Costa Rica | New Regulation Simplifies the Process for Entry of Products of Sanitary Interest and Raw Materials for Free Trade Zones
Natalia Hernández, an associate in Costa Rica and expert in the free trade zone regime, shares this article on the new regulations that simplify the process for the entry of products of sanitary interest and raw materials into the Free Trade Zones.
New Regulation Simplifies the Process for the Entry of Products of Sanitary Interest and Raw Materials for the Free Trade Zones
On November 17, 2024, Decree No. 44696-S-COMEX, "Regulation for the authorization of entry of products of sanitary interest or their raw materials under the Free Trade Zone and active improvement regimes," was enacted in Costa Rica. This regulation aims to expedite the entry of products of sanitary interest or their raw materials to companies benefiting from the Free Trade Zone regime for use in production, transformation, and logistics services, without requiring sanitary registration.
The submissions must be done through the VUCECR platform at www.vuce.cr, by completing the electronic authorization form (FAD).
The approval will be made through the VUCECR platform by the health authorities within a term of 7 calendar days. In case there is any inconsistency regarding the information submitted, it will be communicated through the same platform and the applicant will have 10 business days to complete or correct the information.
Once a product receives authorization, any subsequent admissions will be automatically approved.
The complete detail of the procedure is available at the link: https://www.vuce.cr/guias-de-uso/ in the section "Simplificación de trámites”.
This procedure does not apply to human health service centers operating under the Free Trade Zone regime. Likewise, it will not apply if the sanitary interest products or their raw materials are imported, commercialized, distributed, used or consumed in the national territory, in which cases sanitary registration, notification or authorization granted by the Ministry of Health will be required.
The information provided by ARIAS® is presented for informational purposes only. This information is not legal advice and is not intended to create, and does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. Readers should not act upon this information without seeking advice from professional advisers.