Title to Property

All titled properties in Costa Rica are titled under a single, legal, government-managed system (Nicaragua, it should be noted, has multiple, conflicting title laws, making it more difficult to invest there safely). Property titles are registered in the National Registry (Registro Nacional), whose records serve as ultimate proof of ownership. In addition to recording title, the National Registry also indicates whether a given property has any encumbrances or easements associated with it. Registry records are public and are accessible via the Internet.

Not all land in Costa Rica is titled. In addition to lands that fall within the maritime zone, national parks, many wildlife reserves, and indigenous lands are also untitled. Another category of untitled land is farmland that is registered under the government institute IDA (Instituto de Desarollo Agrario or Institute of Agricultural Development). At one time, IDA granted stewardship of agricultural lands to Costa Rican farmers in order to boost agricultural production. These lands can be titled once the person living on a given piece of land demonstrates that he or she has used the land for agricultural production for a specified period of time (10 or 15 years depending on the category of land). In more than one instance, farmers eager to reap profits from land that they have been working on have sold that land before having gone through the titling process. You would be best advised to avoid buying such lands.