Videos

If you have a Costa Rican company you will have noticed that there are increasing legal obligations imposed by the government to keep your company current and legal. In this video let’s look at your obligations for 2022 so that you can avoid any penalties for failing to comply.

We will cover the following obligations for 2022.

1. Annual Company Tax
In the month of January, the annual company tax known as Impuesto a las Personas Juridicas must be paid to the Ministry of the Treasury. The deadline for payment is January 31.

2. Income Tax Return D-101
Is your company active or inactive? All active companies must file an income tax return D-101. All inactive companies will have to file a simplified D-101 This is new for inactive companies in 2022 and is due by June 15th.

3. The Mandatory Declaration of Beneficial Owners and Shareholders
All companies registered in Costa Rica, Trusts and Foreign subsidiaries registered in Costa Rica must file this form on an annual basis. This form is filed with the Central Bank of Costa Rica. The deadline for 2022 is April 30th.

4. The Education and Culture Stamp Tax (Timbre de Educacion y Cultura)
Obligation to Register and Update Company data at the Tax Department. It is the obligation of every company in Costa Rica to be registered with the Ministry of the Treasury.
For more information check out our website https://costaricalaw.com/
If you want more detailed information about managing or setting up a Costa Rica company then take my online course here: https://costaricalaw.com/courses/managing-your-costa-rican-corporation/

0:00 Intro to filing obligations
1:21 The annual company tax
2:36 Where to pay the taxes
2:56 The D-101 Income Tax Returns
3:32 Simplified form for inactive companies
4:06 How do you file the D-101 Tax Form
5:09 Granting a Power of Attorney for Filings
5:33 How to fill out the simplified D-101
6:13 The Education and Culture Stamp Tax
7:02 The Shareholder Beneficial Owner Filing
8:01 Checking the company filing status
9:04 Summary recap

Costa Rica recently celebrated presidential and congressional elections for 2022. in this video, I will go over the results of both the Presidential and Congressional Results. Who won and which political parties rose and which disappeared and what it all means for all of you who are considering living or investing in Costa Rica.

If you want to check out the websites of the two Presidential candidates who will face off in a run off election on April 3, 2022 visit.

Jose Maria Figueres at https://www.presidentefigueres.cr/
Rodirgo Chaves at https://www.rodrigochavespresidente.com/

For more information about Living or investing in Costa Rica be sure to check out my website at CostaRicaLaw.com. You can download our free immigration and real estate buying guides here: https://costaricalaw.com/crbooks/

If you are considering buying property in Costa Rica to build your dream home or develop rental properties you need to do extensive due diligence to ensure that you will be able to complete your objective with the property you are selecting. In this video we talk to Freddy Alvarenga a Survey Engineer with more than 15 years of experience working in the Nicoya Peninsula area of Costa Rica who will share some of his experiences and recommendations for those of you that are considering purchasing raw land for building or development. We focus on the Nicoya Peninsula which includes popular beach towns like Santa Teresa, Mal Pais and Montezuma. However the advice is applicable no matter what you purchase in Costa Rica.
Freddy Alvarengas website is https://sstconsultores.net

Be sure to download for free my Costa Rica Real Estate Buying guide to keep you our trouble. https://costaricalaw.com/crbooks/

Roger Petersen is the author of the best selling book The Legal Guide to Costa Rica available from Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Legal-Guide-Costa-Rica-Complete-ebook/dp/B08D7VBF7C

In this video we head out to the town of Sarchi which is about 30-45 minutes from the International Airport of San Jose and we meet with Brooke Bishop who will show as property she recently sold for US$125,000.
It is possible to find affordable housing in Costa Rica if you search in the right places. The Central Valley offers great variety yet close enough to San Jose in case you need to be close to the city.
If you need assistance in located affordable property in Grecia, San Ramon. Naranjo or Sarchi in the Central Valley you can reach out to Brooke Bishop who lives in the area: brooke@godutchrealty.com

Be sure to pick up a copy of our Free Real Estate Buying Guide here https://costaricalaw.com/crbooks/

If you have any questions please send us an email https://costaricalaw.com/contact/

In Costa Rica the first 200 meters from the high tide markers are generally owned exclusively by the Costa Rican government. In this video I review the beachfront property law known as the Maritime Zoning Law which regulates the possession and leaseholds for beach front property in Costa Rica.

For more information about Costa Rica be sure to take a look at our books all available for order from our website at https://costaricalaw.com/crbooks/

The Legal Guide to Costa Rica
The Costa Rica Real Estate Buying Guide
The Costa Rica Immigration guide

San Ramon is located in the Central Valley area of Costa Rica right off the Pan-American Highway, Route 1. It is about a 30-minute drive to the International Airport of San Jose and just over an hour into downtown San Jose.

In this video we visit the downtown area of San Ramon and then take a tour of the first residential high rise condominium project in the area catering to the Costa Rican middle class segment.

San Ramon is also known as the land of Presidents and Poets since it is the birth place of the famed revolutionary figure and Costa Rican President Jose Figueres Ferrer. It is also the home of several celebrated poets.
The weather in San Ramon ranges from 64 to 84 degrees year-round. As a result it has become a very appealing place to live both for locals and expats.

The Municipality of San Ramon is the local government in charge of municipal services and property taxes. They can be reached at https://sites.google.com/sanramondigital.net/sanramongocr and via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067996890352

For more information about Costa Rica be sure to visit us at https://costaricalaw.com and watch our videos at @CostaRicaLaw

On November 14th a Costa Rica Administrative Law Court issued a preliminary injunction suspending the application of the Vaccine passport QR Code mandate.

The government passed Health Resolution MS-DM-8119-2021 published on October 14, 2021 a Health Directive laying out all the Covid restrictions going forward and in Section 5 it indicated as follows:

Starting December 1, 2021 all persons that want to enter into any of the following places that are under the jurisdiction of the Health Department must be fully vaccinated to prove it must present the QR certification code in order to enter. The list included: Restaurants, Bars, Casinos, Hotels, Cabins, Lodging Establishments, Events, and adventure tourism, museums

In the meantime, four companies involved in the tourism business in Costa Rica filed a petition for an injunction with the Administrative Court in San Jose. This type of procedure is available in the administrative code to allow a court as a precautionary measure to avoid further harm to order the suspension of an administrative act while the matter is litigated.
That injunction was aimed specifically against the Health Directive that we discussed at the beginning which established the Vaccine Card QR Code requirement.

On November 18 on their Facebook page which indicates that commercial businesses will be allowed more capacity limits if they VOLUNTARILY ask for a Vaccine QR Code to their customers. If they don’t want to ask for it then they must adhere to a limited capacity.

For those of you travelling to Costa Rica be sure to visit the website of the Ministry of Tourism so that you get the latest update on the entry requirements. https://www.visitcostarica.com/en/costa-rica/planning-your-trip/entry-requirements

For more information about Costa Rica visit: https://costaricalaw.com/

Costa Rica has implemented a Vaccine Passport requirement. It requires anybody entering Costa Rica after January 8, 2022 to provide proof of vaccination. The vaccination information must be uploaded to the Health Pass app which all travelers must complete prior to entering the country.
The Tourism Institute has provided a manual of information related to the new entry requirements and you can download it here: https://www.ict.go.cr/es/documentos-institucionales/material-de-apoyo-coronavirus/pruebas-covid-para-usa/1970-costa-rica-entry-requirements-faq-fully-vaccinated-tourists-and-minors/file.html

For more information about entry requirements the official site of the tourism department is https://www.visitcostarica.com/en/costa-rica/planning-your-trip/entry-requirements

For more information about Costa Rica visit my website: https://costaricalaw.com/

Costa Rica has a long been recognized for democratic stability, with a multiparty political system and a strong elections oversight system. In this video I will explore the Costa Rican political system in preparation for the 2022 Presidential and Congressional elections. For this election Costa Rica is breaking historic record with 27 presidential candidates on the presidential ballot. Does too much democracy result in political gridlock ? Join me as we explore the intricacies of the Costa Rican political system.
For more information about Costa Rica visit my website: https://costaricalaw.com/

If you are considering purchasing real estate in Costa Rica you will need to understand the costs of the transaction. In this video I review the closing costs for real estate transactions in Costa Rica. Those consist of:

(1) Real Estate Transfer Tax. The government collects a property transfer tax (Impuesto de Traspaso) which is equal to 1.5% of the registered value of the property. The National Registry will not record a transfer deed unless the transfer taxes and documentary stamps have been paid.

(2) National Registry Recording Fee. The National Registry imposes its own recording tax of .05% on documents presented for recording to the National Registry. (Derechos de Registro)

(3) Documentary Stamps -The government also charges for documentary stamps. These stamp taxes amount to approximately .037% of the registered value of the property and include the following: The Costa Rican Legal Bar Association Stamp (Timbre del Colegio de Abogados); Municipal Stamp: (Timbre Municipal); Fiscal Stamp: ¢ (Timbre Hospitalario); Agricultural Stamp (Timbre Agrario) and the National Archives Stamp (Timbre del Archivo Nacional)

(4) Notary Fees. The Notary that drafts and records the contract for sale and carries out the closing is entitled by law to a Notary Transaction Fee. The Notary Fee is established by law and compliance with the minimum fee schedule is mandatory for all Costa Rican Attorney’s / Notaries. For real estate transactions the current minimum fee schedule is:

First 10 Million Colones 2%
Excess of 10 to 15 Million Colones 1.5%
Excess of 15-30 Million Colones 1.3%
Excess of 30 Million Colones 1.0%

Bear in mind that this fee is for drafting and filing the property transfer deed. Any additional services including the drafting of purchase agreements, escrow and the like may carry additional fees

If you need to do a quick estimate of closing costs for a Costa Rica real estate transaction then use my Closing Costs Calculator: https://costaricalaw.com/costa-rica-legal-topics/real-estate-and-property-law/real-estate-calculator/

For more information about Costa Rican legal issues about living, retiring, moving or investing in Costa Rica visit: https://costaricalaw.com/

Roger Petersen is the author of The Legal Guide to Costa Rica.