Costa Rica Real Estate Laws – Owning a House as a Foreigner

Source: The Legal Guide to Costa Rica, by Roger Peterson

The beautiful vistas, lush jungles and soothing beaches draw many International tourists to Costa Rica each year. For those who visit and want to keep going back, buying a vacation home in Costa Rica is a great way to ensure enjoyment of the country’s riches for decades to come. Costa Rica is the ideal place to purchase a vacation home thanks to the country’s welcoming attitude toward foreigners, the laid-back, relaxing vibe and the endless adventure tours and opportunities one can experience. Additionally, the temperatures are warm and pleasant year round and Costa Rica is fairly convenient to get to, making it ideal for a spur of the moment, relaxing vacation at any time during the year.

Owning a Costa Rica Home as a Foreigner

Costa Rica real estate laws are similar to those in the United States, which makes them easy to navigate for foreign home buyers. Additionally, foreign home owners have the same rights to ownership that Costa Rica natives have, something that is not always true in other foreign countries. The most important thing to ensure when buying a vacation home in Costa Rica is that the title to the property is clear. The best way to do this is to look up the title registration number of the property known as the ‘folio real’, a records database that can be searched in Costa Rica’s National Registry.

The National Registry report (informe registrar) for the property provides detailed information including name of the title holder, boundary lines, tax appraisal, liens, mortgages, recorded easements and other items that would affect the property’s title. Once you have this detailed information on a property, you can move forward with the transfer of title and the sale of the property. You can read more about this process in our past article by clicking here.

If you do not speak Spanish already, the key to navigating Costa Rica home buying is an experienced attorney who knows the laws, regulations and the proper way to purchase a home as a foreigner. An easy way to buy the perfect Costa Rica vacation home is to work with an American-based company who sells homes in Costa Rica, such as Kalia. These reputable home builders already know all the laws and regulations, will make the process of buying a vacation home easy and safe for foreigners, and have your best interest at heart.