Costa rica Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in costa rica, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
Select Country Guide
Prohibited and Restricted Imports
Last published date:

The Government of Costa Rica prohibits and restricts the import of only a few goods, specifically 37 HS codes, and the reason is generally due to public safety, health, and environment protection. Is prohibited to import used tires without rims because they might contain mosquitoes carrying yellow fever or dengue fever breed in water accumulated in rimless tires.  Also, the import of used shoes is prohibited and recently used clothing has been subjected to labeling regulations. The import of weapons and explosives is closely regulated; only the Government may import automatic firearms. Blood imports are also prohibited.  

There is an estate monopoly regarding importing, refinery and distribution or crude oil and its derivatives, only the Costa Rican Petroleum Refinery, RECOPE (Spanish abbreviation) can manage this sector in the territory.

It is also prohibited to import husk, coffee husk and used carboard egg separators because of biological risks.  This measure was established to protect health and avoid plagues.

Since 1991 all ozone depleting substances have import restrictions as well as asbestos.

Cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, natural products with pharmaceutical use and medicines are restricted and all of them must comply with regulations with the pertaining ministry before entering the country.

Before importing make sure to check with the customs broker in the national tariff system to see if there are any Technical Note related to the product.

Warranty and Non-Warranty Repairs 

Costa Rican law does not exempt replacement parts from duties or taxes even if the parts are used in warranty repairs.  Equipment used to make repairs can be permitted temporarily for a three-month period, renewable once, upon depositing with customs the amount of duty that would be charged if the item was imported.  The deposit is refunded upon re-export of the equipment. 

×

Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

Privacy Program | Information Quality Guidelines | Accessibility