In the month of February, 2023, significant changes were introduced by the Costa Rica Government to the Application requirements for the Inversionista (Investor) Category for Temporary Residency. In addition, the long-awaited pronouncement of the Regulations for Costa Rica Law 9996, respecting the Temporary Residency Import Tax and associated tax relief [...]
If you are purchasing a residential home from a Builder/Developer or having a home custom built, the Costa Rica Civil Code in Article 1185, provides you with a Statutory Guaranty of five years from the date of delivery, for defects in materials and workmanship, attributable to the Architect or the [...]
As a foreigner, constructing your own home in Costa Rica will present some unique challenges. First and foremost, if you are coming from the United States or Canada and don’t speak fluent Spanish, the issue of language will be paramount. You won’t be able to bring your own English speaking [...]
Costa Rica uses the Roman Civil Law Legal System, which is the Legal System used by the majority of countries in continental Western Europe and Latin America. It is a more formal and document-oriented Legal System than the English Common Law Legal System which is used in the majority of [...]
When entering into a property purchase transaction, the Purchase and Sale Agreement, the initial formal legal document that binds the Parties to the transaction, deserves the undivided attention of the Parties, but particularly that of the Buyer and the Buyer’s Lawyer. When a Seller offers a property for sale, there [...]
In Costa Rica, all naturally occurring sources of fresh water are the property of the State. The regulation of use and distribution of fresh water is controlled entirely by the State, through the State Water and Sewer Regulator (AyA), a Community Water and Sewer Association (ASADA), which is under the [...]
Purchasing and/or renting property in Costa Rica can be confusing for foreigners. One of the most confusing and little understood legal concepts, is the difference in the applicability and the enforceability of the HOA By-laws in the circumstances of a Condominium entity, versus that of a […]
