Exporting Products to COSTA RICA

Location: Costa Rica is a republic in Central America, it borders Nicaragua to the North, Panama to the South, the Atlantic Ocean to the East, and the Pacific Ocean to the West. The capital and largest city is San Jose.

Is there a trade agreement between Costa Rica and the UK? Yes, as part of the UK-Central America association agreement. The agreement maintains at present the same tariff preferences that are contained in the Central American treaty with the European Union. The other countries included in this trade association are El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.

Costa Rican national currency: Colon (CRC).

Official language: Spanish.

Shipping from the UK to Costa Rica

Transit time via air from the UK to airport in Costa Rica is approximately 3 days. Costa Rica's main cargo international airport is Juan Santamaria, located in the city of Alajuela, 20 km west of San Jose's city centre.

Transit time via sea from the UK to a port in Costa Rica is approximately 28 days. Costa Rica's main sea ports are Limon at the Atlantic side and Caldera at the Pacific side.


Export documents required include packing list, commercial invoice, and phytosanitary / health / organic / EUR1 / certificate(s) where applicable. Requirements for the importer in Costa Rica include having a tax indentification number. Requirements for the exporter in Britain include having an EORI number.

Top-10 products exported from the UK to Costa Rica in 2022

M: Millions USD. Source: TRADING ECONOMICS / UN Comtrade

Find opportunities to export to Costa Rica

If you are an exporter based in Britain, the UK Department for Internationrch for current export opportunities and pitch your products to overseas buyers including Costa Rican importers.

If you are an importer based in Costa Rica looking for British products, we invite you to complete the application form at great.gov.uk to access contact details of British exporters via this tool which is administrated by the UK government. When completing the form, please reply 'Britain Latin America Logistics Ltd' to the question 'Where did you hear about great.gov.uk?'

Import taxes/restrictions in Costa Rica

Visit the official Costa Rican customs website to consult the applicable import taxes and restrictions. If you are based in the UK, you can access the UK official export tool: goods from the United Kingdom to Costa Rica.

Contact us for cargo transport from the UK to Latin America and the Caribbean