Required Documents for Selling Real Estate in Costa Rica: Full Checklist

Last reviewed: September 2026. If you are preparing to sell real estate in Costa Rica, organizing the right documents before listing can reduce delays once a buyer is under contract. The exact closing package varies by property type, ownership structure, municipality, condominium rules, title status, and the buyer’s due-diligence requirements, so this should be treated as a practical pre-listing checklist—not a universal statutory list.

This article provides general educational information only and is not legal, tax, accounting, or notarial advice. Have a qualified Costa Rican attorney review your property and ownership structure before you list or sign a sale agreement.

Core documents most sellers should have ready

1. Current property registry information

Your attorney should confirm the property’s current National Registry information, including the finca or folio real number, registered owner, property description, and any recorded liens, mortgages, annotations, easements, or other encumbrances. Costa Rica’s National Registry can issue current certifications and property information; buyers and their attorneys normally rely on the current registry record rather than simply on an old paper copy of a deed.

If you have the deed from your original purchase, keep it with your file because it can still be useful for historical information, purchase-price support, and tax records. But do not assume that producing an “original title deed” by itself proves the property is currently free and clear.

2. Registered cadastral plan (Plano Catastrado)

Have the registered cadastral survey plan available and confirm that its identifying information corresponds with the property’s registry record. The cadastral plan shows the parcel graphically, while the registry record contains the legal/literal property information. If there are discrepancies in boundaries, area, access, or identification, have your attorney and surveyor address them early.

3. Seller identification

Individual sellers should normally have current identification available, such as a passport or Costa Rican identification document where applicable. Attorneys, escrow providers, banks, and other regulated professionals may also request additional know-your-client or anti-money-laundering information depending on the transaction.

Municipal taxes and other property-related tax records

Ask your attorney to confirm that municipal property taxes are current and whether the municipality requires any declaration, certification, or clearance for the transaction. Unpaid obligations can complicate a closing and may need to be settled as part of the transaction.

For qualifying higher-value residential properties, Costa Rica’s separate Solidarity Tax may also apply. Whether a property is subject to that tax depends on the applicable statutory valuation rules and current threshold; it should not be determined by a simple assumption based on asking price. If the property may qualify, have your accountant or attorney verify the filings and payments.

Capital-gains treatment, non-domiciled seller withholding, transfer-related charges, and other seller costs should be reviewed separately before signing a sale agreement. See our Closing Costs for Sellers in Costa Rica guide for a current overview, and obtain transaction-specific tax advice.

Documents for buildings and improvements

If the property includes a house, condominium improvements, pool, guest house, commercial building, or other construction, gather the documents you have relating to the improvements. Depending on the property and buyer’s due diligence, this can include:

• Construction permits and municipal records.
• Approved plans or CFIA-related documentation.
• Final inspection, occupancy, or completion documentation where applicable.
• Records for later additions, renovations, pools, retaining walls, or other permitted works.

Not every older Costa Rican property will have the same document package, and the absence of one item does not automatically mean a sale cannot close. However, unpermitted or undocumented improvements can affect valuation, insurance, financing, future permits, or a buyer’s willingness to proceed. The best approach is to identify gaps before listing and have your attorney, architect, or engineer determine what actually needs to be corrected or documented.

Land use, access, water, and utilities

For vacant land, development property, commercial property, or a property where future construction is important to the buyer, additional documents can become especially important. Depending on the transaction, buyers may request:

• A current land-use or zoning certificate (Uso de Suelo).
• Evidence of legal public-road access.
• Water availability or service documentation where relevant.
• Electricity or utility availability information.
• Environmental, forestry, wetland, coastal, or other development-related documentation.

For an existing home or condominium, recent water, electricity, internet, or other utility records can also be useful for confirming accounts and helping the buyer organize transfers, but these are not a substitute for legal title or permit review.

If the property is owned by a Costa Rican corporation or other legal entity

If a Costa Rican company owns the property, the seller’s attorney should review the entity before the property is marketed or placed under contract. Common items can include:

• The company’s cédula jurídica and current registry information.
• Current personería or evidence showing who legally represents the company and what powers that representative has.
• Corporate books and shareholder documentation where relevant.
• Corporate approvals or resolutions if required by the company’s governance documents or the proposed transaction.
• Proof that applicable corporate taxes and required filings are current.
• Identification and beneficial-ownership information that the attorney, escrow provider, bank, or other regulated party may require.

Do not assume that every corporate sale requires the same shareholder resolution or the same set of minutes. The required authorization depends on the company, its representation powers, its governing documents, and the way the transaction is structured.

If you are selling a condominium

Condominium buyers commonly request more than the property’s basic title documents. Prepare the condominium documents you have and ask the administrator what can be issued for a sale. Depending on the property, this may include:

• Condominium bylaws and regulations.
• A statement showing condominium or HOA fees are current.
• Information about special assessments or known extraordinary charges.
• Current budget or financial information where available.
• Recent assembly or HOA meeting minutes that may disclose planned projects, disputes, assessments, or rule changes.
• Rental, pet, parking, storage, or other use restrictions relevant to the buyer.

If the property is in Costa Rica’s Maritime Zone

Beachfront property requires special attention because some coastal parcels are not ordinary titled property. If the property is held under a Maritime Zone concession, have your attorney verify the current concession, the concession holder, term, restrictions, and payment of the applicable canon.

A transfer or assignment of concession rights is not handled like an ordinary titled-property transfer. Costa Rica’s Maritime Zone law can require express governmental approval, including municipal authorization and, in tourist-declared areas, involvement of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT). Confirm the required approvals and timing before entering into a closing schedule.

Mortgages, liens, easements, and other registered encumbrances

A current registry review should identify registered mortgages, liens, easements, annotations, or other encumbrances. If a mortgage or lien must be cancelled, your attorney should coordinate the payoff, release, cancellation documents, and closing mechanics in advance.

Easements are not automatically defects. Access, utility, water, and other easements can be normal and important rights affecting the property. The buyer’s attorney will typically review them to understand exactly what rights and obligations continue after closing.

Selling remotely: Power of Attorney

If you will not be in Costa Rica for signing, discuss the signing plan with your Costa Rican attorney early. A Power of Attorney may be appropriate, but the correct form depends on what authority is needed.

A Costa Rican poder especial can be granted for one or more specified transactions, and when it authorizes an act or contract with registry effects it must satisfy the formal requirements applicable to that authority. In other cases, an existing broader power, such as a properly granted poder generalísimo, may already provide sufficient authority. Therefore, it is not accurate to assume that every remote sale requires a new property-specific power.

If documents will be signed outside Costa Rica, your attorney should tell you what notarization, consular, apostille, protocolization, translation, or other formalities apply to your particular document.

Escrow, banking, and compliance documents

Escrow companies, attorneys, banks, and other regulated service providers can have their own compliance requirements. Sellers may be asked for items such as:

• Passport or identification documents.
• Proof of address or tax-residency information.
• Corporate ownership and beneficial-owner information.
• Bank-account instructions and verification.
• Information supporting the history, acquisition, or ownership of the property.
• Other know-your-client or anti-money-laundering documents appropriate to the transaction.

These requirements can vary by provider, transaction size, ownership structure, and the countries involved. Ask for the compliance list early rather than waiting until funds are ready to move.

Pre-listing document checklist

• Current finca / folio real information and registry certification.
• Registered Plano Catastrado.
• Seller identification.
• Municipal property-tax status.
• Solidarity Tax records if applicable.
• Construction and improvement documents you have, where relevant.
• Land-use, access, water, or utility documentation where relevant.
• Corporate records and proof of representation if an entity owns the property.
• Condominium/HOA documentation if applicable.
• Maritime Zone concession and canon documentation if applicable.
• Information needed to cancel any mortgage or lien.
• Power of Attorney documentation if someone else will sign.
• Escrow, bank, and compliance documents requested by the professionals handling the closing.
• Historical purchase and improvement records that may help your accountant calculate taxes.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need the original deed to sell property in Costa Rica?

The current National Registry record is central to confirming legal ownership and registered encumbrances. Keep your purchase deed and historical documents, but do not panic if you do not have a particular old paper original. Ask your attorney what current registry certifications and transaction documents are required for your sale.

What if I am missing building permits?

Have an attorney and qualified architect or engineer review the situation before listing. The consequences depend on the improvement, municipality, age of the construction, current records, and what a buyer intends to do with the property. Missing documentation should be investigated early rather than described automatically as a deal-breaker.

Can I sell from outside Costa Rica?

Often yes. Your attorney can determine whether you should travel for signing, use an existing valid power, or grant a new Power of Attorney, and can advise on the required formalities for documents signed abroad.

What documents do I need if a corporation owns the property?

The exact list varies, but your attorney will normally verify the company’s current registry status, legal representation, authority to sell, corporate records where needed, applicable taxes and filings, and the identity of the relevant owners or representatives.

What documents are needed to sell a beachfront concession property?

In addition to seller and property documentation, the concession itself, current concession status, canon payments, and applicable transfer approvals need special review. A Maritime Zone concession should never be treated as though it were ordinary fee-simple title.

Prepare before the buyer is under contract

The goal of a pre-listing review is not to create paperwork for its own sake. It is to identify title, corporate, tax, permit, condominium, concession, or signing issues while there is still time to solve them—rather than discovering them days before closing.

Broker Costa Rica can help sellers organize the real-estate side of the process and coordinate with the attorney, accountant, condominium administrator, surveyor, inspector, or other professionals needed for the transaction. Contact Tony & Anna Velez if you are preparing to sell property in Guanacaste or elsewhere in Costa Rica.

Disclaimer: This checklist is general educational information and is not a complete statement of every document legally required for every Costa Rican property sale. Requirements depend on the property, ownership structure, municipality, transaction, and professionals involved. Obtain current legal and tax advice for your specific sale.