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Environmental Law
( 2 items )
In this section we will set out all matters related to Costa Rican Environmental Law and Policy
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Wills and Estates
( 2 items )
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Tax Law
( 3 items )
In this section you can learn about the Costa Rican tax structure.
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Real Estate and Property Law
( 13 items )
Costa Rica Real Estate and Property Law
In this section you will find all the relevant information regarding Costa Rican Real Estate and Property Law. Costa Rica is a Civil Law Country which means its laws are derived from the Roman legal system which is different from the Anglo common law system used in the United States, Canada and England.
The basis of Costa Rican property law is the Civil Code.
In this section you will also find useful articles that will guide you through various aspects of Costa Rican Real Estate Transactions.
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Municipal Law
( 1 items )
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Marriage and Family Law
( 1 items )
In Costa Rica the main components of Family Law can be found in the following laws:
1. Family Code (Law 5476 Codigo de Familia) enacted in 1973
2. Legal Code of Children and Adolescents (Codigo de Ninez y Adolesencia) enacted 1998
3. Domestic Violence Law (Law 7586 Ley de Violencia Domestica) enacted 1996
4. Penalization of Domestic Violence Against Women (Law 8589 Ley de penalizacion de Violencia Contra Las Mujeres) enacted 2007
5. Paternity Law (Law 8101 Ley de Paternidad Responsable) enacted 2001
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Lawyer and Notary Regulation
( 2 items )
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Intellectual Property
( 2 items )
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Insurance Law
( 1 items )
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Immigration and Residency
( 9 items )
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Education
( 1 items )
Costa Rica has had a long tradition of supporting education. By 1869, mandatory primary education was decreed by the government and the cost of the education to be covered by the State. The first public school in Costa Rica was the "Colegio de San Luis Gonzaga" in the city of Cartago, which became operational in 1869. The focus on higher education at the university level lagged until President Rafael Angel Calderón Guardia created the University of Costa Rica in 1941. The Costa Rican Constitution was amended in 1949 to include Title VII, which guaranteed free access to primary and secondary education making access to basic education a fundamental right for Costa Rican citizens. In 1957, Congress approved the Fundamental Law of Education which esablished the guidelines, goals and objective for the future of the Costa Rican educational system. The Ministry of Public Education (MEP - Ministerio de Educación Pública) is charged with the administration of the Costa Rica educational system. It oversees the public educational system and licenses private educational systems. This emphasis on education has translated into a literacy rate for Costa Ricans of 96%, which is above the average for Central America & the Caribbean (87.2%) as well as above the average for South America (90.8%).
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Traffic Laws
( 4 items )
CostaRicaLaw.com provides this section to assist you with information regarding all matters related to owning and operating a car in Costa Rica.
National Insurance Institute (INS) Check the amount of your 2008 Vehicle Registration here at the web site of the National Insurance Institute.
Riteve. Check appointment dates for your vehicle emissions and inspection at the web site of Riteve.
Transit Police . This link will take you to the web site of the Costa Rican Transit Police.
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Customs and Trade
( 1 items )
The Costa Rican Customs Department is called the “Direccion General de Aduanas” and it is overseen by the Costa Rican Department of the Treasury (Ministerio de Hacienda). The Customs Department is in charge of monitoring and collecting import taxes on products that enter into Costa Rica.
The Customs Department has oversight over the following entry points into Costa Rica:
Central Customs (San Jose)
Airport Customs (Juan Santamaria International Airport)
Airport Customs (Liberia – La Anexion)
Pacific Port Customs (Caldera Port)
Atlantic Port Customs (Limon Port)
Northern Border Customs (Peñas Blancas)
Southern Border Customs (Paso Canoas)
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Criminal Law
( 1 items )
Criminal Law in Costa Rica is defined by the laws passed by the legislature governing criminal offenses.
The bulk of the offenses is codified in the Costa Rican Penal Code [Codigo Penal]. The Penal Code divides offenses into a felony (delito) punishable by imprisonment of a misdemeanor (contravención) punishable by monetary fine.
The procedure to be followed when appearing before the Criminal Courts of Costa Rica is set out in the Code of Criminal Procedure [Codigo Procesal Penal]
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Constitutional Law
( 1 items )
In this section you will find all matters related to Costa Rican Constitutional Law. Click on the Section title “Constitutional Law Information Page” below and you will find the full text of the Costa Rican Constitution in English.
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Consumer Law
( 2 items )
Consumer Protecion is the involvement of the government (public law) to safeguard the rights of the consumers in relation to third party business or commercial activities. In Costa Rica the government entity charged with this oversight is the Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEIC).
In this section you will find all documents and articles related to consumer protection in Costa Rica.
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Civil Law
( 1 items )
Costa Rica is governed by the principles of the Civil Law system. The Civil Law system is based upon the principle of codification of all the laws of the country and relying on a strict literal interpretation of the written law as opposed to legal case law interpretations which are more typical of a "common law" system which is used in the United Kingdom and the United States among others.
Most Latin American Countries including Costa Rica adopted the French (Napoleonic) Code as the basis for their legal system. Most of the Costa Rican Civil Laws are borrowed from the Civil Codes of Spain, Mexico and Argentina .
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Corporations
( 3 items )
In Costa Rica Corporate Law is regulated by the Commercial Code of Costa Rica. In Costa Rica the two most common form of Corporate incorporation are the Sociedad Anonima (Corporation) and the Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada (Limited Liability Company).
In this section you will find all the information that will help you understand the basics of Costa Rican corporate law and the uses for the corporate entities.
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Business and Investment Law
( 2 items )
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Banking in Costa Rica
( 4 items )
In this section we will set out information regarding Banking in Costa Rica.
Costa Rican Financial Institutions (banks, finance companies, financial cooperatives) are regulated by the General SuperIntendence of Financial Entities (SUGEF - Superintendencia General de Entidades Financieras).
The monetary policy is overseen by the Central Bank of Costa Rica (Banco Central de Costa Rica)
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Administrative Law
( 1 items )
Administrative Law
Administrative Law in Costa Rica are the laws which govern and regulate the activity and procedures of the National Government of Costa Rica.
The two main bodies of law in this respect are the Administrative Law and the Administrative Procedure Law.
When you contract with the Government of Costa Rica these are the laws and regulations which are applicable.
