WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/LIC/N/2/CRI/1 
15 March 2007 
 (07-1085) 
Committee on Import Licensing Original:   Spanish 
  
 
AGREEMENT ON IMPORT LICENSING PROCEDURES 
 
Notification under Article 5.1-5.4 of the Agreement
 
 
COSTA RICA 
 
  The following communication, dated 2 March 2007, has been received from the Permanent 
Mission of Costa Rica.  
_______________ 
  
Institution of Import Licensing Procedures or Changes to Existing Import Licensing Procedures
 
and Reverse Notifications  
 
 
 From 1995 onwards, the administration and allocation of current access and minimum access tariff quotas was based on a procedure involving the granting of commodity exchange certificates.
1  
This system was governed by the Regulations on the Allocation of Tariff Quotas (Executive Decree 
No. 23914-COMEX-MAG of 22 December 1994). 
 
 In 2003, the system for allocating import quot as changed and the General Regulations on the 
Distribution and Allocation of Import Tariff Q uotas came into force, through Executive Decree 
No. 30900-COMEX-MAG of 20 December 2002, published in Official Gazette ( La Gaceta ) No. 3 of 
6 January 2003 and amended by Executive Decree  No. 32237-COMEX-MAG dated 8 February 2005. 
 
 Pursuant to Article 5.1-5.4 of the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures, the 
Government of Costa Rica, by way of this communication, provides notification of the changes to the system for administrating and allocating import quotas.  (a) List and description of products subject to licensing procedures
 
 
 The import licensing system currently in for ce in Costa Rica governs the allocation and 
administration of import quota volumes granted by Costa Rica in accordance with its multilateral commitments in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the current free trade agreements.  Hence, 
products eligible for quotas accorded by Costa Rica within the WTO framework are detailed in 
Schedule LXXXV – Costa Rica ( Part I – Most-Favoured-Nation Tariff, Section I – Agricultural 
Products;  Section I-B Tariff Quotas ).  However, the only products that have benefited from quotas 
from the year 2000 to date are those listed below: 
                                                     
 
1 See document G/AG/N/CRI/1. G/LIC/N/2/CRI/1 
Page 2  
 
   
Description of products Tariff item number(s) 
1 2 
POULTRY AND POULTRY PRODUCTS;  CUTS 
AND OFFAL OF POULTRY:   
- Other 0207.39.00 
- Fowls of the species Gallus domesticus 0207.41.00 
  
MILK AND CREAM, NOT CONCENTRATED OR 
CONTAINING ADDED SUGAR OR OTHER 
SWEETENING MATTER 0401 
  
MILK AND CREAM, CONCENTRATED OR 
CONTAINING ADDED SUGAR OR OTHER 
SWEETENING MATTER (EXCLUDING 
CONDENSED AND EVAPORATED MILK) 0402 (excluding 0402.91.10 
and  0402.99.10) 
  
BUTTERMILK, CURDLED MILK AND CREAM, 
YOGHURT, KEPHIR AND OTHER FERMENTED OR 
ACIDIFIED MILK AND CREAM, WHETHER OR 
NOT CONCENTRATED OR CONTAINING ADDED 
SUGAR OR OTHER SWEETENING MATTER OR 
FLAVOURED OR CONTAINING ADDED FRUIT, 
NUTS OR COCOA 0403 
  
BUTTER AND OTHER FATS AND OILS DERIVED 
FROM MILK 0405 
  
CHEESE AND CURD (EXCLUDING HEADINGS 
FOR CHEDDAR-TYPE CH EESE, DEHYDRATED, 
GREEN- OR BLUE-VEINED AND OTHER CHEESE) 0406 
  
-SAUSAGES AND SIMILAR PRODUCTS, OF MEAT, 
OF MEAT OFFAL OR BLOOD;  FOOD 
PREPARATIONS BASED ON THESE PRODUCTS: 
  
-- With meat and meat offal of poultry of heading  0105 1601.00.20 
  
- HOMOGENISED PREPARATIONS:   
-- With meat and meat offal of poultry of heading  0105 1602.10.20 
  
- OF POULTRY OF HEADING 0105:   
-- Other 1602.39.00 
  
ICE CREAM 2105.00.00 
    
 
 Products subject to bound tariff quotas not included in the list above are those whose quotas were not activated during the period in questi on because the Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) import 
tariff remained at a level equal to, or below, the tariff established in Costa Rica's schedule for in-quota  G/LIC/N/2/CRI/1 
 Page 3 
 
 
  imports, that is, they enjoyed better access condi tions than those established by Costa Rica in 
Schedule LXXXV.  (b) Contact point for information on eligibility
 
 
 Leonor Obando 
Dirección de Aplicación de Acuerdos Comerciales Internacionales Ministerio de Comercio Exterior de Costa Rica Tel:  (506) 299-4939 / (506) 299-4700 Fax:   (506) 257-2189 
Web site:  www.comex.go.cr
 
Email:   lobando@comex.go.cr  
  pep@comex.go.cr  
  The regulations, application form and othe r relevant documentation are available on the 
Ministry of Foreign Trade's web site, at: 
http://www.comex.go.cr/acuerdos/contingentes/importacion/default.htm
 
 (c)  Administrative body for submission of applications
 
 
Dirección de Aplicación de Acuerdos Comerciales Internacionales 
Ministerio de Comercio Exterior de Costa Rica 
Tel:  (506) 299-4939 / (506) 299-4700 Fax:  (506) 257-2189 Web site:  www.comex.go.cr
 
Email:   lobando@comex.go.cr  
  pep@comex.go.cr  
 (d) Date and name of publication where licensing procedures are published
 
  As stated above, import quotas are governed by the General Regulations on the Distribution and Allocation of Import Tariff Quotas, Executive Decree No. 30900-COMEX-MAG of 
20 December 2002, published in the Official Ga zette of 6 January 2003,  and its amendments, 
Executive Decree No. 32237-COMEX-MAG of 8 February  2005 published in Official Gazette No. 41 
of 28 February 2005.  These regulations govern th e allocation and administration of import quota 
volumes granted by Costa Rica in accordance with its multilateral commitments in the World Trade 
Organization (WTO) and the current free trad e agreements, as well as the procedures and 
requirements concerning eligibility for allocation. 
  Furthermore, in the first week of December ev ery year, a notice is published in the Official 
Gazette and in a national newspaper detailing the pr oducts available, the volume of each quota, the 
time-frame for the submission of appl ications, and the application requi rements;  this information is 
also provided on the Ministry's web site, at www.comex.go.cr
.  The application form can be obtained 
from the Ministry's web site, and must be comple ted by interested parties and submitted to the 
Ministry of Foreign Trade’s Directorate for Implementation of Trade Agreements ( Dirección de 
Aplicación de Acuerdos Comerciales del Ministerio de Comercio Exterior ) by the closing date 
expressly stated in the notice.  
(e) Indication of whether the licensing procedure is automatic or non-automatic
 
  The licensing procedure is non-automatic.  G/LIC/N/2/CRI/1 
Page 4  
 
  (f) Administrative purpose of the automatic licensing procedure
 
  Not applicable.  (g)  In the case of non-automatic procedures, indication of the measure implemented through the 
licensing procedure  
  The non-automatic licensing procedure applies to products subject to import tariff quotas 
granted by Costa Rica in accord ance with its multilateral commitments in the World Trade 
Organization (WTO) and the current free trade agreements. 
 
(h) Expected duration of the licensing procedure
 
  Pursuant to the General Regulations on the Distribution and Allocation of Import Tariff 
Quotas, a notice is prepared detailing the impor t quotas for the following year.  The notice is 
published during the first week of December prior to th e year of allocation.  From the date that the 
notice is published, any natural or legal pe rson domiciled in Costa Rica may submit quota 
applications over a period of time not exceeding fift een working days, counted from the first working 
day following publication.  Once th e period designated for the receipt of applications has expired, 
COMEX takes the first thirty working days of the year following publication of the notice to distribute and allocate the quotas among interested par ties whose applications comply with the criteria 
laid down in the regulations.  This  is to guarantee that the principle of due process is satisfied, given 
that it is imperative to have all the necessary info rmation in order to be able to carry out the 
allocation.  
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