Shipping from the
USA to Costa Rica

Why the USA is the fastest lane into Costa Rica

Of every origin, the United States is the quickest route into Costa Rica: ocean transit from the East Coast is measured in days rather than weeks, and the proximity lets buyers restock without tying up capital in oversized shipments.

For US companies selling into Central America, that same proximity means a Costa Rican customer can be served almost like a domestic one — provided someone handles the leg from your dock to theirs. That's our job.

Pickup anywhere in the United States

Your supplier — or your own warehouse — may be in Texas, California, Ohio or Florida. We arrange pickup in any state and move the cargo to Miami, where it consolidates and sails to Costa Rica.

• Pickup at origin: we collect the goods wherever they sit, even across several suppliers in different states.
• Consolidation in Miami: purchases combine into a single shipment, lowering the cost per unit versus shipping each order separately.
• Direct supplier delivery: if your supplier prefers to ship to Miami themselves, that works too — we send them the instructions.

Transport options from the USA

• Ocean FCL: full container when the volume justifies it. Lowest cost per unit.
• Ocean LCL: consolidated cargo for pallets and volumes under a full container. See also consolidated cargo and pallets from the USA.
• Air freight: for urgent or high-value goods, where time outweighs freight cost.
• Courier: small parcels, samples and one-off parts.
• RoRo and breakbulk: machinery, vehicles and oversized cargo.

Ocean transit times from the United States

• East Coast (Miami, Houston, New York) → Costa Rica: 8–12 days
• West Coast (Los Angeles, Long Beach) → Costa Rica: 14–20 days

* Port-to-port ocean transit. Add pickup at origin, consolidation and customs clearance at destination. Exact dates are confirmed against the carrier's schedule when quoting.

CAFTA-DR: the agreement that can lower duties

Costa Rica and the United States are both part of CAFTA-DR, the free trade agreement between Central America, the Dominican Republic and the USA. Goods that qualify as originating may receive preferential tariff treatment.

Two practical conditions: the product must meet the agreement's rules of origin, and you need the corresponding certification of origin. Buying a product in the United States doesn't automatically make it originating there — plenty of goods sold in the US are manufactured elsewhere.

* The actual benefit depends on each product's tariff classification and current regulations. Confirm it with your customs broker before buying. More context in our articles on certificates of origin and how import duties are calculated in Costa Rica.

What we need to quote

• Pickup address in the USA — or confirmation that the supplier delivers to Miami.
• Destination in Costa Rica: city or final delivery address.
• Cargo description: what it is and what it's used for (it drives tariff classification).
• Weight, total or per package.
• Dimensions or pallet / package count.
• Incoterm agreed with the supplier — see Incoterms explained.
• Cargo value, for insurance and duties.

The process step by step

• 1. Quote: all-in rate in under 24 business hours.
• 2. Supplier coordination: we send delivery instructions or schedule the pickup.
• 3. Pickup and move to Miami: cargo travels from the origin state to the departure point.
• 4. Consolidation and sailing: the shipment is built and departs for Costa Rica by the chosen mode.
• 5. Documentation: Bill of Lading or air waybill, commercial invoice, packing list and certification of origin where applicable.
• 6. Customs clearance: coordinated with a customs broker at Caldera, Limón or Juan Santamaría Airport depending on the mode.
• 7. Final delivery: transport to the warehouse in Costa Rica.