Removals to Costa Rica from the UK
Shipping to Costa Rica
Fast Secure Road & Sea
Full and part load
How do removals to Costa Rica from the UK work?
Removals to Costa Rica from the UK go by sea, in a full container or a part load sharing space with other households. We survey, pack and wrap everything, handle the export side here, and a Costa Rican agent clears the shipment, with your inventory translated into Spanish as the law requires.
Costa Rica does not offer a general household goods exemption. What it offers is a specific one-time benefit for people arriving under particular residency categories, applied for through a government system before the goods clear.
One coordinator runs the move throughout, and the inventory built at the survey becomes the translated document the clearance runs on.
How long do removals to Costa Rica take?
Your transit time is confirmed in writing on your quote, because it depends on the sailing schedule and whether you book a full container or a part load. A shared container waits until it is full before it sails, so it always takes longer than one of your own.
Clearance at the Costa Rican end is the part worth knowing about. Guidance commonly describes several weeks of working days once the shipment reaches the bonded warehouse near San Jose, so the total time from collection to delivery is longer than the sailing alone suggests.
Do I pay duty on my belongings going into Costa Rica?
There is no general exemption for household goods in Costa Rica. What exists is a one-time benefit tied to particular residency categories, including retirees and investors, which has to be applied for through the government’s exemption system and authorised before your goods are released.
Three conditions follow from that. It is available once only, it is tied to your residency status rather than to arriving as a tourist, and guidance indicates it should be used within roughly six months of your residency approval.
There is also an obligation people do not expect: beneficiaries are commonly required to be up to date with their Costa Rican tax and social security contributions before the exemption is granted. That is a reason to start the process early rather than at the quay.
Published sources differ on the detail and the scheme has been revised, so we do not publish thresholds on this page. Your coordinator has our Costa Rican agent confirm your eligibility and the current procedure before anything is loaded.
What documents do I need for removals to Costa Rica?
You will need your passport, the transport document, proof of your residency status, and a detailed inventory. The inventory has to be translated into Spanish to satisfy Costa Rican customs law, and electronics must be listed with brand, model and serial number.
The translation is not a formality and it is not something to improvise with an online tool at the port. We prepare it from the survey so it is accurate, complete and consistent with the English original.
The exemption itself is lodged through the government’s own system by your agent, so the timing of that application is coordinated with the sailing rather than left until the container has landed.
Which Costa Rican port will my shipment arrive at?
Most household shipments from the UK arrive on the Caribbean side at Limon, which is the natural entry point from Europe. Caldera on the Pacific coast handles traffic from Asia and the US west coast. Clearance commonly happens at a bonded warehouse near San Jose rather than at the quay.
That inland clearance step is worth understanding, because it means your container moves before it clears rather than after, and the clock on the paperwork runs while it is in the warehouse.
Tell your coordinator the delivery address and the access, particularly for the Guanacaste and Pacific coast developments, and the routing is planned around it.
Can I send a part load to Costa Rica?
Yes, and with a one-time exemption it is worth thinking carefully about what goes in it. A part load means you pay for the space your belongings actually take inside a shared container rather than hiring a whole one, which suits most retirement and lifestyle moves.
The care is identical. The difference is the schedule, because a shared container sails once it is full, so the date moves with the other households travelling in it.
Because the benefit can normally be used only once, the survey is where you decide what is genuinely worth bringing. There is more on our part load removals page.
Which parts of Costa Rica do you deliver to?
We deliver across Costa Rica, including San Jose, Alajuela, Heredia, Cartago, Limon, Liberia, Tamarindo, Jaco, Quepos and the Nicoya peninsula, as well as towns reached by road from those centres. Coastal and mountain roads shape the final leg more than the distance does.
The Guanacaste and Pacific coast properties popular with British arrivals often sit at the end of unmade or steep roads, and the rainy season can make them slower still. That is worth mentioning when you choose a delivery date.
Where a full-size lorry cannot reach the property, the final leg transfers to a smaller vehicle, which is planned into the quote rather than appearing as an extra.
What sets the price of removals to Costa Rica?
How much you are sending, whether you book a full container or a part load, how much packing you want us to do, and the access at the Costa Rican end. The inland clearance step and the Spanish translation are both part of the process here rather than optional extras.
Sea freight is priced on the space your belongings occupy rather than their weight, which is why the survey matters, and with a one-time exemption the decision about what to bring matters more than usual.
We quote in writing with the inclusions listed, and anything excluded says so.
Moving elsewhere in the region? We also run removals to Panama, Mexico and Colombia, and every route is listed on our Americas destinations page. Sending less than a full household? Part load removals explains shared containers.
Why people trust us with a move
These are not our words. They are our customers, on a review site we do not control.
- 4.6 out of 5 from 110 reviews on Trustpilot, rated Excellent
- Over 10,000 moves completed
- Typically replies within 24 hours, as shown on the Trustpilot profile
- Our own yard and storage at Riverside Industrial Estate, Fazeley, Tamworth
- Members of Approved Movers in the UK, and we only work with overseas agents who are members of BAR or FIDI
- Reviewing since October 2020, and still collecting them every month
From contact to collection everything has been really smooth. All emails were answered promptly. The three guys that came and collected our things were super friendly, helpful and extremely careful with our belongings.
Vanessa, May 2026 – verified Trustpilot review
Removals to Costa Rica: frequently asked questions
Is there a general duty-free allowance for household goods?
No. Costa Rica does not offer a blanket exemption. What exists is a specific one-time benefit for people arriving under particular residency categories, applied for through the government’s exemption system and authorised before release.
Can I use the exemption more than once?
No, it is normally a one-time benefit. That is why the survey is where you decide properly what is worth bringing, because a second shipment later would not carry the same treatment.
Why does my inventory need translating?
Costa Rican customs law requires the inventory in Spanish. We prepare it from the survey so it is accurate and matches the English original, rather than leaving it to be improvised at the port.
Do I need to be up to date with Costa Rican taxes?
Commonly yes. Guidance indicates beneficiaries need to be current with their tax and social security obligations before the exemption is granted, which is a reason to start the process well before your goods arrive.
Why does clearance take so long?
Because shipments commonly clear at a bonded warehouse near San Jose rather than at the quay, and guidance describes several weeks of working days once the goods are there. It is normal rather than a sign something has gone wrong.
Can you deliver to Guanacaste or the Nicoya peninsula?
Yes, and it is a lot of what we do there. The roads can be unmade or steep and the rainy season slows them further, so tell us the property at the survey and the final leg is planned properly.
Is my shipment insured?
Cover is arranged against the value you declare, and the level of cover depends on that declaration and the terms in our agreement. Our guide to removals insurance explains it in full.