The WCO  continue to support the Republic of Costa Rica in the effective implementation of the RKC, for the benefit of its Customs administration

The Republic of Costa Rica has acceded to the International Convention on the simplification and harmonization of Customs procedures done at Kyoto on 18 May 1973 and amended on 26 June 1999, widely known as the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC), thereby becoming its 140th Contracting Party.

The Instrument of Accession

The Instrument of Accession of the Republic of Costa Rica was deposited with the Secretary General of the WCO on 23 October 2025, by Her Excellency, Eliana María Villalobos Cárdenas, the Ambassador of the Embassy of the Republic of Costa Rica to the Kingdom of Belgium.

The 12th WCO Member

The Republic of Costa Rica becomes the 12th WCO Member out of 33 in the South America, North America, Central America and the Caribbean region to accede to the Convention, contributing to the global total of 140 Contracting Parties out of the 187 WCO Members.

The WCO will continue to support the Republic of Costa Rica in the effective implementation of the RKC, for the benefit of its Customs administration, trade community, and society at large.

Costa Rican customs authority

It is noteworthy that Costa Rican customs authority is organized as the Servicio Nacional de Aduanas. It has a General Director, which reports directly to the Treasury Ministry. The legal framework of customs regulations falls under the General Law of Customs and its Regulatory statement and the Central American Uniform Customs Code and its Regulatory Statement.

TICA system

The Government of Costa Rica implements its TICA system in which customs brokers declares all goods that are being imported and exported by all means of transportation, in all the customs territories created in the country.

Customs might require the monitoring of the handling of shipments in person, depending on the “traffic light system”.  This means that each shipment entering the country will pass through a random pre-studied system that classifies shipments into red (physical inspection), yellow (documental inspection) or green (no inspection). Sometimes customs requires that some shipments are handled internally with an electronic seal to monitor their delivery from the port to the customs warehouses and all the way until it pays the pertaining customs duties, and it is completely legalized.

Source : Press - Release + Other sources

Costa Rican customs authority , (RKC),,  Costa Rica ,TICA system  , Kyoto ,Eliana María Villalobos Cárdenas