Owning Property in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica ranks in fourth place at the world level as an ideal environment for foreign investment,
because there are few restrictions on foreigners owning land in Costa Rica, they enjoy the same rights
as Costa Ricans and do not require any special conditions to purchase property within Costa Rica.
An exception is the Terrestrial Maritime Zone discussed below.
In Costa Rica, there are some restrictions for land use, so we recommend each property title be
carefully researched to determine if the location, soil, easements, restriction zones, etc, are ok for the
intended use. Advice from professionals on these subjects is recommended.
Required Documents to buy Costa Rica Real Estate
Foreigners should provide a valid Passport or Proof of Residency card.
Corporations must present the corporate Cedula, by the authorized legal representative holding a
current Personeria Juridica.
A Municipal Clearance from the local administrative area showing that the taxes are paid and that the
Buyer has no debts within that municipality.
Plano Catastrado:
A current property survey.
Public registry showing that the property for sale is free of liens and encumbrances.
A power of attorney may be used if one of the parties will not be present at the time of signing the sales
documents.
Costa Rica Real Estate Information
Properties in Costa Rica are registered by computer at the Registro Publico, the Costa Rica National
Registry. It is a simple process to verify the ownership and encumbrances of any registered property in
Costa Rica with a web browser and internet connection. The registered property will show if any right of
ways, or servidumbres, exist, but it takes a professional to evaluate and determine if the right of way is
still valid.
The National Survey office can provide exact location and boundary maps for all registered Costa
Rican real estate.
The one area of Costa Rica real estate law that restricts land use is the 1977 Maritime Zoning law,
which deeds all lands to 200 meters from the high tide line to the Government of Costa Rica. In no
event can any construction occur in the 50 meter zone but the Government may grant Concessions to
conditional use to the 50 to 200 meter zone. These concessions can be time consuming to obtain and
maintain but when properly acquired provide for some of the nicer homes and hotels that now exist
beach front in Costa Rica.
Foreigners not familiar with Costa Rican Real Estate law would be well advised to seek the advice and
consul of a reputable Costa Rican attorney.
