Patent protection in Costa Rica

Questions about patents in Costa Rica

How much does a patent cost in Costa Rica?

Our estimate is about US$3,886 to take a PCT application to grant in Costa Rica. That is about US$1,500 in official fees and US$2,386 in attorney fees. By stage: filing US$1,270, search US$300, examination request US$899, office action response US$718 and grant / issuance / publication US$700 (one office action response included). Renewal fees over the patent's life add an estimated US$8,669. These are estimates only, for a standard application (10 claims, 30 pages, a company applicant): the actual cost depends on the law firm and the application. Request a quote from a law firm on this site for an exact price.

What is the PCT national phase deadline for Costa Rica, and which routes are there?

The PCT national phase for Costa Rica must be entered within 31 months of the earliest priority date.

In which technologies is Costa Rica an important patent market?

Costa Rica's 3 largest fields of technology by patent publications are pharmaceuticals (161 a year), biotechnology (82 a year) and organic fine chemistry (81 a year). Within its region, it stands out for pharmaceuticals (#6 in Latin America and the Caribbean), organic fine chemistry (#6 in Latin America and the Caribbean) and biotechnology (#6 in Latin America and the Caribbean). About 513 PCT applications enter the national phase in Costa Rica each year.

What does Costa Rica's economy make and export?

Costa Rica's GDP is US$102.9bn, of which services US$71.2bn, industry US$20.5bn (of which manufacturing US$14.0bn) and agriculture US$3.5bn. Spending a year: households US$65.9bn and health care US$6.0bn. Costa Rica's exports of goods came to US$24.1bn in 2024. Its 10 largest exports were medical and surgical instruments (US$7.1bn, 29% of its exports, #7 in the world), integrated circuits (chips) (US$2.2bn, 9% of its exports, #16 in the world), orthopaedic and hearing aids (US$2.1bn, 9% of its exports, #12 in the world), dates, pineapples, avocados and mangoes (US$1.7bn, 7% of its exports, #3 in the world), bananas (US$1.4bn, 6% of its exports, #5 in the world), food preparations (US$887m, 4% of its exports, #19 in the world), coffee (US$448m, 2% of its exports, #22 in the world), insulated wire and cable (US$350m, 1% of its exports, #48 in the world), fruit or nut juices (US$262m, 1% of its exports, #21 in the world) and electrical switches and connectors (US$232m, 1% of its exports, #41 in the world). Where products are made, a patent there can stop infringing copies being made, not only being sold.