It is reported that Costa Rica's Telecommunications Superintendence (SUTEL), the executive authority for the supervision and administration of services in the telecommunications sector, is independent from the government in the decision-making process.

Costa Rica is not a party to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA); however, it has held observer status since June 2015 and submitted an application for accession in September 2023.

According to Art. 31.f of Law No. 8968, transferring personal information of Costa Ricans or resident foreigners in the country to databases located in third countries without the consent of its owners is considered a serious offence. Therefore, although there is no outright prohibition of transfer without the consent of the data subject, in practice there is a conditional regime.

Under Art. 15 of Law No. 7.789, foreign participation in public or private telecommunications companies entering into joint ventures with the state-owned Heredia Public Services Company (ESPH) is limited to 49% of the capital stock. In addition, Art. 5 of Law No. 8.660 on the Strengthening and Modernization of Public Entities in the Telecommunications Sector requires the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE), which operates in the telecommunications sector, to retain at least 51% of the share capital of any company it constitutes or acquires. The same provision further establishes that the sale of shares in any ICE company must be authorised by a special law.

Costa Rica has joined trade agreements covering cooperation commitments on open transfers of cross-border data flows. However, none of these commitments includes binding rules on cross-border data transfers. These include:
- Art. 15.5.d of the Tratado de Libre Comercio entre los Estados Unidos Mexicanos y las Repúblicas de Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras y Nicaragua;
- Art. 16.7.c of the Tratado de Libre Comercio entre la República de Colombia y la República de Costa Rica.

In general, there are no restrictions based on nationality for directors and managers of telecommunications companies. However, in the case of the Costa Rican Institute for Electricity (ICE), a major public company providing electricity and telecommunications services, all directors must be Costa Rican nationals. This requirement is in Art. 10 of the Law of Creation of the Costa Rican Electricity Institute, which states that the superior administration of the ICE shall correspond to a Board of Directors and that all of them must be Costa Ricans characterised by their honorability.

Law No. 8968 and Executive Decree No. 37554-JP establish a comprehensive framework for data protection in Costa Rica. The Costa Rican Data Protection Authority (PRODHAB) is the body charged with overseeing and enforcing compliance with the Law.

According to Art. 34 of Law No. 6.867 on Patents, Industrial Designs and Utility Models, it is mandatory to appoint a local representative to file a patent application if the applicant has a domicile or headquarters outside of Costa Rica.

Costa Rica has a safe harbour regime in place for intermediaries for copyright infringements. Executive Decree No. 36.880 implements Art. 15.11.27 of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), establishing limitations on liability for service providers for copyright only. Pursuant to the Decree, users who believe their rights have been violated should communicate with the service provider, who has 15 days to take down the content. Takedowns can also occur through a judicial order. The system has been criticised for ambiguity, as the limited intermediary liability applies to service providers who voluntarily abide by the rule.

Costa Rica is a signatory of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Information Technology Agreement (ITA) of 1996 and its 2015 expansion (ITA II).

Art. 23 of the General Law on Public Procurement promotes the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and cooperatives. To support regional development, contracting authorities may allocate up to 10% of the total evaluation score to SMEs and cooperatives located in the relevant development region and employing mainly workers from that region.
Art. 14 of the Special Regulation for the Promotion of SMEs in Public Procurement also gives preference to nationally produced goods or services supplied by SMEs where competing offers are equivalent in quality, capacity, and price.
In addition, Art. 84 of the Law allows framework agreements for goods and services to be reserved exclusively for SMEs. Arts. 73 and 75 of Executive Decree No. 43808-H of 22 November 2022 similarly permit the National Public Procurement Plan to reserve specific procurement categories, including consolidated procedures and framework agreements, for exclusive competition among SMEs where market conditions allow. Eligibility requires recognition under Costa Rica’s domestic SME registration system, which foreign suppliers generally cannot obtain.

Art. 261 of Decree No. 1165 of 2019 stipulates that the de minimis threshold, the minimum value of goods below which customs duties are not levied, is set at USD 200.

Law No. 1,480 provides a comprehensive framework for consumer protection that also applies to online transactions.