Costa Rica Shipping – Travel to Costa Rica and you’ll soon discover the sun, scenery and wildlife which earned this country its Rich Coast title. But even in paradise there are some things you just can’t get, and that’s when couriers can come to the rescue. Whether you’re sending a delicious treat to family back home or have to send over your latest eBay sale, shipping internationally doesn’t have to be as intimidating as it first appears. To help you find your feet, International Delivery Experts ParcelHero have put together a simple guide to shipping to Costa Rica.
Pack up the Product
Once you’ve picked whatever it is you’d like to send to Costa Rica, you have to make sure that it’s still in great condition when it arrives. It’s important to keep in mind that shipping internationally isn’t the gentlest process – so packaging that seems more than adequate to protect against the bumps and knocks of travelling around the world may well prove to be just the opposite. For the best results, ParcelHero suggests that you:
- Buy a brand new box – although old boxes may appear to be in good condition, they can be hiding flaws that could lead to damage in transit
- Wrap your goods up carefully using a protective material like bubble wrap – don’t be shy with it! It’s cheaper than replacing your goods
- Suspend the contents in plenty of packaging material – whether it’s paper, peanuts or a custom designed polystyrene bed, try to make sure that no part of your goods are touching the walls of the box
- Seal up your box with a good amount of packing tape. If you make a union flag pattern along the top of the box you’re in the right sort of area
What happens when it arrives in Costa Rica?
Now that it’s well wrapped up and ready to send, the only thing left to worry about is customs. As soon as the parcel arrives in the country it has to pass through customs clearance. During this process your package will be inspected, fees applied to shipments worth more than $50 and, once everything is in order, cleared.
By filling in your customs documentation clearly and comprehensively you will help your customs officer clear your shipment more quickly and help ensure you pay the right duties and taxes on it. Duties and taxes are applied to packages worth more than $50 and gifts worth more than $500.
One of the most common mistakes made shipping internationally is improperly declaring the contents of your goods. This can lead to delays in clearing customs, the wrong fees being applied and your package being opened and physically inspected. To avoid this, be detailed when declaring your goods – instead of declaring “Electronics” for example, declare that your parcel contains a “Mobile Phone” or an “Electronic Reading Device”. If you’re sending a gift, be sure to declare that’s the case, but remember to still describe the contents of your parcel.
If duties and taxes are applied to your shipment, they will be the responsibility of the receiver of the package. The package can’t be cleared from customs until these fees are paid, so the recipient will be contacted by customs officers to pay the fees. It is possible to pay customs fees as the sender, but this option does often come with an extra charge and you will need to talk to the company you’re sending with to arrange it.
Click to Get Your Free Costa Rica Shipping & Relocation Guide
A note on shipping food to Costa Rica
Food is one of the more commonly problematic items to ship internationally as there are a variety of rules and regulations that change depending on your destination. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be as bad as it sounds – all you have to do is follow a few simple rules to help minimise the risk of something going wrong:
- Foods must be in the original manufacturer’s packaging.
- Food packaging must be sealed and not tampered with in any way.
- Food label must list all ingredients.
- Foods must have a shelf life of longer than six months from the date of shipping.
- All foods that have a shelf life of less than six months will be classed as perishables, and cannot be sent via courier, even if store bought.
What you can’t send to Costa Rica
You can’t just send anything you like when it comes to shipping – you have to work with what your courier of choice is happy to carry, and what the country you’re sending to allows into the country. Every carrier has their own specialisations and their own list of items they’re not happy to ship. For an example, you can check out ParcelHero’s restricted items. In much the same way, every country that you send to has restrictions around what you’re allowed to bring into the country. When you’re sending to Costa Rica you should be sure to contact your carrier or the Costa Rican customs team to ensure that the contents of your package are allowed into Costa Rica.
All that’s left is getting the best quote
ParcelHero ships to 220 countries and offers a high quality, reliable service at a fraction of the cost of booking couriers directly. We only use the world’s leading couriers, including UPS, DHL and Fed Ex, ensuring our delivery services are of the highest quality, but without the premium price tag.
