Shipping from China to Costa Rica: Caldera, Moín, TICA Customs & Costs

Most container imports from China to Costa Rica arrive through one of two gateways — Caldera on the Pacific coast or Moín / Limón on the Caribbean — and are cleared by the Dirección General de Aduanas through the electronic TICA system. Pacific Caldera is usually the more direct Asia routing. If you are a Chinese exporter shipping to Costa Rica, or a Costa Rican importer sourcing from China, this guide covers the routing, the realistic timing, the customs steps and the cost components you need to plan for.

Key takeaways

Costa Rica has two main maritime gateways: Caldera on the Pacific and Moín / Limón on the Caribbean, where APM Terminals Moín is the main container terminal.
Caldera (Pacific) is typically the more direct routing from Asia; the Caribbean side suits Atlantic-routed services.
Customs clears through the Dirección General de Aduanas via the TICA electronic system; the importer must be registered to import, with declarations filed through an agente de aduanas.
Landed cost includes classification-based DAI and Costa Rica’s 13% general IVA rate; exemptions, reduced treatment and other levies depend on the goods and regime.
CAFTA-DR preferences do not apply to Chinese-origin goods — they pay the general tariff for their HS code.
A DDP door-to-door structure can be quoted after the named eligible Costa Rican importer, licensed customs broker, product, scope and price are confirmed.

What is the main port for shipping from China to Costa Rica?

Costa Rica is unusual in having a working gateway on each coast, so the “main port” depends on the routing your carrier uses.

Caldera, on the Pacific coast near Puntarenas, is generally the more direct entry point for cargo crossing from Asia. Vessels on Pacific routings reach it without rounding the continent or transiting the Panama Canal to the Atlantic side.
Moín / Limón, on the Caribbean coast, is home to APM Terminals Moín, the country’s main deep-water container terminal. It suits services that route via the Atlantic, including transhipment through Caribbean and Panama hubs.

Which gateway your shipment uses comes down to the carrier’s service network and where your final delivery point sits. For a wider regional view, see our China to Latin America shipping guide.

Gateway	Coast	Typical Asia routing	Notes
Caldera	Pacific (near Puntarenas)	Usually the more direct routing from Asia	No Canal transit needed for Pacific services
Moín / Limón	Caribbean	Atlantic-routed / transhipment services	APM Terminals Moín is the main container terminal

How long does shipping from China to Costa Rica take?

Costa Rica’s two-coast choice makes transit a range that depends heavily on which gateway your carrier uses, so always check whether a quote is port-to-port or door-to-door before comparing. Our guide to air and ocean freight from China explains the difference and why we quote a window rather than a fixed day count.

Ocean door-to-door includes pickup, the booked ocean service, arrival at Caldera or Moín, customs and inland delivery. We confirm a shipment-specific range instead of applying an unsupported fixed interval.
Air freight is a few-day, airport-to-airport option at a much higher cost, best kept for samples, urgent restocks and high-value, low-weight goods.

How does customs clearance work with TICA?

Costa Rica’s customs authority is the Dirección General de Aduanas (DGA), and import declarations are processed electronically through the TICA system (Tecnología de Información para el Control Aduanero).

Before you can import commercially, the importer must:

Be registered to import with the relevant tax and customs authorities, so the import can be declared in their name.
File the import declaration through a licensed agente de aduanas (customs broker), who transmits it in TICA.

The supporting document set should match the goods exactly:

Commercial invoice and packing list
Bill of lading (ocean) or air waybill (air)
Any permits, registrations or certifications required for regulated products (food, cosmetics, medical, electronics and similar categories)

If you do not have a registered Costa Rican entity, we can assess DDP and identify an eligible importer. The named party, product and tax treatment, scope and exclusions are confirmed before booking.

What taxes and duties apply when importing from China to Costa Rica?

Your landed cost is built from several layers, not just the freight. As of 2026, the main components are:

Component	What it is	Notes
DAI (customs duty)	Import tariff (derecho arancelario), a percentage of the customs value	Varies by tariff heading; verify your exact HS code
IVA	Value-added tax	General rate 13%; verify exemptions or other treatment for the goods
Other charges / levies	Product- or regime-specific taxes and fees	Do not add a generic levy; confirm the exact product and entry

A few points to plan around:

Duty varies by product. There is no single rate; the DAI percentage depends on the tariff heading for your specific goods, so confirm it before you order rather than assuming an old figure. Our explainer on HS codes and tariffs shows how classification drives the rate.
CAFTA-DR does not help Chinese-origin goods. The free-trade agreement gives tariff preferences to qualifying US and Central American origin, not to China. Goods made in China pay the general tariff for their HS code, so do not budget against a CAFTA preference rate.
IVA has a 13% general rate. Exemptions and other treatment depend on the goods and regime.
Other charges and levies are not universal. Add them only after the exact product and entry procedure are confirmed.

Treat all of the above as planning information, not legal or tax advice. The official determination always sits with the Dirección General de Aduanas for your exact product and shipment.

Should I ship FCL or LCL to Costa Rica?

The first real decision is whether you ship a full container or share one.

FCL (Full Container Load): you book a whole 20ft or 40ft box. Best when you can fill most of a container, or when your goods are fragile, high-value or you want fewer touch points. FCL generally clears faster because it is not waiting on a deconsolidation warehouse.
LCL (Less than Container Load): you share a box and pay by volume (CBM), which suits the many Costa Rican importers who ship below a full load, at the cost of a deconsolidation step after Caldera or Moín.

For where the FCL/LCL break-even sits — the half-container rule of thumb and the full cost-versus-speed trade-off — see FCL vs LCL ocean freight.

Who handles freight, customs and delivery? Our DDP option

If you prefer one landed-cost quote, we can assess a DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) structure and coordinate the confirmed scope through the named eligible importer and licensed customs broker. How DDP differs from DAP and FOB is set out in DDP vs DAP vs FOB.

We can assess and arrange the agreed pickup, freight, TICA clearance and delivery legs after identifying an eligible Costa Rican importer. The DAI, IVA, any product-specific levy, inclusions and exclusions are confirmed on WhatsApp.

Frequently asked questions

What is the main port for importing from China to Costa Rica? There are two: Caldera on the Pacific coast, usually the more direct routing from Asia, and Moín / Limón on the Caribbean, where APM Terminals Moín is the main container terminal. Which one your cargo uses depends on the carrier’s service network.

What do I need to import into Costa Rica? You must be registered to import with the relevant authorities, and the import declaration is filed through a licensed agente de aduanas in the TICA system, with an invoice, packing list and bill of lading or air waybill that match the goods.

How much is IVA in Costa Rica? Costa Rica’s general IVA rate is 13%. Whether an exemption, reduced treatment or other levy applies depends on the exact goods and regime.

Does CAFTA-DR reduce the duty on goods from China? No. CAFTA-DR preferences apply to qualifying US and Central American origin, not to China. Chinese-origin goods pay the general tariff for their HS code, so plan against the general rate, not a preference rate.

Can you clear customs and deliver to the door for me? We can assess a compliant DDP structure and identify an eligible importer. The named party, tax treatment, scope, exclusions and price are confirmed for the shipment.

Get a quote for your Costa Rica shipment

Costa Rica gives you a choice of two gateways — the more direct Pacific routing through Caldera and the Caribbean terminal at Moín / Limón. The keys are choosing the right gateway and mode, getting your paperwork right in TICA, and planning for the DAI, IVA and any other levies as part of your true landed cost — remembering that CAFTA-DR does not cut the duty on Chinese-origin goods.

When you are ready for real numbers, message us on WhatsApp with your origin, volume and product, and we will send a tailored quote with a realistic transit window. The Costa Rica lane is part of our guide to air and ocean freight from China. For more on the region, see our China to Latin America shipping guide.