Do your homework on who pays taxes in Costa Rica, which taxes and when they have to be paid. This guide will assist you in having you always up to date on all your Costa Rican tax payments. That’s because the government won’t tell you and you will find out when it’s too late. This […]
Watch the new legal requirements on Anonymous corporations in Costa Rica. In the past, property in Costa Rica was almost customarily purchased into anonymous corporations by foreign buyers. One of the most important reasons was to protect the property for the personal liability of the owner. Another good reason was that several owners could possess a […]
Your first due diligence when buying land or a property in Costa Rica is to request the zoning or certificación de Uso de Suelo for that particular property. The certificación de Uso de Suelo is extended by the engineering department at the Municipality where the property is located. Each city has its own zoning plan […]
Are you amongst the more than 250,000 corporate owners whose corporation was dissolved by the Public Registry for non-payment of the Corporate Tax? If your corporation was dissolved by the Public Registry, what happened to your property? During the real estate boom of 2007-2008, real estate developers set up corporations so that their clients, could […]
The very first time I had any idea what title insurance was all about was in 2002. In Costa Rica, title insurance was not customary. Only INS, the local insurance company, could sell insurance, by monopoly regulations. Not until 2008, President Oscar Arias signed a new law that opened up the insurance market in Costa […]
River setbacks are restricted areas of property surrounding the rivers and creeks in Costa Rica. The law strictly prohibits to build any roads or structures on river setbacks. Prohibited also are excavation, alteration, improvement, grading, landfill, paving, and storage. INVU controls the river setbacks, so they can protect the riverbeds against destruction. Looking to purchase […]
Has anyone ever told you to not throw away your old passport? Probably not. Well, you can throw them all away, except the one(s) that you used to purchase a property in Costa Rica. Crazy eh! It sounds like a pretty stupid request, doesn’t it! Who wants to keep an old passport that is no […]
A reader who did not receive title documents at closing is now unsure about the title of her property. She commented on an article in the Tico Times: I purchased land in Costa Rica about 4 years ago I only have la carta catastrada and a letter from the notary public. I have to pay […]
You want to do a title search by property number of your Costa Rica real estate. You want to make sure you own a clear title. How do you do this? Often, we receive requests for assistance from property owners who want to check the title of their property on their own. They don’t know […]
Why do money laundering and buying property in Costa Rica often go hand in hand? Should you be afraid to be seen as a money launderer when buying property in Costa Rica? The answers are simple: In Costa Rica, real estate is still a means of money laundering. Yes, you should be afraid, but only […]
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by Ivo Henfling
