Completion Time Frame: 1 day (simultaneous with procedures 2 and 3)
Completion Costs: CRC 320 (stamps)
Points to Note:
The seller obtains a literal certification from the National Registry.
A literal certification (printed sheet with the information of the property recorded at the Registry database) is issued by the National Registry in one day. The information of property can be obtained online. A notary public can access with a designated password and get this information by simply login into the National Registry’s website (www.registropublico.go.cr), putting the property’s information and getting a print screen with the above indicated information (nature of property, location, area, cadastre number, owner, liens, mortages, easements, limitations, boundaries, etc).

Step 2: Obtain a cadastral plan from the Cadastre

Completion Time Frame: 1 day (simultaneous with procedures 1 and 3)
Completion Costs: CRC 620
Points to Note:
The seller obtains a cadastral plan from the cadastre.
If a cadastral plan of the property does not exist or has problems, then a Topographer engineer must prepare a new one. This will take another 22 days and will cost about CRC 120,000. The cadastral plan will have to be prepared in many cases due to errors, but it is not legally required and most people do not do it.

Step 3: Obtain a tax clearance certificate from the Municipality

Completion Time Frame: 1 day (simultaneous with procedures 1 and 2)
Completion Costs: CRC 55
Points to Note:
The seller shall provide the buyer a certificate attesting that the property is current with payment of all the Municipal taxes and charges (including property tax, and charges for municipal services).

Step 4: A lawyer/notary drafts the sale agreement as a public deed

Completion Time Frame: 1-2 days
Completion Costs: 1,630,645 according to the following scale:

Property value Fees
0 – 10 million CRC 2%
10 – 15 million CRC 1.50%
15 – 30 million CRC 1.25%
30 million CRC and higher 1%
Points to Note:
Notary fees are established by Executive Decree 32493 of March 9th 2005. A lawyer/notary prepares the sale agreement in the form of a public deed based on the information obtained in step 1 and provided by the parties. The lawyer/notary must verify this information in accordance with the Notary Code.
In Costa Rica notary publics are lawyers.
Parties must provide photocopies of their ID (cédula for Costa Rican citizens or passport for foreigners)
Corporations must provide a certificate of incorporation.

Step 5: Pay transfer tax and the stamp duties at the Banco de Costa Rica

Completion Time Frame: 1 day
Completion Costs: 1.5% of property price (transfer tax) + CRC 625 (Fiscal Stamp Tax) + CRC 20 (National Archive fee) + 0.5% of property price (National Property Register Stamp) + 0.2% of property price (Municipal Stamp) + 0.1% of property price (Agrarian Stamp) + 3000 CRC (Costa Rican Bar Association fee)
Points to Note:
Transfer tax and stamp duties must be paid at the Banco de Costa Rica, a state-owned bank that will transfer the money to the tax authorities—either online or in person. In order to pay online, one must have a bank account and internet access to the Bank’s secure web page. The notary certifies on the affidavit that the payment was made and the registrant must check that on the bank’s database. It has become a common practice for up-to-date law firms and notaries to pay the transfer tax and stamp duties online.
The transfer tax and stamp duties are calculated on the basis of the highest of the stated purchase price and the property value appearing on the National Property Registry. Price is updated when the property is sold or mortgaged.
For a land transfer there are various types of stamps that must be paid. Payment is calculated as follows:
• National Property Register Stamp: 0.5% of the property value
• Municipal Stamp: 0.2% of property value
• Fiscal Stamp Tax: CRC 625
• Agrarian Stamp: 0.1% of property value
• Costa Rican Bar Association: 3000 CRC for deeds over 10 million CRC
• National Archive: CRC 20

Step 6: File the public deed for registration at the National Property Registry

Completion Time Frame: 15 days
Completion Costs: Already paid in Step 5
Points to Note:
The lawyer/notary files before the National Property Registry an affidavit of the public deed (known as a “testimonio”), with proof of payment of the transfer tax and other applicable stamp taxes.
Once filed, the affidavit of the transfer deed is assigned for review by a Registrar of the National Property. If the document complies with all requirements, it is recorded and the buyer shall be the formal owner of the property thereafter. If the document contains problems it is returned to notary for correction and re-filing.