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Certified Costa Rican Property Deed Translation
Certified translation of the documents that record the ownership of land and buildings in Costa Rica, including the registry annotations and endorsements that carry the legal effect and that a reader unfamiliar with the system will otherwise skip.
$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, fully digital
Costa Rica runs a folio real system at the Registro Nacional, fully digitised and searchable, with a número de finca per property by province.
The registry study shows the owner, the area, the charges and the anotaciones for pending documents. Costa Rica is unusually transparent here and the citation is short: province plus finca plus horizontal suffix.
The plano catastrado, which is mandatory
A Costa Rican transfer requires a plano catastrado — a registered survey plan with its own number — and the registry links the finca to it.
A property with no registered plan, or with a plan whose area disagrees with the registry, cannot complete a transfer cleanly. The plan number is part of the identity of the property and we reproduce it.
The maritime zone, which cannot be owned
The first 200 metres from the high tide line is the zona marítimo terrestre: the first 50 metres are public and untouchable, and the next 150 are held only under municipal concession, not ownership.
Concessions are limited for foreign holders and are not registered as fincas. A document for beachfront property is frequently a concession, and calling it a deed misstates it entirely.
Corporate holding, and the identifiers
Property is very often held through a sociedad anónima, and the company's own registry record and shareholder book are then the real question.
Parties are identified by cédula, or DIMEX for foreigners, and a company by its cédula jurídica. 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. Marginal annotations are translated in place, in the margin, and every seal, stamp and registry endorsement is translated with the text. See how we translate and certified versus standard.
Frequently asked questions
What is a plano catastrado?
A registered survey plan, mandatory for transfer, with its own number linked to the finca.
Can I own beachfront?
No. The first 50 metres are public and the next 150 are held only under municipal concession.
Why is a company the owner?
Very common in Costa Rica. The company's registry record and shareholder book then matter.
Is the registry searchable?
Yes, fully digitised, by province and finca number.
Ready to get started?
Upload the document and receive the certified translation, typically within 24 hours.