Costa Rica has been formally granted accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the Department for Business and Trade announced on 7 May 2026. The Central American country will now join the UK and ten other members in a trading bloc with a combined GDP of £13 trillion, based on 2025 data.
Once ratified, the accession will give British exporters new preferential access to the Costa Rican market from day one, covering a range of agricultural and manufactured goods, as well as stronger protections for UK services firms and professionals operating there.
Key Points at a Glance
- Costa Rica granted accession to CPTPP, joining a bloc worth £13 trillion in combined GDP
- UK exporters will gain duty free access (within quota) for cheese, confectionery and animal feed from day one of ratification
- Pork and biscuits become duty free within five years; beef within eight; cheese fully duty free within twelve
- UK companies gain guaranteed rights to bid for Costa Rican public procurement contracts
- Costa Rica has agreed to liberalise 19 regulated professions, including legal, accounting and engineering services
- A new CPTPP specific temporary entry route will open for UK professionals not previously covered
- The CPTPP is also in negotiations with Uruguay and plans to begin talks with Indonesia, the Philippines and the UAE
What Is the CPTPP?
The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership is a major multilateral free trade agreement currently grouping eleven nations across the Pacific Rim. The UK formally acceded to the CPTPP in December 2024, making it the first European country to join the bloc. Current UK trading partners under the agreement include Japan, Singapore, Chile, New Zealand, Vietnam, Peru, Malaysia, Brunei, and Australia. The UK's agreement with Mexico under CPTPP rules is due to enter into force on 22 June 2026, following Mexico's ratification.
Costa Rica's accession is the latest expansion of a group that the government describes as the fastest growing free trade area in the world. Several further candidates are either in negotiations or expected to begin accession talks, with the UK government citing Uruguay as currently under negotiation and Indonesia, the Philippines and the UAE as prospective entrants.
What the Deal Means for UK Exporters
Under the terms of Costa Rica's accession, UK goods exporters will benefit from reduced or eliminated tariffs on a range of products. Cheese, including cheddar, confectionery and animal feed will attract duty free access within agreed quotas from the moment the accession is ratified. Tariffs on pork and biscuits will be eliminated within five years, on beef within eight years, and remaining cheese tariffs within twelve years.
The government has stated that these gains have been secured while protecting British farmers from reciprocal competitive pressure. Sensitive agricultural sectors specifically beef, pork and chicken have not been opened to increased Costa Rican imports beyond levels already offered to other CPTPP members.
UK companies will also receive legally guaranteed rights to participate in Costa Rican public procurement. This means British firms will be able to bid for government contracts in Costa Rica under CPTPP rules, on a comparable footing to domestic suppliers.
Services, Investment and Professional Access
Beyond goods trade, the deal includes significant commitments from Costa Rica on services and investment. The government has described the level of services liberalisation agreed as going further than any previous trade agreement Costa Rica has entered into.
Costa Rica has agreed to open its professional services market across 19 regulated professions, covering areas including legal services, accountancy and engineering. UK professionals in these fields will have clearer, legally enforceable rights to operate in Costa Rica under the terms of the agreement.
A new temporary entry route will also be created specifically under CPTPP rules, making available categories of business entry that were previously unavailable to UK nationals. These include Contractual Service Suppliers, Independent Professionals and Specialised Technicians, with priority sectors secured for UK providers.
In financial services, UK firms will receive legal certainty over their ability to provide portfolio management and e-payment card services to Costa Rican clients on a cross border basis, without needing a physical presence in the country.
State Owned Enterprises and Market Distortions
One less discussed but significant element of the agreement is the inclusion of obligations on state owned enterprises. Costa Rica's accession marks the first time the country has taken on international commitments in this area. The government says this will help protect British businesses from unfair competition from state backed entities in the Costa Rican market, reducing the risk of market distortions that can disadvantage private sector operators.
Context: What Is the CPTPP's Strategic Purpose?
The CPTPP was originally conceived as a means of embedding high standard trade rules across the Indo Pacific region, particularly in areas like digital trade, intellectual property and state owned enterprise disciplines that older trade agreements did not cover. For the UK, membership is part of a post Brexit effort to diversify trade relationships and strengthen ties with fast growing economies. Costa Rica's entry is a relatively modest addition in GDP terms, but signals that the bloc continues to attract new members and is growing its global footprint.
What Happens Next
Costa Rica's accession must now be ratified before it takes legal effect. The UK government has said British exporters will be able to take advantage of the new terms from day one of ratification, but has not yet confirmed a specific timeline for that process. The full terms of the accession are set out in the CPTPP's standard accession framework, under which each party ratifies the agreement independently.
Separately, Canada has not yet ratified the UK's own accession to the CPTPP, meaning UK businesses cannot yet trade with Canada under CPTPP terms. The government has indicated it will update guidance as each member country completes ratification.