{"id":2365,"date":"2026-09-03T20:16:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T20:16:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novislegal.com\/?p=2365"},"modified":"2026-09-03T20:16:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T20:16:10","slug":"amendment-to-the-lpa-simplification-of-commercial-and-customs-procedures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novislegal.com\/en\/amendment-to-the-lpa-simplification-of-commercial-and-customs-procedures\/","title":{"rendered":"Amendment to the LPA: Simplification of Commercial and Customs Procedures"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Article written by Marcela Alvarado<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This year, on February 24, 2026, Legislative Decree No. 523 was enacted, amending the Administrative Procedures Act (LPA). The amendment introduced the new Article 4-A, \u201cDocuments Issued Abroad,\u201d which establishes a significant change: the Public Administration will no longer require the apostille or legalization of foreign public documents when they directly pertain to commercial or customs operations, including product registration.   <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition, the reform expands the circumstances under which an apostille will not be required. Thus, the government may not require an apostille when electronic verification mechanisms are in place, when the issuing entity provides means of validation, or when authenticity can be verified through applicable regulations, conventions, agreements, or other instruments of cooperation with foreign entities.   <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In cases where a special law does require the submission of documents bearing an apostille or legalization, the Administration must accept the application without immediately enforcing that requirement. The interested party may fulfill this requirement during the proceedings and up until the final decision is issued, thereby preventing the proceedings from being stalled by this formality.   <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reform also provides that, if failure to submit the document immediately could affect the public interest or the applicant\u2019s rights, the Administration may issue a provisional decision, granting a maximum period of ten business days to submit the document. If this deadline is met, a final decision will be issued; otherwise, the provisional decision may be suspended or revoked.   <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The main objective of these provisions, which were incorporated through the reform, is to simplify and streamline procedures, reduce costs, and prevent delays caused by unnecessary formalities, thereby seeking to strengthen foreign trade. For sectors such as imports and exports, this reform represents a substantial improvement, as it allows processes to move forward without being held up by formal requirements that were previously mandatory.   <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Far from eliminating the apostille in all cases, the reform redefines its role: it is no longer a general requirement but rather an exceptional one, waived in commercial transactions, customs procedures, and public procurement. This change is already in effect and results in more streamlined, less costly processes with greater certainty for those engaged in commercial and customs transactions. In practice, for importers and exporters, this means greater certainty in their procedures and the ability to move forward without unnecessary delays, thereby strengthening their competitiveness in the market. Crucially, this reform generates concrete benefits for those who interact with the government, reducing bureaucratic burdens and streamlining their operations.     <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At Novis Estudio Legal, we are here to assist you throughout your legal proceedings and answer any questions you may have.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Article written by Marcela Alvarado This year, on February 24, 2026, Legislative Decree No. 523 was enacted, amending the Administrative Procedures Act (LPA). The amendment introduced the new Article 4-A, \u201cDocuments Issued Abroad,\u201d which establishes a significant change: the Public Administration will no longer require the apostille or legalization of foreign public documents when they [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":2368,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"saved_in_kubio":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-costa-rica"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novislegal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novislegal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novislegal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novislegal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novislegal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2365"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/novislegal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2365\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2366,"href":"https:\/\/novislegal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2365\/revisions\/2366"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novislegal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novislegal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novislegal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novislegal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}