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Certified Costa Rican Articles of Incorporation Translation
Certified translation of the documents that constitute and evidence a Costa Rican company, with the corporate form, the registry references and the powers of the representatives reproduced exactly rather than mapped onto US equivalents that carry different law.
$24.95/page
Flat rate per page, up to 250 words. No hidden fees.
100% USCIS acceptance
Every certified translation is guaranteed to be accepted by USCIS.
24-hour delivery
Most 1-3 page documents are delivered within 24 hours. Same-day available.
The Registro Nacional and the personería
A Costa Rican company is constituted by escritura pública and registered in the Sección Mercantil of the Registro Nacional. What a counterparty normally needs is not the deed but a certificación de personería jurídica — a certificate stating who currently represents the company and with what powers.
The personería carries a short validity period, commonly a month, and an expired one proves nothing. Check the date before ordering a translation of one you have had in a drawer.
The cédula jurídica tells you the form
Every Costa Rican legal entity carries a cédula jurídica, and its prefix encodes the type: 3-101 is a sociedad anónima, 3-102 a sociedad de responsabilidad limitada, and other prefixes cover associations and foundations.
So the number identifies the entity form before you read a word of the document, and it is reproduced exactly digit by digit.
Notaries here are unusually powerful
Costa Rican notaries are lawyers who keep a protocolo and whose instruments carry public faith, and much of what a US company would do by internal resolution is done here by notarial deed. A file therefore contains more notarial instruments than a US reader expects.
Corporate books — libros de actas and the shareholder register — are legalised, and extracts from them may be certified by a notary or a public accountant.
Apoderado generalísimo
Costa Rican law grades powers of attorney, and apoderado generalísimo sin límite de suma is the broadest — a representative who may dispose of company assets without a ceiling. A narrower poder general or generalísimo with a stated limit is a different thing entirely.
That distinction is translated precisely rather than flattened to "legal representative", because the ceiling is the whole point. See our Spanish page.
Ordering, and what the certification covers
Upload the document, choose certified translation at $24.95 per page of up to 250 words, and it comes back typically within 24 hours as a PDF formatted to mirror the original, with a signed certificate of translation accuracy on letterhead. Every seal, stamp, notarial recital and registry annotation is translated — a corporate document with its endorsements missing is not a complete document. See how we translate and certified versus standard.
Frequently asked questions
What is a personería jurídica?
A Registro Nacional certificate stating who currently represents the company. It expires — commonly within a month — so check the date.
What does 3-101 mean?
A sociedad anónima. 3-102 is an SRL. The cédula jurídica prefix encodes the entity form.
What is an apoderado generalísimo?
The broadest grade of Costa Rican power of attorney. Without a stated limit, the holder may dispose of company assets. We keep the distinction.
Do you translate the corporate books?
Yes, including the legalisation stamps and the certifying notary or accountant.
Ready to get started?
Upload the deed or the registry extract and receive the certified translation, typically within 24 hours.