Moving With Snakes Internationally

Hello!

I hope I am asking this in the right area. First time poster, please be nice.

I am in Canada and am looking to do an international permanent move to Central or South America. Exact location is flexible and not yet finalized. Early retirement allows for location freedom.

Currently, I am mainly looking at either Costa Rica or Argentina. However the ability to bring my snakes is a make-or-break deal on where I decide to settle.

I can’t seem to find any straight answers as to if my pet snakes can be imported to either of these countries with me…never mind how to do it. Just that it will be expensive and alot of paperwork assuming it is even doable.

Google just gives an AI Summary with the reference being an article that alternates between “Argentina” and “Afghanistan” in the text…gonna say not a reliable source.

I have contacted a couple of “international pet moving specialists” and have been told that yes, they can transport from Toronto to CR or Argentina…however, they cannot advise on necessary regulations, procedures, or even verify if the animals in question are even permitted into the country. So basically, “we will take 1000’s of dollars to fly your snakes half way across the world to get euthanized at customs.”

Are there any breeders, expats, or anyone else out there with experience with shipping to these areas? I would love all the help that I can get.

If Costa Rica and or Argentina are not possible are there suggestions of central/South American countries that will accept them?

The snakes in question are boa imperator, boa sigma (Tarahumara), and epicrates cencheria (Brazilian Rainbow boa). 9 snakes total.

Thanks for any advice!
Sorry if my post doesn’t belong here!

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I don’t have any knowledge of exporting, but maybe look through the ads for your snakes’ species and contact any breeder that lists those countries as places they can export? They might be able to give you some pointers or potentially do it for you for a fee. You can also do a Google search for reptile exporters. I know JMG Reptiles and Geckos, Etc offer export services (not sure if worldwide, though).

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Yes, it will be expensive, probably a lot of paperwork, and there is risk your animals could be seized/euthanized if you do it incorrectly. That said, I can try to point you in the correct direction.

In the case of both countries, it looks like you’d need to talk to SENASA. These are the government agencies overseeing the process, and the ones who can tell you what documentation, permits, certificates, fees, etc you may need/incur. In Costa Rica that is the Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal. You will want the guide labeled “Importacion de Animales, Productos y Sub Productos de Origen Animal”, it is in Spanish. In Argentina it is the Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria:

Both of those websites should give you what you need, as well as have contact options to speak with them directly if you have further questions.

Edited to add: Also moved the post to the Boas category for you.

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Awesome! Thank you! that is a good idea for the breeder search.

I have been looking at pet moving services, and am finding a lot of shady ones out there.

One place I spoke to said “Oh, yeah! for sure, we can move them to Costa Rica!” Then after a little extra digging, I find out that importing boas into CR is highly illegal.

Basically, this company was offering to take thousands of dollars to transport my snakes halfway across the world, just to have them euthenized at customs.

I am getting so paranoid about the whole process. Thank god the move is a distance out.

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Thank you!

I have managed to find out that CR is a no-go, but am still optimistic about Argentina.

I appreciate the link. I got close to that one, but yours is better than what I found. Right now I am getting links to emails with full mail boxes, or referrals to other departments.

I think that the topic of “importing reptiles into the country” is the South American equivalent of “exactly what is in Area 51” for North America. LOL!

Thanks again! I will definitely look into that one. Also thank you for the cross post :slight_smile:

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