The Civil Law of Costa Rica

The Civil Law of Costa Rica is based on the principles of the civil law system. It is based upon the principle of codification of all the laws of the country.  The laws are passed by the legislature and then  subject to a strict literal interpretation of that written law.  This is different to the Common Law system  which is based on legal case law and judicial interpretations of those laws.

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 .