Trademark registration in Costa RicaQuick answer
Trademarks in Costa Rica are registered with the Registro de la Propiedad Intelectual (Industrial Property Registry), Registro Nacional; the official trademark application fee is USD 50 per class, and third parties can oppose within 2 months from the first publication of the edict in La Gaceta. A registration lasts 10 years from the registration date and can be renewed. Costa Rica is not in the Madrid System, so a national filing is needed.
Checked against official sources on 11 October 2026 · see sources
- Office
- Registro de la Propiedad Intelectual (Industrial Property Registry), Registro Nacional
- Official fee
- USD 50 / class
- Madrid Protocol
- Not a member
- Opposition
- 2 months from the first publication of the edic…
- Protection
- 10 years from registration date
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The trademark office and official links
Trademarks in Costa Rica are registered by the Registro de la Propiedad Intelectual (Industrial Property Registry), Registro Nacional.
- Trademark office: Registro de la Propiedad Intelectual (Industrial Property Registry), Registro Nacional
- Law: Law No. 7978 on Trademarks and Other Distinctive Signs (as amended up to Law No. 8632 of 28 March 2008)
- Law: Executive Decree No. 30233-J, Regulations to the Trademark and Other Distinctive Signs Law (as amended up to Executive Decree No. 44650 of 5 September 2024)
Official fees in Costa Rica
| Official fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Trademark application (per class) | USD 50 |
| Renewal | USD 50 |
| Late renewal surcharge (6-month grace period) | USD 25 |
| Opposition | USD 25 |
| Division of an application | USD 50 |
Official office fees only. Official fee schedule. Professional fees of a local firm are extra — compare fixed-fee packages.
How to register a trademark in Costa Rica
- File a national application with the Industrial Property Registry of the Registro Nacional, listing goods and services grouped by Nice class; Costa Rica cannot be designated through the Madrid System.
- Applicants domiciled abroad file through a representative domiciled in Costa Rica, under an authenticated power of attorney.
- The Registry examines the application under Law No. 7978 and its Regulations.
- The applicant publishes a notice of the application three times in La Gaceta, at its own cost, within 15 days of being notified.
- Third parties may oppose within two months of the first publication of the notice.
- The Registry decides any oppositions together and grants or refuses registration; decisions can be appealed to the Tribunal Registral Administrativo.
Examination, publication and opposition
- Publication: Notice of the application published three times in La Gaceta (official gazette), at the applicant's cost (Law No. 7978, art. 15)
- Opposition period: 2 months from the first publication of the edict in La Gaceta
Protection, renewal and use
- Term: 10 years from the registration date, renewable.
- Late renewal: Renewal is filed within the year before expiry; a 6-month grace period after expiry is available with a USD 25 surcharge (Law No. 7978, arts. 21 and 94)
- Use requirement: a registration can be challenged after 5 years of non-use.
- Rights system: mixed.
Filing from abroad
- Local agent: An applicant or owner domiciled or seated outside Costa Rica must be represented by an agent domiciled in Costa Rica (Law No. 7978, art. 82).
- Power of attorney: Authenticated power of attorney as a minimum formality; a power granted abroad may follow the law of the place where it is granted but must be authenticated (Law No. 7978, art. 82 bis).
- Language: Spanish
Firms on TrademarksHub that cover Costa Rica can act as your local agent — see firms.
Madrid Protocol
Costa Rica is not a member of the Madrid System, so an international registration cannot cover it. You need a national filing, usually through a local agent.
Trademark classes
Nice Classification; goods and services are listed grouped by class (Law No. 7978, art. 9(h)). Not sure which classes you need? See all 45 classes or classes by business type.
How Costa Rica compares
- Opposition: 2 months from the first publication of the edict in La Gaceta — compare all countries
- Renewal: every 10 years; grace period Renewal is filed within the year before expiry; a 6-month grace period after expiry is available with a USD 25 surcharge (Law No. 7978, arts. 21 and 94) — compare all countries
- Foreign owners: required — rules in every country
Guides: registering in any country · costs by country · Madrid
Good to know in Costa Rica
- Costa Rica is not a party to the Madrid Protocol, so protection must be sought by a national application with the Registro Nacional.
- Registration is optional, but a good-faith user of a mark for more than three months has a preferential right to register it over a later applicant (Law No. 7978, art. 4).
- The application notice must be published three times in La Gaceta at the applicant's expense, and the two-month opposition period runs from the first publication.
- Official fees are set in US dollars in the law and may be paid in colones at the official exchange rate.
- Appeals against Registry decisions go to the Tribunal Registral Administrativo, an administrative tribunal specialised in registry matters.