The National Animal Health Service (Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal, SENASA) is the agency that regulates the entry and exit of dogs and cats from Costa Rica — the requirements differ depending on the direction of travel.
**To ENTER Costa Rica with your pet:**
- **Rabies vaccine** administered at least **21 days before** travel (applies only to pets older than 3 months).
- Up‑to‑date core vaccination schedule: for dogs, distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus and leptospirosis; for cats, feline rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and panleukopenia.
- **Permanent microchip**, with the number recorded on the official health certificate.
- Internal and external antiparasitic treatment within 15 days before travel, with brand, batch number and date noted on the certificate.
- **If any of these requirements are missing, the pet may be denied entry** and returned to its country of origin — this is not a minor formality.
**To EXIT Costa Rica with your pet:**
- Clinical examination performed by a veterinarian within **2 weeks** prior to travel.
- The veterinarian issues an export certificate, which must be reviewed and signed by an official SENASA veterinary doctor to be validated.
- Present the vaccination record.
- **The export certificate is valid for 21 days** from issuance and signature — if the trip is delayed beyond that, the process must be repeated.
Note: each destination country may have its own additional entry requirements for pets (some require quarantine or extra tests) — this only covers the Costa Rican side of the trip; also verify the destination country's requirements before traveling.
COLIBRÍ CR