Yes. Costa Rica is one of the few countries in the region where a foreigner has the same property rights as a citizen on titled (fee simple, propiedad) land. You do not need residency, a local partner or a special permit. Americans, Canadians and Europeans buy land here every week under exactly the same rules a Costa Rican does.
You can hold the property in your personal name, jointly, or through a Costa Rican corporation — usually an SRL (limited liability company), which is the standard vehicle for shared or collective purchases and for keeping ownership transfers simple later on.
The single real restriction is coastal: within the 200 m Maritime Terrestrial Zone, ownership works differently (see below). Everything else — inland, mountain, agricultural, residential land — is open.
2. Title types you will encounter
Fee simple (titled) land
Registered in the National Registry with a folio real number, a registered survey plan (plano catastrado) and a clear chain of ownership. This is what you want. Everything on our land listings page is titled land.
Concession land (Maritime Zone)
The first 50 m from the high tide line is public and can never be owned. The next 150 m can only be held under a renewable municipal concession, with limits on foreign participation. It can be a valid business — but it is a lease from the municipality, not ownership.
Untitled / possession rights (derecho de posesión)
Land occupied but never registered. Cheap, and occasionally legitimate, but financing is impossible and titling can take years. Unless you are experienced here, skip it.
3. The role of the notario público
A Costa Rican notario is not a clerk — they are a licensed attorney vested with public faith by the state. Only a notario can draft the transfer deed (escritura pública) and submit it to the National Registry. Their fees are set by law, so there is no shopping around on price; you are choosing for competence and independence.
Practical rule: use your own notario, not the seller's. The same professional cannot represent both sides' interests in a dispute over an easement, a boundary or an undisclosed lien.
4. Due diligence checklist
Registry study of the folio real: owner of record, mortgages, liens, annotations, judicial attachments.
Plano catastrado: the registered survey plan matches the physical boundaries and the area you are being sold.
Access: legal road access (public road or registered easement) — not "the neighbour lets us drive through".
Water: an AyA/ASADA water letter (carta de disponibilidad de agua) or a legal well concession. No water letter, no construction permit.
Zoning & setbacks: municipal plan regulador, buildable coverage, river and stream setbacks, forest cover restrictions.
Slope study: land over 30% slope has heavy construction constraints.
Taxes up to date: municipal property tax, luxury home tax where relevant, corporate tax if buying shares.
Squatters: verify physical occupation on site, not only on paper.
5. Step by step: from selection to registration
Define the use. Build, hold, subdivide, farm or run a rental business — this changes which parcels are even worth viewing.
Site visits. Walk the boundaries, check access in the rainy season, confirm neighbours and services.
Offer & option agreement. Price, deposit, due diligence window (typically 30–60 days), and conditions for a full refund.
Escrow. Deposit goes to a SUGEF-registered escrow agent — never directly to the seller.
Due diligence. Your attorney runs the checklist above; findings either close the deal, renegotiate it, or kill it.
Closing. The notario drafts and both parties sign the escritura; escrow releases funds.
Registration. The deed is filed with the National Registry; the new folio real typically appears within 15–45 days.
After closing. Register with the municipality for property tax, and file the annual corporate declarations if you bought through an SRL.
6. Costs, taxes and timelines
Transfer tax: 1.5% of the registered value.
Registry & documentary stamps: roughly 0.8%.
Notary fees: set by law, about 1.25%–2%.
Total closing costs: plan for 3.5%–4.5%, commonly split 50/50 between buyer and seller.
Annual property tax: 0.25% of the registered value — low by North American standards.
Typical timeline: 45–90 days from accepted offer to registered title.
Under-declaring the registered value to save on transfer tax is still common advice locally. It is a bad trade: it raises your capital gains exposure on exit and creates a paper trail you do not want.
7. Common mistakes
Using the seller's attorney to "save money".
Wiring a deposit before an escrow agreement exists.
Buying land with no water letter and assuming it can be fixed later.
Trusting a fence line instead of the registered survey plan.
Ignoring rainy-season access — a road that works in February may not in October.
Buying concession land believing it is fee simple title.
8. FAQ
Can Americans buy land in Costa Rica?
Yes — same rights as citizens on titled land, with no residency requirement.
Do I need to be in Costa Rica to close?
No. You can grant a special power of attorney, executed at a Costa Rican consulate or apostilled, so your attorney can sign on your behalf.
Can I get a mortgage as a foreigner?
Rarely, and on poor terms. Most foreign land purchases here are cash or seller-financed.
Is buying through a corporation better?
For a single family lot, personal ownership is usually simpler. For shared, collective or resale-oriented purchases, an SRL is the practical choice — that is the structure we use for collective land purchases.
Looking at specific parcels?
We hold vetted, titled land on the Central Pacific and near La Fortuna — and we run the due diligence above before a parcel ever reaches the list.