Government accepts resignation of UCC Service Center from the Free Trade Zone Regime

The Executive Branch accepted the resignation of UCC Service Center Sociedad Anónima from the Free Trade Zone Regime through agreement ACU-RZF-0055-2026-COMEX, published in La Gaceta No. 198 on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, on pages 2 and 3. The agreement was signed on July 22, 2026, and takes effect upon its notification, while the company is undergoing an administrative procedure for alleged breaches of the regime’s obligations.

The company, with legal entity ID 3-101-846427, had entered the Free Trade Zone Regime via Executive Agreement No. 102-2022 of May 30, 2022, published in La Gaceta No. 137 on July 19, 2022, which classified it as a service company in accordance with subsection c) of article 17 of Law No. 7210. The request for exit was submitted in stages, with documents dated March 17, April 13, and June 2 and 4, 2026, before the Foreign Trade Promoter of Costa Rica (PROCOMER), and the argument invoked was a decision by the parent company.

The transfer from PROCOMER to the Executive Branch

The recitals indicate that the internal instance of the PROCOMER Administration reviewed the request and, based on the technical and legal considerations of the Special Regimes Directorate report No. 185-2026, agreed to transfer the case to the Ministry of Foreign Trade so that the Executive Branch could resolve the relevant matters. The reason provided is that the company is subject to an administrative procedure for alleged breaches of the Regime’s obligations.

The process was supported by articles 53 ter and 53 quáter of the Regulations to the Free Trade Zone Regime Law, which require PROCOMER to verify that the company intending to resign has complied with the corresponding requirements and other obligations provided for in Law No. 7210 and its Regulations.

Who signs and on what basis

The agreement is signed by the President of the Republic, Laura Fernández Delgado, and the Minister of Foreign Trade, Indiana Trejos Gallo. The presidential signature was exercised by delegation to Alexander Astorga Monge, Director of the Office of the Presidency of the Republic, pursuant to Agreement No. 040-P of July 14, 2026, published in La Gaceta No. 133, Supplement No. 91, of July 17, 2026.

The legal basis invoked in the agreement is as follows:

• Articles 140 subsections 3) and 18) and 146 of the Political Constitution.
• Articles 25, 27 first paragraph and 28 second paragraph, subsection b), of the General Law of Public Administration, No. 6227 of May 2, 1978.
• Free Trade Zone Regime Law, No. 7210 of November 23, 1990 and its amendments.
• Law for the Creation of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and the Foreign Trade Promotion Agency of Costa Rica, No. 7638 of October 30, 1996.
• Executive Decree No. 34739-COMEX-H of August 29, 2008 and its amendments, Regulation to the Free Trade Zone Regime Law.

Current guarantee and scope of the decision

Recital V states that the company timely provided the guarantee deposit and that it remains in effect as of the date of the resolution. The agreement is limited to two articles: accepting the resignation from the Free Trade Zone Regime submitted by UCC Service Center Sociedad Anónima and establishing its effectiveness from the date of notification, under the formula “Communicate and publish.”

The published text does not establish transition periods, does not detail the destination of the company’s operations, nor mentions effects on its personnel, and does not quantify the investment or employment linked to the company. The agreement also does not indicate the specific status of the administrative procedure for alleged non-compliance that prompted the transfer of the file to the Ministry of Foreign Trade.

The decision is significant because it removes a service company from the incentive scheme managed by the Executive Branch through COMEX and PROCOMER, and because it sets a precedent on how a voluntary resignation is processed when the applicant simultaneously has an open file for non-compliance: the exit does not by itself extinguish that procedure nor automatically release the deposited guarantee, which the agreement declares to be in effect.

Source: La Gaceta, No. 198 of October 20, 2026, Agreements section (Executive Branch), pp. 2-3 (official reference: ACU-RZF-0055-2026-COMEX, IN202601133772).