{"id":1295,"date":"2025-06-05T16:46:56","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T16:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ics.cr\/?p=1295"},"modified":"2025-06-05T16:46:56","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T16:46:56","slug":"5-things-to-know-before-buying-land-in-costa-rica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ics.cr\/en\/5-cosas-que-hay-que-saber-antes-de-comprar-un-terreno-en-costa-rica\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Things to Know Before Buying Land in Costa Rica"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Buying land in Costa Rica can be a dream\u2014or a disaster\u2014depending on how well you\nprepare. Before signing anything, get informed. Here are five things most buyers don\u2019t\nknow (but should).<\/p>\n<h2>1. Not All Land Is Clearly Titled<\/h2>\n<p>Even if a seller provides documents, only a <strong>real title search<\/strong> in the National Registry will\nconfirm ownership, boundaries, easements, or legal claims. Buying without due diligence\nis risky\u2014even if the price is right.<\/p>\n<h2>2. There Are Land Use Restrictions That Affect Your Plans<\/h2>\n<p>Want to build a hotel, farm, or home? Check the <strong>municipal zoning plan<\/strong>first. Some land may be restricted to conservation or agricultural use. An experienced lawyer will help you\nverify what you can\u2014and cannot\u2014do.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Coastal Lands Have Special Rules<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re buying land near the beach, make sure it\u2019s <strong>not within the Maritime Zone<\/strong> (the first 200 meters from high tide). It cannot always be sold freely and may require concessions subject to strict regulations.<\/p>\n<h2>4. \u201cWater and Access\u201d Are Not Always Guaranteed<\/h2>\n<p>Many properties for sale don\u2019t have legal access to a <strong>public street<\/strong> or connection to legal water sources. These basic issues can take years to resolve. Your attorney must verify these before closing the deal.<\/p>\n<h2>5. Real Estate Due Diligence Is Essential<\/h2>\n<p>From verifying permits to confirming boundaries, tax status, and environmental restrictions\u2014<strong> legal due diligence protects your investment<\/strong>. Don\u2019t rely on realtors alone.\nWork with a legal team that knows how to uncover hidden risks.<\/p>\n<p>And when is time to sell do know that<strong>Capital Gains Tax May Apply<\/strong>. If the land is not your primary residence, you may face a <strong>15% capital gains tax<\/strong>on the profit from the sale. But exemptions and strategic planning may reduce or eliminate that tax\u2014only if handled correctly from the start.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcde Thinking about buying land in Costa Rica? Give us a call. We are a law firm based in San Jose Costa Rica with 32 years of experience in real estate transactions. Your investment deserves to be protected.<\/p>\n<style>\r\n.lwrp.link-whisper-related-posts{\r\n            \r\n            margin-top: 40px;\nmargin-bottom: 30px;\r\n        }\r\n        .lwrp .lwrp-title{\r\n            \r\n            \r\n        }.lwrp .lwrp-description{\r\n            \r\n            \r\n\r\n        }\r\n        .lwrp .lwrp-list-container{\r\n        }\r\n        .lwrp .lwrp-list-multi-container{\r\n            display: flex;\r\n        }\r\n        .lwrp .lwrp-list-double{\r\n            width: 48%;\r\n        }\r\n        .lwrp .lwrp-list-triple{\r\n            width: 32%;\r\n        }\r\n        .lwrp .lwrp-list-row-container{\r\n            display: flex;\r\n            justify-content: space-between;\r\n        }\r\n        .lwrp .lwrp-list-row-container .lwrp-list-item{\r\n            width: calc(25% - 20px);\r\n        }\r\n        .lwrp .lwrp-list-item:not(.lwrp-no-posts-message-item){\r\n            \r\n            \r\n        }\r\n        .lwrp 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class=\"link-whisper-related-posts lwrp\">\r\n            <h2 class=\"lwrp-title\">Related Posts<\/h2>    \r\n        <div class=\"lwrp-list-container\">\r\n                                            <div class=\"lwrp-list-multi-container\">\r\n                    <ul class=\"lwrp-list lwrp-list-double lwrp-list-left\">\r\n                        <li class=\"lwrp-list-item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ics.cr\/en\/update-of-the-real-estate-tax-exemption-base-for-holders-of-a-single-property-published\/\" class=\"lwrp-list-link\"><span class=\"lwrp-list-link-title-text\">Update of the real estate tax exemption base for holders of a single property is published.<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"lwrp-list-item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ics.cr\/en\/the-ministry-of-finances-electronic-voucher-platform-will-be-undergoing-preventive-maintenance-this-coming-weekend\/\" class=\"lwrp-list-link\"><span class=\"lwrp-list-link-title-text\">The Ministry of Finance's electronic voucher platform will be undergoing preventive maintenance this coming weekend.<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"lwrp-list-item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ics.cr\/en\/offshore-income-is-not-paid-in-costa-rica\/\" class=\"lwrp-list-link\"><span class=\"lwrp-list-link-title-text\">Costa Rica does not pay for extra-territorial income<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"lwrp-list-item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ics.cr\/en\/hybrid-asymmetries-in-the-income-tax-law\/\" class=\"lwrp-list-link\"><span class=\"lwrp-list-link-title-text\">The limitation to payments related to hybrid asymmetries in the income tax law.<\/span><\/a><\/li>                    <\/ul>\r\n                    <ul class=\"lwrp-list lwrp-list-double lwrp-list-right\">\r\n                        <li class=\"lwrp-list-item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ics.cr\/en\/transfer-pricing-and-the-new-information-return-in-costa-rica\/\" class=\"lwrp-list-link\"><span class=\"lwrp-list-link-title-text\">Transfer Pricing and the New Information Statement in Costa Rica<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"lwrp-list-item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ics.cr\/en\/economic-growth-costa-rica\/\" class=\"lwrp-list-link\"><span class=\"lwrp-list-link-title-text\">UCR improves country's economic growth forecast for 2024<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"lwrp-list-item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ics.cr\/en\/legal-services\/nearshore-accounting-services\/\" class=\"lwrp-list-link\"><span class=\"lwrp-list-link-title-text\">Nearshore Accounting Services<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"lwrp-list-item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ics.cr\/en\/consensus-in-the-legislature-to-migrate-to-a-global-dual-income-tax\/\" class=\"lwrp-list-link\"><span class=\"lwrp-list-link-title-text\">Consensus in the Legislative Assembly: migration to a global and dual income tax is needed<\/span><\/a><\/li>                    <\/ul>\r\n                <\/div>\r\n                        <\/div>\r\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Comprar terreno en Costa Rica puede ser un sue\u00f1o\u2026 o una pesadilla si no se hace con cuidado. Antes de firmar cualquier documento, inf\u00f3rmese. Aqu\u00ed le compartimos cinco claves que todo comprador debe conocer. 1. No todos los terrenos tienen t\u00edtulo claro Aunque el vendedor muestre papeles, solo un estudio registral formal en el Registro [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":729,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-derecho-corporativo","category-blog"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ics.cr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ics.cr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ics.cr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ics.cr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ics.cr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1295"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/ics.cr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1295\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1298,"href":"https:\/\/ics.cr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1295\/revisions\/1298"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ics.cr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ics.cr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ics.cr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ics.cr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}