On May 11th, 2020, the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) issued a Protocol for Hospitality Activities in the Tourism Industry ICT-P-01, as a guide to be used by businesses in the hospitality sub-sector in the drafting of their own protocols, following the detailed format and instructions therein, while implementing the sanitary guidelines established by the…
Category Archives: News
A draft law was recently presented before the Legislature under file N.º 21.941 that adds a transitory amendment to article 148 bis of the Labor Code to reschedule the enjoyment of all holidays to Fridays during the years 2020 and 2021, to promote internal tourism given the consequences of COVID-19. ¿How would this work? Any holiday that falls…
Article originally published by the Ministry of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica at:: https://bit.ly/2WcWMw2 San José, April 29, 2020. The Government of the United States of America made official, through the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), that Costa Rica has been removed from the list the countries over which the Office maintains surveillance…
Costa Rica Status of Trademark Office (TMO) 50% reduction in personnel without a defined date to return to 100% operational. Suspension of calculation of legal terms No. Emergency measures decreed by the Government and other considerations Only vehicle restriction from 7pm to 5am. Guatemala Status of Trademark Office (TMO) The full operation of the Trademark…
The Legislative Assembly, in session of April 30, 2020, approved the Special Transitory Law to facilitate the filing and payment of income tax, paymen on account of Income Tax and other formal obligations, in the framework of the emergency by COVID-19. This law seeks to reduce the economic consequences and minimize the negative impact on…
The Foundation for the Development of Guatemala -FUNDESA (for its acronym in Spanish)- has promoted measures for economic reactivation in times of crisis, through public investment projects on a priority basis. One of these projects consists of reducing the gap in road infrastructure, and to this end, it has promoted the Bill 5431, which contains…
The Costa Rica´s General Directorate of Customs issued the statement DGA-010-2020, which expands the list of products for surgical use that have export and re-export restrictions, which they had initially established through directive DGA-003-2020. The products added are as follows: Mono-glasses: Mono-glasses with indirect ventilation, transparent lens, foam covered frame and adjustable headband. Ergonomic and panoramic…
The Ministry of Treasury clarified the application of the VAT exemption in commercial leases, during the months of April, May and June 2020 determined in the Tax Relief Law in face of the COVID-19, establishing that such exemption is applicable for both, real state and movable property, the latter of tangible or intangible nature. At…
As in other legislations around the world, in Central America each country regulates those cases in which, for justified reasons of extreme urgency due to emergencies in public health or national security, and when anti-competitive or abusive practices exist, the State may require the granting of a compulsory license of a patent to attend said…
On Monday, April 6, 2020, the Guatemalan Migration Institute -IGM- in compliance with the presidential provisions, in relation to the state of calamity, issued a statement on its official page which contains special provisions to protect foreigners with the quality of tourists so that they can remain in Guatemala for the duration of the decreed state of…

