PMV + F ) * 1.10 * 0.015 = FI
PMV = Pet's Market Value
F = Freight
FI = Freight Insurance
For example, if your pet costs $120.00US, the freight to bring it from your country to Costa Rica is $60.00:
($120.00 + $60.00) * 1.10 *0.015 = $2.97
The freight insurance that customs will add as freight insurance is $2.97.
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