Promote:
Export from Costa Rica
A short guide for companies selling from Costa Rica: the export figures, the agreements and their limits, the main steps and who can help, each with its source.
1. What Costa Rica sells, and who buys it
Goods exports
US$22.6 billion
Merchandise exports were US$22,638,416,089 in 2025 as UN Comtrade reports them, including re-exports.
Source: UN Comtrade, Costa Rica exports by destination, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
Services exports
US$18.1 billion
Services exports were US$18,083.3 million in 2025, from the WTO, UNCTAD and ITC services data on UNCTADstat.
Source: UNCTADstat, WTO-UNCTAD-ITC services exports, Costa Rica, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
Top goods exports
2025
- 1. Medical and surgical instruments (HS 9018)US$9.03 billion
- 2. Orthopedic and medical appliances (HS 9021)US$1.61 billion
- 3. Pineapples, avocados and mangoes (HS 0804)US$1.37 billion
- 4. Bananas and plantains (HS 0803)US$1.08 billion
- 5. Other prepared foods (HS 2106)US$959.5 million
- 6. Coffee (HS 0901)US$475.3 million
- 7. Insulated wire and cable (HS 8544)US$340.9 million
- 8. Fruit and vegetable juices (HS 2009)US$305.8 million
Show 12 more products
- 9. Blood products, vaccines and cultures (HS 3002)US$265 million
- 10. Palm oil (HS 1511)US$240 million
- 11. Cassava, sweet potatoes and other roots (HS 0714)US$222.9 million
- 12. New rubber tires (HS 4011)US$216.9 million
- 13. Electrical switches and connectors (HS 8536)US$212.9 million
- 14. Sauces and seasonings (HS 2103)US$180.4 million
- 15. Packaged medicines (HS 3004)US$179.1 million
- 16. Prepared and preserved fruit and nuts (HS 2008)US$162.2 million
- 17. Frozen beef (HS 0202)US$142 million
- 18. Massage and therapy appliances (HS 9019)US$136.6 million
- 19. Sanitary pads and diapers (HS 9619)US$134.5 million
- 20. Other plastic articles (HS 3926)US$133.3 million
- Comtrade flow X includes re-exports, so the ranking is not domestic exports alone. Source (opens in a new tab)
- As the WTO review of 2019 notes, medical instruments come mainly from free zone firms, so the ranking does not show what a small company could sell. Source (opens in a new tab)
Source: UN Comtrade, Costa Rica exports by product, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
Where the goods go
2025, share of goods exports
- United States47.8%
- Netherlands9.8%
- Belgium4.8%
- Guatemala4.6%
- Nicaragua3.6%
- Honduras3%
- Panama2.7%
- El Salvador2.4%
- Shares are of the 2025 total that Costa Rica reports to UN Comtrade; the groupings left out are 0.0 percent of it. Source (opens in a new tab)
Source: UN Comtrade, Costa Rica exports by destination, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
2. What to look into next
Our reading
The research marks pineapples, avocados and mangoes, bananas and plantains and other prepared foods as lines a small or mid-sized company could be in. If yours is one, check which markets buy that line, not only Costa Rica’s top destinations overall.
Source: UN Comtrade, Costa Rica exports by product, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Based on: Top goods exports
Coffee grew 36% from 2024 to 2025; fruit and vegetable juices grew 28% from 2024 to 2025. A growing line can mean buyers are looking for more; confirm it with that line’s buyers before you plan around it.
Source: UN Comtrade, Costa Rica exports by product, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Based on: Top goods exports, against the year before
The United States takes 47.8% of Costa Rica’s goods exports. If you sell there, its import rules and buyer channels come first; either way, compare at least one other market before you commit.
Source: UN Comtrade, Costa Rica exports by destination, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Based on: Where the goods go
Promote:Global’s reading of the figures above, not a source’s statement, and not advice.
3. Trade agreements
What each arrangement can mean for a seller, and its limits. A preference is conditional: check the rules of origin before you quote.
Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR)
Gives qualifying Costa Rican goods preferential tariffs in the United States and the other member markets, though most goods now also pay a United States Section 301 tariff.
Rules-based preference; as of October 31, 2026 the United States also charges a 12.5 percent Section 301 tariff on most Costa Rican goods. Check the exemption lists before you quote.
Source: COMEX, CAFTA-DR treaty page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Acuerdo de Asociación entre Centroamérica y la Unión Europea (AACUE)
Gives qualifying goods preferential access to the European Union market.
Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access; check the origin rules for your product. The whole agreement has fully applied since May 1, 2024; its trade pillar applied provisionally to Costa Rica from October 1, 2013.
Source: European Commission, trade relations with Central America (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Acuerdo de Asociación entre Centroamérica y el Reino Unido (AACRU)
Gives qualifying goods preferential access to the United Kingdom market, continuing the earlier European Union terms.
Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access; check the origin rules for your product.
Source: COMEX, Central America-United Kingdom agreement page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Tratado de Libre Comercio entre los Estados AELC y los Estados Centroamericanos
Gives qualifying goods preferential access to Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access; the date is Norway's, and Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Iceland followed in 2014.
Source: COMEX, EFTA free trade agreement page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Show 16 more agreements
Tratado de Libre Comercio entre Costa Rica y Canadá
Gives qualifying goods preferential access to Canada.
Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access; check the origin rules for your product.
Source: COMEX, Canada free trade agreement page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Tratado de Libre Comercio entre los Estados Unidos Mexicanos y las Repúblicas de Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras y Nicaragua
Gives qualifying goods preferential access to Mexico.
Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access; check the origin rules for your product.
Source: COMEX, Mexico free trade agreement page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Tratado de Libre Comercio entre Centroamérica y Chile
Gives qualifying goods preferential access to Chile under Costa Rica's bilateral protocol.
Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access; check the origin rules for your product.
Source: COMEX, Chile free trade agreement page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Tratado de Libre Comercio entre Centroamérica y Panamá
Gives qualifying goods preferential access to Panama.
Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access; check the origin rules for your product.
Source: COMEX, Panama free trade agreement page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Tratado de Libre Comercio entre Centroamérica y República Dominicana
Gives qualifying goods preferential access to the Dominican Republic.
Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access; check the origin rules for your product.
Source: COMEX, Dominican Republic free trade agreement page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Tratado de Libre Comercio entre Costa Rica y la Comunidad de Estados del Caribe (CARICOM)
Gives qualifying goods preferential access to the CARICOM members with which it applies.
Rules-based preference; it applies only with members where it is in force, such as Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Barbados, Belize and Jamaica.
Source: COMEX, CARICOM free trade agreement page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Tratado de Libre Comercio entre Costa Rica y Perú
Gives qualifying goods preferential access to Peru.
Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access; check the origin rules for your product.
Source: COMEX, Peru free trade agreement page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Tratado de Libre Comercio entre Costa Rica y Singapur
Gives qualifying goods preferential access to Singapore.
Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access; check the origin rules for your product.
Source: COMEX, Singapore free trade agreement page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Tratado de Libre Comercio entre Costa Rica y China
Gives qualifying goods preferential access to China.
Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access; check the origin rules for your product.
Source: COMEX, China free trade agreement page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Tratado de Libre Comercio entre Costa Rica y Colombia
Gives qualifying goods preferential access to Colombia.
Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access; check the origin rules for your product.
Source: COMEX, Colombia free trade agreement page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Tratado de Libre Comercio entre Centroamérica y la República de Corea
Gives qualifying goods preferential access to Korea.
Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access; check the origin rules for your product.
Source: COMEX, Korea free trade agreement page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Acuerdo de Asociación Comercial entre Costa Rica y Ecuador
Gives qualifying goods preferential access to Ecuador.
Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access; check the origin rules for your product.
Source: COMEX, Ecuador trade agreement page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Acuerdo Integral de Asociación Económica en Comercio e Inversión entre Costa Rica y los Emiratos Árabes Unidos
Gives qualifying goods preferential access to the United Arab Emirates, a Gulf market.
Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access; check the origin rules for your product.
Source: COMEX, United Arab Emirates agreement page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Tratado de Libre Comercio entre Costa Rica e Israel
Will give qualifying goods preferential access to Israel once it enters into force.
No preference applies yet; the signing is reported in PROCOMER's 2025 annual report, and the entry into force is not established here.
Source: PROCOMER, annual report 2025 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Tratado Integral y Progresista de Asociación Transpacífico (CPTPP)
Would give qualifying goods preferential access to the member markets after accession.
No preference applies yet; accession talks were substantially concluded on May 5, 2026, and the protocol still needs signing and approval by the Legislative Assembly.
Source: COMEX, Transpacific Partnership accession page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Tratado General de Integración Económica Centroamericana
Underlies trade with the Central American Common Market partners, Costa Rica's neighbors to the north.
Rules-based regime; check the regional rules and the customs treatment for your product.
Source: COMEX, Central American integration page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
4. Steps to export
The main steps, in order, each with the body responsible and its official page.
Exporting from Costa Rica
- Register as an exporter with PROCOMER through the single window platform, version 2.0.Promotora del Comercio Exterior de Costa RicaOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: PROCOMER, exporter guide (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Check whether your goods need a technical note permit from the agency that controls them.Promotora del Comercio Exterior de Costa RicaOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: AduanaFácil, exporter guide (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- For plant products, register as an exporter with the State Phytosanitary Service and request a certificate for each shipment.Servicio Fitosanitario del EstadoOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: SFE, plant export procedures (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- For animals and animal-origin goods, follow SENASA's user guide for the export certificate and plant authorization.Servicio Nacional de Salud AnimalOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: SENASA, user guides for procedures (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Show 4 more export steps
- If your buyer claims an agreement preference, get a controlled certificate from the Origin Unit, or self-certify where the agreement allows.Unidad de Origen, Ventanilla Única de Comercio ExteriorEUR.1 form: US$3.Official page (opens in a new tab)
Source: COMEX, certification of origin page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- If your buyer needs conformity reports, use a laboratory or certification body accredited by the national accreditation body.Ente Costarricense de AcreditaciónOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: ECA, about the accreditation body (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Declare the export on the single customs declaration, directly or through a customs agent, and pay any taxes due.Servicio Nacional de AduanasOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: AduanaFácil, exporter guide (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- To recover import duties paid on inputs for exported goods, apply to the duty drawback regime.Promotora del Comercio Exterior de Costa RicaOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: PROCOMER, duty drawback regime guide (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
5. Organizations that help exporters
Start with PROCOMER, Aduanas and INEC. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
Each card says what it can help with:Get adviceFind financeMeet requirementsResearch markets
Export development and market information
- Get advice
National trade and investment agency
PROCOMER
Promotora del Comercio Exterior de Costa Rica
Runs export programs, the foreign trade single window and the special regimes, and promotes foreign direct investment.
Visit PROCOMER (opens in a new tab)Source: PROCOMER, about the agency (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Research markets
National statistics office
INEC
Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos
Produces the national consumer price index that the central bank republishes.
Visit INEC (opens in a new tab)Source: BCCR, consumer price index table to September 2026 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Show 1 more organization
- Find finance
Regional development bank
BCIE
Banco Centroamericano de Integración Económica
Regional body
Finances business and trade through partner banks across Central America.
Visit BCIE (opens in a new tab)Source: BCIE, news of June 22, 2026 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of June 22, 2026
Customs and tax
- Meet requirements
Customs authority
Aduanas
Servicio Nacional de Aduanas
Receives export declarations and explains the export steps, from exporter registration to documents and taxes.
Visit Aduanas (opens in a new tab)Source: AduanaFácil, exporter guide (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Meet requirements
Finance and tax ministry
Hacienda
Ministerio de Hacienda
Registers taxpayers and runs the tax and customs services, including its new taxpayer app for registering and filing.
Visit Hacienda (opens in a new tab)Source: Hacienda, press release of October 21, 2026 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 21, 2026
Standards and sector requirements
- Meet requirements
Plant health authority
SFE
Servicio Fitosanitario del Estado
Controls plant imports and exports, certifies the plant health of export products and regulates agricultural chemicals.
Visit SFE (opens in a new tab)Source: SFE, about the State Phytosanitary Service (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Meet requirements
Animal health authority
SENASA
Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal
Issues export certificates for animals and animal-origin products and authorizes processing establishments for export.
Visit SENASA (opens in a new tab)Source: SENASA, user guides for procedures (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Show 3 more organizations
- Meet requirements
National accreditation body
ECA
Ente Costarricense de Acreditación
Accredits laboratories and inspection and certification bodies whose reports buyers and regulators accept.
Visit ECA (opens in a new tab)Source: ECA, about the accreditation body (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Meet requirements
National metrology laboratory
LACOMET
Laboratorio Costarricense de Metrología
Provides national measurement standards and metrology services through its physical, chemical and legal metrology departments.
Visit LACOMET (opens in a new tab)Source: LACOMET, home page, September 2026 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Meet requirements
National standards body
INTECO
Instituto de Normas Técnicas de Costa Rica
Publishes Costa Rica's national technical standards and offers certification and training; a law designates it as the national standards body.
Visit INTECO (opens in a new tab)Source: INTECO, about the national standards body (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Chambers and industry associations
- Get advice
Binational chamber of commerce
AmCham
Cámara Costarricense-Norteamericana de Comercio
Connects member companies through a member directory and events.
Visit AmCham (opens in a new tab)Source: AmCham Costa Rica, home page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Get advice
Chamber of commerce
Cámara de Comercio
Cámara de Comercio de Costa Rica
Runs a business training center, a women entrepreneurs program and a conciliation and arbitration center.
Visit Cámara de Comercio (opens in a new tab)Source: Chamber of Commerce of Costa Rica, home page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Show 2 more organizations
- Get advice
Industrial chamber
CICR
Cámara de Industrias de Costa Rica
Signs certificates of origin for member exporters and offers training, certification and advice.
Visit CICR (opens in a new tab)Source: CICR, services page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Get advice
Technology industry chamber
CAMTIC
Cámara de Tecnologías de Información y Comunicación
Gives members non-technical export advice and runs events for technology and services companies.
Visit CAMTIC (opens in a new tab)Source: CAMTIC, member services (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
6. Worth knowing
Customs system change
Hacienda expects phase one of its new ATENA customs system, covering air and sea exports and national transit, in the first quarter of 2027; training began October 19, 2026.
What to do: Join the customs training and ask your customs agent how the change affects your export declarations.
Source: Hacienda, press release of October 14, 2026 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
European residue limits
On August 14, 2026 the State Phytosanitary Service warned of European limit changes from February 2027 for fungicides used on pineapple, melon and watermelon, and from September 2027 for diazinon.
What to do: Check the current limits for your crop and buyer before you schedule shipments.
Source: SFE, notice on European residue limits, August 2026 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
United States tariff
From July 24, 2026 the United States adds a 12.5 percent Section 301 tariff to goods of Costa Rica, except listed products and duty-free CAFTA-DR textiles and apparel.
What to do: Check whether your product is on the notice's exemption annexes before you quote a United States buyer.
Sources: USTR, Section 301 forced-labor tariff notice, July 2026 (opens in a new tab); Federal Register, presidential memorandum on Section 301 tariffs, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Export concentration
Medical and surgical instruments were 39.9 percent of 2025 merchandise exports in UN Comtrade data, and COMEX names precision and medical equipment as the main export sector.
What to do: Check which lines in the ranking come from free zone plants before you benchmark your own product.
Sources: UN Comtrade, Costa Rica exports by product, 2025 (opens in a new tab); COMEX, press release of October 26, 2026 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Show 2 more
Logistics and border performance
PROCOMER's 2025 report says the new integrated control at Peñas Blancas handles 87 percent of the country's land exports to Central America and Mexico.
What to do: Schedule land shipments around the integrated control and confirm its current hours with your customs agent.
Source: PROCOMER, annual report 2025 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Trade agreement pipeline
COMEX says CPTPP members announced on May 5, 2026 that Costa Rica's accession talks were substantially concluded; PROCOMER reports the agreement with the United Arab Emirates entered into force.
What to do: Do not assume a preference applies to a market until its agreement is in force.
Sources: COMEX, Transpacific Partnership accession page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab); PROCOMER, annual report 2025 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
7. How Promote:Global helps
- Compare potential export marketsSee which markets import what you sell, ranked on public trade data, and read each country before you commit.
- Check duties and document requirementsCheck the duty, the origin conditions for a preferential rate and the documents a shipment needs.
- Find advisors and service firmsAsk an advisory firm a scoped, paid question, or browse firms that list their own services, from legal work to logistics.
- Organize your next stepsKeep each product and market in a project, with a roadmap of steps you work through.
Turn this guide into your Costa Rica project.
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Promote:Costa Rica is an independent guide by Promote:Global, not an official government portal. The organizations named here are independent public and membership bodies, not Promote:Global partners, and every link goes to their own site.
Facts read from public sources, with an editorial cut-off of October 31, 2026. Nothing here is investment, legal, tax or sanctions advice. Check current status with the organization before you rely on it.