Countries › Costa Rica › Guide › 13. Regulation

13. Regulation: Costa Rica

Regulation in Costa Rica: the rules that apply to almost every business once it operates, covering competition and cartels, consumer protection and online sales, personal data, corporate criminal liability for bribery, anti money laundering duties, environmental liability and waste, and trademarks and patents, each tied to the official texts in SCIJ with the fines and fees that apply. For Argentine investors there is no Argentina specific regime here; cross border payments and group structures follow the general rules, and The Argentine Thread guide covers the Argentine side.

Investor view. Costa Rica's OECD aligned rulebook, with leniency, compliance credit and clear fee schedules, rewards investors who build compliance early and gives them a predictable, open market to grow in.

• Competition law in Costa Rica: cartels, abuse of dominance, fines and leniencyCosta Rica's competition law applies to any conduct with effects in the country, even if it starts abroad. Cartels between competitors (price fixing, market sharing, bid rigging, output limits and inf
• Consumer protection in Costa Rica: information duties, warranties, online sales and finesAnyone selling goods or services to consumers in Costa Rica must inform in Spanish, clearly and truthfully, honour what its advertising promises, and give an implied quality warranty. Producers, suppl
• Personal data protection in Costa Rica: Ley 8968, PRODHAB, consent and breach noticeLey 8968 protects anyone's personal data, whatever their nationality, in automated or manual databases. Collection needs prior notice and written, express consent (paper or electronic), data subjects
• Anti corruption and corporate criminal liability in Costa Rica: Ley 9699 and compliance programmesSince June 2019 companies, including foreign ones operating in Costa Rica, can be criminally liable for domestic bribery, transnational bribery, false accounting and related money laundering. The 2023
• Anti money laundering in Costa Rica: who is obligated, KYC, SUGEF registration and finesBanks and other supervised financial entities, plus listed non financial businesses (casinos, habitual real estate dealers, precious metal dealers, lawyers, notaries and accountants acting for clients
• Environmental liability and waste in Costa Rica: polluter pays, Tribunal Ambiental and waste dutiesBeyond the SETENA permit, Costa Rica makes anyone who damages the environment liable, jointly with the owner of the business where the damage occurred and the professionals who signed a flawed impact
• Intellectual property in Costa Rica: trademarks and patents, terms and official feesTrademarks, trade names and patents are registered with the Registro de la Propiedad Industrial, part of the Registro Nacional. A trademark costs US$50 per class, lasts ten years and is renewable for

Related: Costa Rica country profile · live dashboard · central bank and release calendar · our posts on X