Buying land in Costa Rica, in plain language.

You can buy without moving here

Residency is not a requirement to own titled land. Many buyers from Canada and the United States hold property in their own names and visit on a tourist entry. A tourist stamp is not a plan for living in the country. How long you may stay is decided at the border, and the rules change.

Owning land also does not, by itself, give you residency. Those are separate processes. The residency section below is only a sketch so you know what people are referring to.

Titled land

Most inland lots, and some coastal lots, are propiedad titulada. The National Registry (Registro Nacional) keeps a folio real for the property. A titled purchase, done properly, gives you a real right of ownership — the kind you can sell, mortgage, or leave to someone.

“Done properly” is concrete. The person selling is the person on the folio, or has authority to sign (for a company, the corporate papers say so). A notary checks that folio for mortgages, liens, annotations, and lawsuits that appear there. The registered survey, the plano catastrado, matches the land you walked. The deed is signed, filed, and you see it registered — not only promised.

Ask, in writing, whether the lot is titled. If the answer is vague, pause.

A maritime concession is a different product

Along much of the coast, the first 200 meters inland from the ordinary high-tide line are the maritime-terrestrial zone (zona marítimo terrestre). The public zone, the first 50 meters, is not for private buildings. The next 150 meters are generally not sold as private title. Use of that strip is often a concession from the municipality: a right to use the land under conditions, for a limited term, which can be lost if the conditions are not met.

Concessions commonly restrict who may hold them. In many cases the holder must be Costa Rican, or a company with a majority Costa Rican interest. There are exceptions and special coastal regimes, and some older titles sit closer to the water than people expect. None of that is something to guess from a listing photo.

If a lot is offered as a concession, treat it as a different purchase from titled land. Ask how much time is left, whether it can be transferred, whether the holder is in compliance, and what a foreign buyer is actually allowed to hold. Get that answer from your own lawyer, in writing, before any deposit leaves your account.

Due diligence, in ordinary language

A serious look at a lot usually includes the items below. A beautiful afternoon on the land is not a substitute.

• A registry study: owner, the boundaries as registered, mortgages, liens, and annotations.
• The survey plan, and a walk of the corners if the land is large or the lines are unclear.
• Road access: a public road, or a registered easement. A track everyone uses is not the same as a legal right of way.
• Utilities: electricity (often ICE or a cooperative), water (AyA, a local aqueduct association, or a well and its permit), and internet if you need it.
• Use and building: what the municipality allows, the slope, flooding, and whether a future house would need an environmental review.
• Municipal debts and the property-tax account. If there is an association, or a limit on agricultural use, its rules.
• For a concession: the concession file itself, not a summary in a brochure.

The notary, your lawyer, and the money

In Costa Rica a property transfer is completed by a notary public, who is a lawyer with a special commission. The notary drafts the deed (escritura), checks the registry, and files the transfer.

The notary has duties to the transaction. You also want a lawyer whose only job is you, especially if you live abroad and cannot read the Spanish documents quickly. That person can be someone other than the notary. Do not rely on the seller’s agent, or on this website, to review title for you.

For the purchase funds, use an escrow arrangement when you can, so the money is released when the deed is actually registered — not when someone sends a PDF. Do not wire a purchase price to a personal account because a message said to.

A common early document is an option or a promise of sale that gives you time for due diligence and puts any deposit with escrow, with a clear path to get it back if the title fails.

Closing costs, as a planning range

These are illustrations, not a bill. Buyers of titled property often pay:

• Transfer tax (impuesto de traspaso), widely cited at 1.5% of the higher of the sale price and the registered fiscal value. Custom often puts this on the buyer. Confirm the current rate and who pays it.
• Stamps, registry fees, and the notary’s fee. Notary fees follow a published schedule and vary with the price.
• Your own lawyer’s fee, agreed separately. Sometimes a flat fee, sometimes a percentage.
• Survey, escrow, translation, or wire fees if you need them.

A cushion, and the yearly tax

As a planning figure only, many foreign buyers set aside roughly 3.5% to 5% of the price for transfer tax, stamps, notary, and their own lawyer, then add survey or escrow on top. Ask both the notary and your lawyer for a written estimate on the specific lot.

There is also a yearly municipal property tax. A figure you will hear is 0.25% of the registered value. Confirm the bill with the municipality. The registered value is often not the price you paid.

Tax on a seller’s gain, and whether VAT applies, depends on who is selling. That is a question for the notary and a tax advisor, not a rule of thumb from a listing site.

Residency, only the outline

People often ask about four paths. The dollar amounts and the rules change, so treat every number you have heard as out of date until an immigration lawyer or the immigration authority confirms it.

• Pensionado. For people with a stable pension over a minimum monthly amount set by the government.
• Rentista. For people who can show a higher level of ongoing income.
• Inversionista. For people who invest at or above a minimum in a qualifying asset. A lot does not automatically qualify just because it was expensive.
• A stay for remote workers. A temporary status for people working for employers or clients outside Costa Rica. It is not the same thing as permanent residency.

A calm sequence

If a seller says the lot will be gone tonight and the checks can happen after the wire, that is a reason to stop, not a reason to hurry.

• Decide what the land is for: a house within a few years, a long hold, or a place you might retire to. Budget, coast or mountains, titled only or a concession you will consider.
• Look at a short list. Visit if you can. If you cannot, ask for a video walk of the boundaries, not only the view.
• Make an offer that includes time for due diligence and keeps the deposit in escrow.
• Let your lawyer and the notary do the registry, survey, access, and concession checks.
• Sign the deed, file it, and wait until it is registered before the purchase funds are fully released.
• Only then plan utilities and, if you will build, a local architect who pulls the municipal permits.