Importing Plants
To request authorization, interested parties must present a written request, submitted via the Form for Authorization of Customs Clearance (Formulario de Autorizacion de Desalmacenaje), for each import product. This form must be delivered to the full service window at the Ministry of Foreign Commerce. To expedite a plant health certificate, the Ministry of Environment in the origin country must grant its approval. Expedited authorization will not be given for plant products that have already arrived in Costa Rica.
All advanced authorizations will be valid for 30 days from the date of issuance. The Plant Health Service retains the right to suspend any authorization for reasons of disease or infestation in the exporting country that may affect the product. Additionally, parties interested using plant imports to create concentrates for animal foods must be registered with the Ministry of Agriculture’s Center for Investigation and Animal Nutrition (Centro de Investigacion y Nutricion Animal).
After reviewing each request, the Department of Vegetable Quarantine (Departamento de Cuarentena Vegetal) issues its corresponding advance authorization, or plant quarantine permit. This authorization contains all plant health requirements, as established by the government of Costa Rica. In the case that no requirements exist for a certain type of import, guidelines are established in Technical Guide ARF 01.
All plant products must arrive in Costa Rica accompanied by original copies of the Form for Authorization of Customs Clearance, Advance Authorization, and Plant Health Certificate, as well as any other required customs documents. The product will be inspected upon arrival in Costa Rica.
Plant Health Certificate
The plant's health certificate (Certificado Fitosanitario) must be issued by the exportation country’s Ministry of Agriculture, or a corresponding office, for example the U.S. Department of Agriculture: Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service. The Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Control (Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganaderia) in Costa Rica requires that plant examination be conducted within two weeks of departure and that the health certificate be issued within 72 hours before departure.
The health certificate must state that the plant is healthy and free of parasites or any signs of dangerous or contagious diseases. Furthermore, the certificate must list recent diseases that have been reported in the state, city, and country of departure, and it must state that the plant is healthy. The plant health certificate does not need to be authenticated by a Consulate of Costa Rica. The Plant Health Service of Costa Rica retains the right to suspend any authorization for reasons of disease or infestation in the exporting country that may affect the product.