Costa Rica

Costa Rica and the CPTPP Accession Working Group concluded accession negotiations on 5 May 2026, with a joint ministerial statement issued on 6 May 2026 confirming commercially meaningful market-access offers on goods, services, and investment. Formal ratification is expected to enable membership in 2027, granting Costa Rica access to a bloc with combined GDP of approximately £13 trillion.

UK Department for Business & Trade / GOV.UK · 2026-05-08

As part of CPTPP accession commitments, Costa Rica agreed to liberalise its professional services regime across 19 regulated professions—including legal, accounting, and engineering—going beyond the scope of any prior trade agreement. For financial services, the accession provides legal certainty for CPTPP-member firms to supply portfolio management and e-payment card services on a cross-border basis.

UK Department for Business & Trade / Wired-Gov · 2026-05-08

President Laura Fernández Delgado escalated the bilateral agricultural trade dispute with Panama during the period, instructing Chancellor Manuel Tovar to activate a formal bilateral working table after Panama maintained restrictions on Costa Rican dairy, potato, and onion exports despite a favorable World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling. The National Chamber of Milk Producers (Proleche) estimates sector losses exceeding USD 200 million, and Panama has separately declined to sell electricity to Costa Rica in an apparent retaliatory measure.

Newsroom Panama · 2026-05-22

U.S. goods imports from Costa Rica totaled USD 13.9 billion in 2025, a 19.7% increase from 2024, widening the U.S. goods trade deficit with Costa Rica to USD 3.7 billion—an 84.5% year-on-year increase. This trajectory reflects Costa Rica's deepening role as a high-value export platform, particularly in medical devices and advanced manufacturing.

U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) · 2026-05-22

The Free Trade Zone (FTZ) regime accounted for 66.4% of total FDI inflows in 2025, followed by the Definitive Regime at 15.2%; the Definitive Regime recorded significant growth, rising from USD 290.6 million in 2024 to USD 778.0 million in 2025. This shift indicates broadening FDI absorption beyond the FTZ enclave, potentially signalling deeper integration with the domestic economy.

PROCOMER · 2026-04-06

The OECD's 2026 Services Trade Restrictiveness Index (STRI) places Costa Rica below the OECD average overall, though residual restrictions persist: local freight transportation is reserved for Costa Rican nationals or majority-nationally-owned firms, and intra-corporate transferee and independent service supplier stays are capped at 12 months on first entry—shorter than international best practice. These structural constraints remain relevant for market-entry planning in logistics and professional services.

OECD · 2026-05-22

The U.S. State Department's 2025 Investment Climate Statement notes that President Rodrigo Chaves has prioritised regulatory simplification and FDI attraction since taking office in 2022, and formally initiated CPTPP accession in November 2024. Costa Rica's OECD membership since 2021 continues to drive legislative and executive reforms aimed at reducing bureaucratic friction, though property dispute resolution and permit processes remain slow relative to peer economies.

U.S. Department of State · 2026-05-22

Greenfield FDI generated an estimated 200,000 jobs in Costa Rica over the two decades to 2024, with a 120% increase between the first and second decade, driven by integration into high-value global supply chains. The medical technology sector has been the primary catalyst, though the OECD notes that wider development impact could be amplified by strengthening domestic supply-chain linkages.

OECD · 2026-05-22

PROCOMER's 2023–2026 strategy identifies advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and corporate services as priority FDI sectors, with execution coordinated through the Ministry of Foreign Trade (COMEX). In 2025, 29 of 55 new investment projects originated from countries other than the United States, reflecting measurable progress on origin diversification.

PROCOMER / Lloyd's Bank Trade Portal · 2026-05-22