Countries › Costa Rica › Guide › 11. Real estate and land › Indigenous territories in Costa Rica: land that non indigenous buyers cannot acquire

Indigenous territories in Costa Rica: land that non indigenous buyers cannot acquire

Last verified: 2026-10-30 · Status: Stable

Indigenous reserves declared by decree are inalienable, imprescriptible and exclusive to the communities that live there. Non indigenous persons cannot buy, rent or otherwise acquire land in them, and any deal between indigenous and non indigenous persons is absolutely void. Non indigenous good faith holders are to be relocated or expropriated; later invaders are evicted without compensation.

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.

Key facts

Acquisition or lease of indigenous reserve land by non indigenous persons	Prohibited and void textLey 6172 art. 3, as of 2026-10-30 · in force

The rule

1. Reserves are those set by the listed executive decrees; their area cannot be reduced except by express law.Ley 6172, Ley Indígena, art. 1, 1977-11-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

2. Reserves are inalienable, imprescriptible, non transferable and exclusive to the communities; non indigenous persons may not rent, lease, buy or acquire land there; indigenous persons may only deal in land with other indigenous persons; transfers between indigenous and non indigenous persons are absolutely void.Ley 6172, Ley Indígena, art. 3, 1977-11-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

3. Reserves are governed by the communities through their traditional structures, coordinated by CONAI.Ley 6172, Ley Indígena, art. 4, 1977-11-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

4. Non indigenous good faith owners or possessors are to be relocated or, failing that, expropriated and compensated under the Ley de Expropiaciones; later invaders are evicted without compensation.Ley 6172, Ley Indígena, art. 5, 1977-11-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

5. Only indigenous people may build houses, fell trees, use timber or plant crops for their own benefit inside the reserves, and businesses there may only be run by indigenous people.Ley 6172, Ley Indígena, art. 6, 1977-11-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

Worked example

A buyer is offered cheap land with a possession letter in southern Costa Rica. A check of reserve boundaries shows it lies inside an indigenous reserve; the sale would be absolutely void and the buyer could be evicted without compensation.

Step by step

Check reserve boundaries in the executive decrees and with the Registro and Catastro.
Treat possession based offers in or near reserves as high risk.

Common traps

A registered title inside a reserve does not make a sale to a non indigenous buyer valid.
Leases and rentals are prohibited too, not only purchases.

Sources

Ley 6172, Ley Indígena (SCIJ)

← Border strip and inalienable state land in Costa RicaExpropriation in Costa Rica: public interest declaration, administrative appraisal and court set fair price →

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