The Costa Rican Congress is currently studying a proposal to modify the country’s arbitration laws. Future arbitrations being handled in the country could benefit from more flexible regulations

Costa Rica currently has two arbitration laws: the Alternative Dispute Resolution Law which governs domestic arbitrations, and the International Commercial Arbitration Law which governs international arbitrations and is based in the UNCITRAL (United Nations Commission on International Trade Law) Model Law. The amendments proposed aim to standardize arbitration proceedings by applying the International Commercial Arbitration Law to domestic arbitrations.  

With the proposed modifications, domestic arbitrations will benefit from the flexibility that characterizes international arbitrations. Arbitrators will now be allowed to issue interim measures without having to go through the court system and will have the ability to conduct the arbitration efficiently, without some of the restrictions imposed by the Alternative Dispute Resolution Law. Additionally, parties will be able to select the language of the arbitration which, for domestic arbitrations, is currently limited to Spanish.  

The proposed modifications will certainly provide domestic arbitration users with a much more modern approach, compliant with arbitration’s international standards. Our experienced team of arbitration lawyers are comfortable with helping you navigate the proposed amendments, once they are approved, in an efficient manner. Feel free to contact us. It will be our pleasure to assist you.