Countries › Costa Rica › Guide › 13. Regulation › Intellectual property in Costa Rica: trademarks and patents, terms and official fees

Intellectual property in Costa Rica: trademarks and patents, terms and official fees

Last verified: 2026-10-30 · Status: Stable

Trademarks, 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 the same fee, but can be cancelled if unused in Costa Rica for five years. A patent lasts 20 years from filing, with US$500 for filing, US$500 for grant and US$500 annual fees; individual inventors, micro and small firms pay 30%.

USD figures use the Banco Central de Costa Rica reference selling rate of ₡454.82 per US dollar published for 29 October 2026 (indicator 318 on bccr.fi.cr), rounded to the cent. Salario base figures use ₡462,200 for 2026 (Poder Judicial Circular 246-2025 under Ley 7337 art. 2).

Key facts

Trademark registration fee per class	50 USDLey 7978 art. 94(a), as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Trademark term	10 yearsLey 7978 art. 20, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Non use period for cancellation	5 yearsLey 7978 art. 39, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Patent term	20 yearsLey 6867 art. 17, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Patent annual fee	500 USDLey 6867 art. 33(f), as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Fee payable by individuals, micro and small firms	30 % of standard feeLey 6867 art. 33, as of 2026-10-30 · in force

The rule

1. Official trademark fees: US$50 per class to register a mark, US$50 per trade name or advertising slogan, US$50 per renewal, US$25 per class for transfers, licences, name changes or cancellation, US$25 per opposition, US$50 per division, and a US$25 surcharge for renewal in the six month grace period; fees can be paid in colones at the receiving bank's official rate.
Cost to do it: US$50 per class plus professional fees.
Example: About ₡22,741 per class at the 29 October 2026 rate. / US$50 per class.Ley 7978, Ley de Marcas y Otros Signos Distintivos (as amended by Ley 8632), art. 94, 2008-03-28 official text · verified 2026-10-30

2. A trademark registration lasts ten years from grant and can be renewed indefinitely for ten year periods.Ley 7978, art. 20, 2000-01-06 official text · verified 2026-10-30

3. Any interested party may request cancellation of a mark not used in Costa Rica during the five preceding years, but not before five years from registration; use for exports or services provided abroad from Costa Rica counts as use.Ley 7978, art. 39 and 40, 2000-01-06 official text · verified 2026-10-30

4. A patent lasts 20 years from filing in Costa Rica or from the PCT international filing date, with a term adjustment if grant takes more than five years from filing or three years from the request for substantive examination.Ley 6867, Ley de Patentes de Invención (as amended by Ley 8686), art. 17, 2008-11-21 official text · verified 2026-10-30

5. Official patent fees: US$500 to file, US$500 per divisional, US$500 for grant and certificate, US$25 per opposition, US$150 for term extension, US$500 annual fees and a 30% surcharge in the grace period; individual inventors, micro and small firms under Ley 8262, public universities and public research institutes pay 30% of filing, grant, extension and annual fees.
Cost to do it: US$1,000 to file and grant, plus US$500 a year.
Example: About ₡454,820 to file and grant, plus about ₡227,410 a year. / US$1,000 plus US$500 a year.Ley 6867 (as amended by Ley 8632), art. 33, 2008-03-28 official text · verified 2026-10-30

6. Annual patent fees may be paid in advance for several years; if unpaid in the grace period the registry certifies the debt after formal demands.Ley 6867, art. 33 bis, 2008-03-28 official text · verified 2026-10-30

7. Industrial designs and models are registered for ten years.Ley 6867, art. 30, 1983-04-25 official text · verified 2026-10-30

Item	Fee	Norm
Trademark, per class	US$50	Ley 7978 art. 94(a)
Trademark renewal	US$50	Ley 7978 art. 94(d)
Opposition	US$25	Ley 7978 art. 94(h); Ley 6867 art. 33(d)
Patent filing	US$500	Ley 6867 art. 33(a)
Patent grant	US$500	Ley 6867 art. 33(c)
Patent annual fee	US$500	Ley 6867 art. 33(f)

Main official fees at the Registro de la Propiedad Industrial (USD, payable in colones)

Worked example

A foreign software firm registers its brand in classes 9 and 42: official fees US$100 (about ₡45,482). Renewal in ten years costs another US$50 per class. If the brand is not used in Costa Rica for five years after registration, a competitor can seek cancellation.
A small Costa Rican company patents a device: it pays 30% of the US$500 filing and US$500 grant fees, US$300 in total (about ₡136,446), and US$150 a year instead of US$500.

Step by step

Search the Registro Nacional databases for conflicting marks before launch.
File per class, through local counsel if based abroad, and monitor oppositions.
Diary renewals at ten years and keep evidence of use in Costa Rica.
For patents, decide between direct filing and the PCT route (term runs from the international filing date) and budget annual fees.

Common traps

Use abroad does not count unless goods are exported from or services provided from Costa Rica.
Missing the renewal grace period means losing the mark.
A transferee that is not an SME must pay the remaining 70% of discounted patent fees.

Sources

← Environmental liability and waste in Costa Rica: polluter pays, Tribunal Ambiental and waste dutiesDisputes in Costa Rica: courts, arbitration, enforcing foreign judgments and awards, and investment protection →

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