Costa Rica Shipping – Need family or friends to send you missed items in Costa Rica or want to import things that are not found or are expensive in the country? Shipping companies to the rescue! What would we do without them?
When it comes to shipping packages to Costa Rica, make sure goods are protected in bubble wrap and shipped in a brand new box. Seal the box in packing tape to avoid damage along the way.
Customs will have to clear the parcel. The package will be inspected and if worth over $50 fees will be applied. Taxes are added to packages worth over $50 and also added to gifts worth over $500. Declare your goods correctly for a speedy process. Be as specific as possible.
When it comes to shipping vehicles to or containers to Costa Rica, getting a company to get the shipment to the country is the easy part, but taking it through customs and ensuring that you are not screwed on import taxes requires the experience of a company based in Costa Rica like Shipping Costa Rica.
When getting quotes for shipping to Costa Rica make sure you are comparing apples to apples not apples to oranges. Many companies out of the USA or Canada will be giving you a quote for shipping to port. they are not including the fees and processing on the Costa Rican end.
Questions to Ask:
- Do you pay the redestino fee? This is the charge that a shipping company must pay to get it sent from port to the fiscal warehouse in Costa Rica
- Are you taking it through the entire customs process in Costa Rica? In other words can I pick it up or can it be delivered after you are through with the shipment
- Do you have customs brokers that you work with in Costa Rica?
- Do you have contacts to ensure that I am not paying too much for import taxes?
- Are all costs included in this quote or is there anything that will be extra other than import taxes to be able to pick up or deliver to my location in Costa Rica?
Also if a shipping company is quoting import taxes as part of their quote, ask them to separate them out. Normally they are padding profits by adding these taxes in and if they are estimating without seeing an inventory list then that should be a red flag when shipping to Costa Rica.
Remember you can’t ship perishable food, food without a seal and ingredient label, or restricted items.
If you want more information about shipping to Costa Rica click the link below to get your free Costa Rica Shipping guide.