Sending your belongings to Costa Rica by sea
Moving to Costa Rica, going home after years in Canada, or sending boxes to family? Personal effects travel in a shared ocean container (LCL groupage) from our receiving warehouses in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver to San Jose. You pay only for the space your boxes take, from USD 9 per cubic foot, and the carrier estimates 40–50 days in transit depending on the gateway and the city.
Personal effects to Costa Rica are accepted subject to carrier approval: before you pay, we send your packing list and passport copy to the carrier, and only then is the booking confirmed.
Costa Rican citizens returning after a long stay abroad and pensionado or rentista residents can apply for duty exemptions on used household goods; others pay import taxes. A local customs broker handles clearance, and the consignee should have the residence documents ready before the cargo arrives.
Many Canadians retire or spend winters in Costa Rica, and household goods for them are a common shipment. Import taxes on vehicles, electronics and appliances can be high unless you hold a qualifying residence category, so compare the cost of buying locally. Wooden items must be ISPM 15 treated, and the Ministry of Agriculture inspects food and plant products.
Household goods to San José. Costa Rica is one of the quicker Latin American routes in the tariff: about 40 days from Toronto or Montreal and about 50 days from Vancouver to San José in the Central Valley. Snowbirds and retirees often send a few dozen boxes rather than a whole household. The carrier approves each shipment from the passport copy and the signed packing list, household goods must be professionally packed, and the declared value stays within CAD 2,000.
Number every carton of belongings, write the same number on the list, and put the receiver's name and a Costa Rican phone number on two sides of each box. Leave food and plants out of the boxes, as they are inspected closely.
Rates for household boxes to Costa Rica
| Destination | From Toronto | From Montreal | From Vancouver |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose | USD 9 / cu ft 40 days · min. USD 611.14 | USD 9 / cu ft 40 days · min. USD 609.93 | USD 14 / cu ft 50 days · min. USD 787.34 |
Example: moving boxes from Toronto to San Jose
A medium moving box of 18 × 18 × 16 inches holds 3.0 cubic feet; packed with clothes, books and kitchenware it weighs about 15 kg.
- 10 boxes (30 cu ft, 150 kg): USD 611.14
- 20 boxes (60 cu ft, 300 kg): USD 805.00
- The smallest shipment: USD 611.14
The totals include the A1 processing fee, surcharges and solar fee. The carrier charges by volume or by weight (1,000 kg per CBM), whichever is greater. From the Prairies, with trucking to the port included: Calgary USD 1,005.00 (via Montreal) and Winnipeg USD 1,005.00 (via Montreal).
Which Canadian gateway: 20 boxes to San Jose
- From Toronto: USD 805.00, about 40 days
- From Montreal: USD 805.00, about 40 days
- From Vancouver: USD 1,105.00, about 50 days
Toronto is both the least expensive and the fastest gateway to San Jose. Choose the warehouse you can reach; from other Canadian cities the calculator shows the lowest of the three.
Documents for personal effects
- Passport copy. The photo page of the shipper's passport. It must be valid (not expired) and the name must match the shipper on the booking and on the packing list. We accept a passport from any country, but no other ID.
- Packing list. Our fillable packing list (PDF) names the shipper and the receiver in Costa Rica and lists every box: contents, quantity, dimensions, weight and value. Number the boxes and write the same numbers on the list. "Winter clothes, 2 coats, 6 sweaters" is useful; "personal items" is not. Sign it before you upload it.
- Customs value. The total declared value of the shipment may not exceed CAD 2,000.
The carrier's tariff requires a passport copy and a complete, detailed packing list for every personal-effects shipment, and household goods must be professionally packed. More help: how to fill in the packing list.
Packing advice
Your boxes are handled several times: at the warehouse, in the container and at the terminal in San Jose. Use new, strong double-wall cartons and fill them completely so they do not collapse under the weight of others; seal every seam with packing tape. Put heavy items such as books in small boxes and light items in larger ones. Write the receiver's name and city in Costa Rica on two sides of every box. Many boxes can be strapped onto a pallet on ISPM 15 heat-treated wood; you or your mover prepare the pallet, A1 does not palletize.
What not to pack
The carrier does not accept vehicles or parts with fuel, food, plants, animals, medication, weapons, dangerous goods (aerosols, batteries, paint, flammable liquids), cash, jewellery or other valuables. If you are not sure about an item, ask us before you pack it.
Carrier conditions for Costa Rica
The carrier's tariff lists no special conditions for Costa Rica beyond the general rules on this page; the destination charges are confirmed for each booking.
Insurance (optional)
Cargo insurance for personal effects is arranged through Marsh Canada (CargoCover): owner-packed goods, all risks, with a USD 300 deductible. To request it, sign the insurance coverage form and complete the valued inventory, then upload both on your booking page before departure. All forms: useful links and forms.
How to book
Calculate the price in the calculator above with the cargo type "Personal effects", accept the quote and upload the passport copy and the signed packing list on your booking page. After the carrier approves the shipment and confirms the destination charges, you pay and receive the labels and the warehouse delivery instructions. You deliver the boxes yourself: A1 does not offer pickup from your home.
Shipping to Costa Rica by service
- All shipping to Costa Rica: rates and destinations
- Commercial cargo shipping to Costa Rica from Canada
A1 services from Canada: Ocean LCL shipping, personal effects, commercial cargo, air freight (on request).
Questions and answers
How much does it cost to ship 20 boxes to Costa Rica?
Twenty medium moving boxes (about 60 cu ft and 300 kg) from Toronto to San Jose cost about USD 805.00 including all A1 fees. Destination charges, duties and taxes are confirmed separately.
Which ID do I need to ship personal effects to Costa Rica?
A copy of the photo page of the shipper's passport: valid, not expired, and in the same name as the shipper on the booking and the packing list. A passport from any country is accepted; no other ID is.
Can A1 pick up my boxes at home?
No. You or a local mover deliver the packed boxes to our receiving warehouse in Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver; the warehouse measures and weighs them and the final price follows those measurements.
Rates valid through December 25, 2026; totals include A1 fees of USD 265.00. Destination charges are confirmed by the carrier, duties and taxes are paid by the consignee, and transit days are the carrier's estimate.