Countries › Costa Rica › Guide › 11. Real estate and land › Title registration and due diligence in Costa Rica: Registro Inmobiliario, cadastral plans and priority

Title registration and due diligence in Costa Rica: Registro Inmobiliario, cadastral plans and priority

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

Costa Rica runs a single national Registro Nacional with an Inmobiliario section that combines the property registry and the Catastro Nacional. Documents rank in strict order of presentation, a person cannot create rights unless they are the registered owner, and every movement needs a registered cadastral plan. Due diligence is mostly an online registry search plus checks of the plan, municipal taxes, condominium dues and zoning.

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

Registry priority rule	Strict order of presentation in the Diario textLey 3883 art. 2 and 8, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Registro Nacional finca certificate fee	300 CRCLey 4564 art. 2(f)(2), as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Registered cadastral plan required for registry movements	Yes textLey 6545 art. 30, as of 2026-10-30 · in force

The rule

1. The Registro Nacional exists to guarantee the security of registered property and rights against third parties through publicity.Ley 3883, Inscripción de Documentos en el Registro Público, art. 1, 1967-05-30 official text · verified 2026-10-30

2. Documents are received in strict order of presentation in the Diario; a later document that contradicts an earlier admissible one cannot be registered.Ley 3883, Inscripción de Documentos en el Registro Público, art. 2 and 8, 1967-05-30 official text · verified 2026-10-30

3. No rights can be created in the Registro by someone who does not have their own right registered or acquire it in the same instrument.Ley 3883, Inscripción de Documentos en el Registro Público, art. 7, 1967-05-30 official text · verified 2026-10-30

4. Unregistered titles do not affect third parties until presented; registration does not cure void acts, but good faith third parties relying on the Registro are protected.Código Civil, art. 455 and 456, 1885-04-19 official text · verified 2026-10-30

5. The Catastro Nacional belongs to the Registro Inmobiliario; every registry movement must cite a survey plan registered in the Catastro, except mortgage cancellations, family homestead and attachments, and the Registro suspends documents without it.Ley 6545, Ley del Catastro Nacional, art. 1 and 30, 1981-03-25 official text · verified 2026-10-30

6. Registry certificates of a finca, history, liens or powers cost ₡300 each; a certificate of whether a person owns registered assets costs ₡100.
Cost to do it: ₡300 per finca certificate.
Example: Three finca certificates: ₡900. / About US$1.98.Ley 4564, Aranceles del Registro Nacional, art. 2(f), 1970-04-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

7. Unpaid municipal property tax is a preferential legal mortgage on the property; the current owner is jointly liable for past unpaid tax and interest, with a three year prescription period.Ley 7509, Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles, art. 8 and 28, 1995-05-09 official text · verified 2026-10-30

8. Unpaid condominium dues are a mortgage lien on the unit ranking only behind property tax; on sale the seller must give the notary a certificate from the administrator, and a buyer of a unit in arrears becomes jointly liable.Ley 7933, Ley Reguladora de la Propiedad en Condominio, art. 20 and 21, 1999-10-28 official text · verified 2026-10-30

Worked example

Before signing, the buyer's notary pulls the finca certificate (₡300), sees a registered mortgage and an annotation of a pending lawsuit, and checks that the cited cadastral plan matches the boundaries on the ground. The deed provides for the seller's bank to cancel the mortgage at closing, and the buyer obtains the municipal certificate showing property tax paid, since unpaid tax follows the property.

Step by step

Search the folio real by finca number in the Registro Nacional and order a literal and lien certificate.
Check the cadastral plan and compare it to the physical boundaries and access.
Get the municipal certificate that property taxes and services are paid.
For condominium units, get the administrator's certificate of dues.
Check zoning (uso de suelo) with the municipality and environmental limits such as river protection strips.
Present the deed to the Registro as soon as it is signed and follow up any defects notice.

Common traps

A deed presented more than three months after signing loses to an attachment already annotated, unless the buyer wins an ordinary lawsuit.
A plan that is not registered in the Catastro has no legal effect.
Prior owners' unpaid property tax and condominium dues pass to the buyer.
Registration does not validate a void sale, so verify the seller's identity and powers.

Sources

← Buying and owning property in Costa Rica: equal rights for foreigners, notary deeds and the Registro NacionalTransfer tax and closing costs in Costa Rica: 1.5% transfer tax, 0.5% registry fee and notary scale →

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