Costa Rica - Trade Barriers Costa Rica - Trade Barriers
The main issues related to non-tariff trade barriers are found in the process of registering pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. The Costa Rican government requires a Good Manufacturing Practices Certificate which is not issued in most states in the United States. The manufacturer needs to invest time finding the right entity that can add the information required by the Costa Rican government as part of the Free Sales Certificate. In certain cases, a U.S. company can be exempted by proving that their state of residence is unable to provide the certificate. There is an exception for members of the U.S. Council of Cosmetic Products, an association that only issues this certificate to their members.
Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.