Ways to Bring Your Belongings to Costa Rica

(1) Here are some money saving tips for bringing small items to Costa Rica. First, when entering the country as a tourist by plane, you can bring in a lot of personal effects and small appliances. A tourist is sometimes waved through customs without ever having to open any luggage. Costa Rica has become a popular tourist destination. The government understands that tourists come here to enjoy the country and have many different hobbies and reasons for visiting. They know that tourists need such items as surfboards, bicycles, kayaks, musical instruments photographic equipment, small stereos and more. The government permits items for personal use and that are not intended for resale. The number of these personal items has to be reasonable in relation to the length of the stay or needed for the exercise of one’s profession during his or her trip. Finally, all items have to be portable and considered as luggage.

The amount of luggage allowed on the plane by airlines is limited in most cases to 2 pieces which must not exceed 66 pounds. Sometimes they allow excess luggage for an additional fee. If they do allow you to take more, do so because it is the cheapest way of bringing items into Costa Rica.

While in the plane you have to fill out a customs declaration form. If you are bringing anything that is not considered luggage under the law, declare it at a very low price. Once you have picked up your luggage from the carousel you’ll have to go to customs. If they red light you, you’ll have to go through an inspection otherwise you’ll walk through unstopped.

There is a duty free exemption of up to $500. If you exceed the $500 limit, the back of your pasport will be stamped, “bonificado”, which once again means you will be restricted from bringing more imported items into the country for a period of six months. If you bring in more items within six months, you will have to pay the corresponding taxes. Don’t think you can get away with bringing more items before then if you rip out the last page of your passport. They keep all records on computer.

You have two options if your duty free $500 exemption is not enough. You can pay the duties right then and there or you can ask for a receipt and return the following day to pay.

Tourists and residents have the right to bring in every six months tax-free, $500 in merchandise purchased abroad, in addition to personal items considered part of a traveler’s luggage every six months tax-free. There is a long list of personal items such as: clothing, toys, sports equipment, such as surf boards or fishing equipment, a personal computer, photographic equipment; radios, tapes and musical instruments. Personal items are not limited to this list. Almost any article that will be used by the resident or traveler while in the country, whether to work or play, may be considered a “personal item.” The $500 tax does not apply to personal items, but is additional to them. Any merchandise that tops the $500 limit and cannot be considered a personal article will be retained in customs until the import duties are paid. Be forewarned that customs officials will usually stamp the passports of people who bring in obviously new merchandise.

Used clothing and books are not subject to taxes. So don’t pack them with taxable articles or you may have to pay taxes on them anyway. Have friends bring a few things when they come to visit you in Costa Rica. Always try to take as much as possible with you on the plane rather than shipping items by boat because most used personal things are not taxed at the airport. Even used appliances have a good chance of clearing airport customs if you can fit them on the plane.
(2) If you have a small amount (less than 500 pounds) of items that you can’t take with you as luggage you should consider sending it as air cargo. One slightly crazy friend of ours, who has moved back and forth between Costa Rica and the U.S. four times, highly recommends American Airlines Cargo. He always uses them to ship his belongings to Costa Rica.

If you choose to ship your belongings by air, try American Airlines. Call their 800 toll-free number. They will ask you your intended destination. You will then have to give them the number of boxes you are planning to ship, and the respective weight and dimensions of each box.

The operator will then figure the approximate cost. (All of the items will be weighed at the airport cargo facility.) The cost is based on either the total weight or the combined dimensions of all your boxes—whichever is greater.

You will then be given the choice of sending your things by express or standard freight. The latter is your best bet if you are not in a hurry since it only takes two to five days to reach Costa Rica from the U.S. The only drawback to shipping standard rate is that it will be on a space-available basis. So, your merchandise may be slightly delayed. The cost works out to be about a dollar per pound.

It is highly advisable to make your travel plans so as to arrive in Costa Rica before your shipment arrives. This way you can go directly to the customs house and remove your things after paying the corresponding taxes. We recommend packing your belongings in unmarked plain boxes. Especially if you are shipping computers, stereos or other electronic equipment. Number each box and put the name and address of the person who will be receiving them in Costa Rica. Make a list of the contents of each box for yourself, the airlines and customs. This will help ensure your boxes get there intact. All of your boxes should be made of thick cardboard and have plenty of packing materials to protect any fragile items. Airline employees often heap heavy boxes on top of other cargo. Be sure to write on any paperwork and air bills ”Not for resale.” This will save you a lot of money when the customs people figure out how much you will pay in taxes.

If you decide to get your things out of customs yourself, briefly the process goes like this. First, you will have to go to American Airlines cargo, located near the airport, pay a small fee and take the paperwork to the customs house. When you arrive there, you go to a couple of windows.

Next, you will sit and wait until they call your name. While you wait you can peek inside of a large glass window and watch the workers load and unload boxes of all sizes and shapes from the twenty-foot high storage shelves. When your name is called you go inside and the inspector opens all of your sealed boxes and determines what the contents are worth.

Because of low knowledge level or because the custom inspector will want to assist you, they sometimes apply the same rules as luggage and you’ll pay nothing or very little. Most of the time you don’t need a Customs broker to help you with a small shipment.

Finally, you go to a window, which also serves as a branch of of the national banks, and pay the taxes on the items you have imported.

We have a friend who claims he knows how to expedite this process. He sends an attractive women to do all of the paperwork. The customs agents seem to spend more time trying to flirt with her than figuring out the amount of tax that has to be paid.

There are small trucks or taxis de carga available outside the customs building that you can hire to take your belongings to your house or apartment. Prices are quite reasonable. We took a full load to San José and the driver only charged us around $30. He even helped us load and unload.

(3) If you have over 500 pounds and large items like refrigerators it is too expensive to ship by air. So, your best option will be to send your things by boat in a cargo container. It is more cost effective to use a large container and the transit time will be shorter. Your customs agent can get all of your household items and belongings out of customs.

(4) Driving through Mexico and Central America is another way to bring your household goods and personal belongings to Costa Rica. However, because of the length of the journey, delays at border crossings and other hassles this method is not recommended. We understand that some trucking companies will ship your belongings overland. Whether you chose to send some of your possessions by ship or plane as unaccompanied luggage, you will learn to exercise extreme patience. Be prepared to face some unnecessary delays and frustrations when dealing with the Costa Rican customs house, or aduana. Since the new modern customs warehouse opened near the airport this process has been somewhat streamlined.

However, it is more usual than not to make several trips to the customs warehouse to get your belongings. At worst you may spend all day dealing with mountains of paperwork, only to hear at the end of the day that you must come back tomorrow. Furthermore, fickle customs officials sometimes decide the value of the shipped goods and two identical shipments, can be taxed differently, depending on who examines them at the aduana. The documentation required to import personal effects and used household goods are: An original bill of lading, a copy of your passport including the pages with the last entry to Costa Rica and a list of the value of each item. This list should include brand name, model and serial number of all appliances large and small. All items have to be used for at least 6 months before shipping.

Because of this lengthy process and hassles, many people pay a local customs broker, Agencia Aduanera, or hire some other person or their lawyer to do this unpleasant task for them. It may cost a little more this way, but it will save valuable time.

We recommend the following company (Please see their ad in the classified ads section of this guide.) aBc Mudanzas
P.O. Box 147-1009
San José, Costa Rica
Tel/Fax: 011-(506) 227-2645
800-MUDANZA (800-683-2612)
E-mail:movers@sol.racsa.co.cr
Be sure to do the following when choosing a customs agency: Does the agency have English-speaking employees. Talk to them to see if they are customer-service oriented. Find out if they have the resources to access computerized customs information. Talk to long-time residents who have dealt with reputable agencies and get referrals. You may also choose to consult the yellow pages for listing of Agencias Aduaneras (Custom’s brokers). The Resident’s Association (ARCR) can give you the names of several customs agencies.