Closing is not the signature. It is the week in which conditions are satisfied or waived, funds become available, the deed is executed and registration begins. Every step needs a document, a responsible party and a date.
We coordinate that week and read everything before it happens: the deed against the agreement, the escrow release against the conditions, the tax calculation against the municipality file.
What must be true before funds move
Clean title, with the mortgage or annotation discharged or expressly assumed. Municipal taxes and condominium fees current, and the corrections from the review completed or formally waived in writing.
Escrow instructions that match the agreement word for word. If the agreement says a payment is due against a corrected plan, the instruction must say the same, or the agent will not release and the closing slips.
Who does what
The notary drafts and authorises the deed and handles registration. The escrow agent holds and releases. The municipality confirms the tax position. We hold the sequence, review each document before signature and appear at the closing.
Where the buyer is not in the country, a power of attorney can be prepared, apostilled and registered in advance. It is cheaper and calmer than a last minute courier.
After the signature
Registration at the National Registry, transfer of utilities and services, and the municipal file updated in the new owner name. We follow the entry and send the registered record when it issues.
What changed, and what it costs to ignore
Three changes decide how a Costa Rican company is run today, and they catch owners who formed a company years ago or who copied an old template.
The company no longer has a name
A company is identified by its cédula jurídica, the corporate ID number, not by a commercial name. The name you liked is a brand, and a brand is protected separately, as a trademark. Contracts, invoices and bank accounts must match the registered ID.
One manager, with a digital signature
Every company needs at least one manager able to act for it, and that person needs a digital signature to file the shareholders' declaration and the beneficial-ownership declaration. Without a valid signature the filing stalls, and a stalled filing becomes a company that cannot register its own acts.
The declaration is not optional
The shareholders' and beneficial-ownership declarations have to be filed and kept current. Missing them exposes the company to fines and can block registry filings until the position is cured. The exposure sits with the company, and in practice with whoever signs for it.
The exact penalty and the filing calendar depend on the company's history and on registry practice at the time. We confirm it on your file before quoting a remedy.
How we can carry it for you
Power of attorney
Apoderado generalísimo
A registered power so the firm can act for the company before municipalities, the tax authority, banks, the registry, utilities and other institutions, without you flying in for a certificate. We draft it, register it and use it within the limits you set.
- Municipal permits, certificates and arrears
- Tax authority filings and representations
- Bank account openings and KYC updates
- Registry corrections and recordings
Annual compliance
Retainer for the year
A yearly fee for the boring work that keeps the company alive: declarations filed on time, corporate books current, registry watched, and one named person responsible. Fixed scope and fixed fee, reviewed once a year.
- Shareholders' and beneficial-ownership declarations
- Corporate book updates and officer changes
- Registry monitoring and alerts
- Coordination with your accountant on filings
What the engagement includes
- Escrow instructions and release conditions
- Deed review against the purchase agreement
- Notary, taxes and stamps coordination
- Municipal and condominium clearance
- Power of attorney for absent buyers
- Registration follow-up at the National Registry
- Utilities and service transfers
- Closing file with every document indexed
Questions we are asked first
Can closing happen if I am abroad?
Yes, with a special power of attorney prepared and apostilled in advance. We prepare it, check the wording with the notary and coordinate the registration.
When is the price paid?
The balance is funded to escrow before the closing date and released against the deed and the conditions. Paying the seller directly removes the only leverage you have at that stage.
How long until the deed is registered?
It depends on the registry queue and on whether the deed is clean on presentation, which is why we review it first. We report the entry status until it issues.