Costa Rica free zone companies: paying suppliers abroad and controlling spend

Costa Rica's free zones host medical device manufacturers, shared service centres and technology companies. They import much of what they use and pay suppliers in dollars, euros and other currencies, under a regime that expects clean records.

William Sunjo M.Operations and compliance editor

Published: 5 October 2026
Reading time: 2 min read

A medical device plant in a Heredia free zone buys components from Ireland in euros, tooling from Minnesota in dollars, and software and lab services from half a dozen countries. It exports almost everything it makes. Its free zone status depends on meeting the regime's requirements, and its auditors expect every import and payment to reconcile.

The free zone regime

Costa Rica's free zone regime offers tax and customs benefits to approved companies that meet investment, employment and other conditions, administered with PROCOMER. It has drawn medical device manufacturers, shared service centres and technology companies, which together are a large share of Costa Rica's exports.

Paying suppliers

Free zone companies typically pay:

US suppliers in dollars,
European suppliers in euros,
Asian and Latin American suppliers in dollars or local currency.

Paying European suppliers in euros, rather than asking them to accept dollars, can lower the price. Holding euros for those payments avoids converting at each invoice.

Records

Every import has a customs record. Every payment should link to the supplier invoice and that record. Keep the exchange rate used for non-dollar payments. Clean records make the annual reporting under the regime and the statutory audit simpler.

Fraud and approvals

Large regular supplier payments are a target for fraud: emails announcing new bank details. Confirm changes with a known contact by phone, and require a second approver for payments to new details.

Team spend

Engineering and quality teams buy software, lab services and travel. A shared card hides who spent what. Company cards per team or tool, with limits and owners, keep spending visible and easy to cancel.

Paying into Costa Rica: the local rail

What	Detail
Local rail	SINPE Móvil and SINPE transfers
Run by	Banco Central de Costa Rica
Settlement	SINPE Móvil in seconds; SINPE transfers within the day

Source: Banco Central de Costa Rica: SINPE. Checked when this guide was last updated; the scheme's own page has the current figures.

Where Rivet fits

A Rivet business account accepts registered companies after verification, including Costa Rican free zone companies. Approved companies get US account details in their own name on every plan and euro details with an IBAN from the Growth plan, pay suppliers in 120+ countries, issue Visa company cards with per-card limits, and from Growth can require second approvals. Rivet is not a bank; regulated partner institutions hold the funds.

Questions people ask

What is the Costa Rican free zone regime?

A set of incentives, including tax and customs benefits, for approved companies that meet investment, employment and other requirements, administered with PROCOMER.

Do free zone companies pay suppliers in dollars?

Most do, and many also pay in euros for European suppliers. Paying in the supplier's currency can lower the price.

What records should be kept?

Supplier invoices, import declarations, proof of payment and the exchange rate used, consistent with the regime's reporting.

How can teams pay for software and travel?

With company cards, one per team or tool, with limits and an owner, so spend is visible and cards can be frozen individually.

Sources

Written by

William Sunjo M.

Operations and compliance editor

William covers what happens once a company starts moving money: getting the business verified, paying contractors and suppliers abroad, and keeping card spend under control. William writes for the founder or finance lead who has to make it work this week, and links every rule cited to the text it comes from.