Countries › Costa Rica › Guide › 4. Entities and setup › Choosing an entity in Costa Rica: sociedad anónima, sociedad de responsabilidad limitada, E.I.R.L. or branch of a foreign company

Choosing an entity in Costa Rica: sociedad anónima, sociedad de responsabilidad limitada, E.I.R.L. or branch of a foreign company

Argentina. For full detail on Argentina, go to The Argentine Thread.

Last verified: 2026-10-29 · Status: Changing

Foreign investors in Costa Rica mostly choose between the sociedad anónima, for companies that want a board, freely designed share classes, outside investors or bonds, and the sociedad de responsabilidad limitada, for subsidiaries and closely held businesses run by managers with partner consent needed for transfers. The E.I.R.L. is limited to a single natural person, and a branch keeps the foreign parent as the legal person behind a local apoderado generalísimo. All of them pay the same yearly tax on legal entities, file a beneficial ownership return, and since 2025 new S.A.s and S.R.L.s are identified by their cédula jurídica number rather than a name.

USD figures use the Banco Central de Costa Rica reference selling rate of ₡454.82 per US dollar published for 29 October 2026 (indicator 318 on bccr.fi.cr), rounded to the cent. The salario base for 2026 is ₡462,200 (Circular 246-2025 of the Consejo Superior del Poder Judicial, under Ley 7337 art. 2).

Key facts

Limited liability forms used by investors	S.A., S.R.L., E.I.R.L. (individuals only), branch of a foreign company Código de Comercio art. 5, art. 9, art. 17 and art. 226, as of 2026-10-29 · in force
Resident agent required for companies with non resident representatives	No, repealed in 2024; notification email required instead Ley 10597 art. 1 and art. 4, as of 2026-10-29 · in force
How a new S.A. or S.R.L. is identified	Cédula jurídica number assigned by the Registro Nacional Ley 10729 art. 1, as of 2026-10-29 · in force

The rule

1. The Code recognizes four mercantile company types: the sociedad en nombre colectivo, the sociedad en comandita simple, the sociedad de responsabilidad limitada and the sociedad anónima (art. 17). Merchants also include E.I.R.L.s and foreign companies and their branches acting in Costa Rica in the cases of art. 5 (art. 5). Partners in a nombre colectivo are subsidiarily but unlimitedly and jointly liable for company debts (art. 33), which is why foreign investors use the limited liability forms.Ley 3284, Código de Comercio, art. 5, art. 17 and art. 33, 1964-04-30 official text · verified 2026-10-29

2. Only the sociedad anónima may issue bonds (obligaciones), and its articles may authorize the board to increase capital up to a set limit (art. 106). It may create classes of shares with preferences or restrictions (art. 121) but not plural voting shares (art. 139). The S.R.L. cannot raise capital by public subscription (art. 79) and its quotas pass to outsiders only with unanimous consent or a three quarters majority if the deed allows (art. 85).Ley 3284, Código de Comercio, art. 79, art. 85, art. 106, art. 121 and art. 139, 1964-04-30 official text · verified 2026-10-29

3. New S.A.s and S.R.L.s are identified only by the cédula jurídica number assigned by the Registro Nacional, with the words S.A. or Limitada; brand protection requires a separate trade name registration (art. 18(6), art. 76, art. 103 and art. 245).Ley 10729, reforma del Código de Comercio, art. 1, 2025-05-13 official text · verified 2026-10-29 · changed: Since Ley 10729 of 13 May 2025 founders no longer choose a company name in the deed.

4. A resident agent is no longer required: Ley 10597 repealed art. 18(13) of the Code, which had required a lawyer with an office in Costa Rica as resident agent when no representative lived in the country, and replaced it with a mandatory email for notifications from administrative and judicial authorities (art. 18(10)).Ley 10597, correo electrónico como medio de notificación para las sociedades mercantiles, art. 1 and art. 4, 2024-11-05 official text · verified 2026-10-29 · changed: Repeal of the resident agent requirement and introduction of the mandatory notification email, 5 November 2024.

5. Every mercantile company, E.I.R.L. and foreign branch registered in the Registro de Personas Jurídicas pays the impuesto a las personas jurídicas each year (Ley 9428 art. 1 and art. 3), and every legal person with a cédula jurídica files beneficial ownership information with the Banco Central de Costa Rica (Ley 9416 art. 5; Decreto 44390-H art. 3).
Cost to do it: ₡69,330 to ₡231,100 a year in 2026 (about US$152.43 to US$508.11) for the tax on legal entities.Ley 9428; Ley 9416; Decreto 44390-H, Ley 9428 art. 1 and art. 3; Ley 9416 art. 5; Decreto 44390-H art. 3, 2024-02-13 official text · verified 2026-10-29

Feature	Sociedad anónima	S.R.L.	E.I.R.L.	Branch of a foreign company
Law	Código de Comercio art. 102 to 200	Código de Comercio art. 75 to 101	Código de Comercio art. 9 to 16	Código de Comercio art. 226 to 233
Who can form it	At least 2 founders, each with 1 share (art. 104)	Partners subscribing all capital (art. 80)	1 natural person only (art. 9)	The foreign parent (art. 226)
Paid at formation	At least 25% of cash shares; in kind fully paid (art. 104)	At least 25% of each quota, balance within 1 year (art. 80)	Capital stated in the deed (art. 10)	Assigned capital stated in the power (art. 226)
Management	Board of at least 3 (art. 181)	One or more managers (art. 89)	Manager with generalísimo powers (art. 10)	Apoderado generalísimo (art. 226)
Transfer of interests	Free unless articles require board approval (art. 138)	Unanimity or 3/4 if deed allows (art. 85)	Transfer registered (art. 13)	Not applicable
Legal reserve	5% of profit until 20% of capital (art. 143)	5% until 10% (art. 99)	Not set in the Code	Not set in the Code
Bonds	Yes (art. 106)	No	No	Parent level
Tax on legal entities 2026	₡69,330 to ₡231,100	₡69,330 to ₡231,100	₡69,330 to ₡231,100	₡69,330 to ₡231,100
Detail page	entities/sociedad-anonima	entities/sociedad-de-responsabilidad-limitada	entities/empresa-individual-de-responsabilidad-limitada	entities/branch-of-a-foreign-company

Main vehicles for a foreign investor in Costa Rica, from the governing texts.

Worked example

A foreign software group that will own 100% of its Costa Rican operation and does not plan local investors usually fits an S.R.L. with one manager; if it plans to bring in minority investors with preferred shares or to issue local bonds, the S.A. is the vehicle the Code provides for that (art. 106 and art. 121).
An individual consultant who wants limited liability without partners can use an E.I.R.L., but a company cannot own one (art. 9).

Step by step

Decide whether the owner is a natural person (E.I.R.L. possible) or a company (S.A., S.R.L. or branch).
Decide whether you need outside investors, share classes or bonds (S.A.) or tight control over who joins (S.R.L.).
Check whether the parent wants a separate legal person in Costa Rica (subsidiary) or accepts direct exposure (branch).
Plan the legal representative's digital signature for RTBF filings and the notification email before signing.
Budget the yearly tax on legal entities and the April RTBF return from day one.

Common traps

Choosing a name in the deed no longer works for S.A.s and S.R.L.s; plan a trade name registration for the brand (Ley 10729).
An E.I.R.L. cannot be held by a company, and it may only carry on the object stated in its deed (art. 9 and art. 10(d)).
Dividends, interest or fees paid to an Argentine parent raise withholding, treaty and FX questions on both sides; for the Argentine side see The Argentine Thread guide.

Sources

← Tourism incentives in Costa Rica: the ICT tourism contract under Ley 6990, what it still exempts and the tenfold misuse fineSociedad anónima (S.A.) in Costa Rica: two founders, 25% paid in at signing, a three member board, a company identified by its cédula jurídica number and the yearly tax on legal entities →

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