Registering a branch of a foreign company in Costa Rica is possible.
If you have a company registered in any jurisdiction around the world it is possible to register a branch of that foreign company in Costa Rica. By registering a branch of the foreign corporation you are able to obtain a Costa Rican corporate identification card. The local registration will allow the foreign corporation to do business in Costa Rica.
The Costa Rica Commercial Code Applies
The Costa Rica Commercial Code governs the requirements to register the foreign company in Costa Rica as a branch office. To initiate this process you will need to contact a Costa Rican Attorney / Notary Public to guide you through the process. The Foreign Company will have to confer a Power of Attorney to it’s legal representative in Costa Rica.
The Documents That are Required
The foreign company must provide copies of the articles of incorporation, certified and Apostilled. The local representative must have sufficient Power of Attorney to act in Costa Rica on behalf of the foreign corporation. That documentation must also be Apostilled for use in Costa Rica.
Once in Costa Rica the local Notary Public will draft a deed requesting the registration of the branch office in Costa Rica. That deed must include:
- Name of the company. The capital stock and term of the company.
- The purpose of the corporation
- Name of the local representative and the type of Power of Attorney they will have to act in Costa Rica
- The foreign company must agree to jurisdiction in Costa Rica for any acts or contract that it carries out in Costa Rica.
If all the documentation is accepted by the National Registry Mercantile Section they will proceed to record the branch office and issue the Costa Rican corporate identification card.
