What is the National Registry?
Tangible and intangible property rights
The National Registry of Costa Rica is the central clearinghouse for all types of property registration in Costa Rica. Tangible and intangible property, for most foreigners moving to Costa Rica there are only some important functions of the registry that they will use.
The vehicle property title is the one we mostly deal with, but our clients also form corporations in order to own real property – which involves two sections of the National Registry.
In brief, property titles for vehicles and for real property in Costa Rica are all managed through the National Registry. Whatever the current information in the National Registry shows is the legal ownership of the property.
This is why changes in ownership must be handled by an attorney, so the registrar reviewing the sale or transfer document has a basis for its validity. At that point, it is more a formality of having all the necessary and correct information in the sale or transfer document.
If you are interested, read through the information below on the history of the Registry and it’s current areas of operation.
Historical Origins
The National Registry was created in 1975 by Law No 5695, although the origin story dates back to the 1500s or 1800s, depending on how you count it.
The 16th century means Spanish Colonial times, and the colonies were governed by decrees from the royalty of Spain. Lands and titles were awarded and recorded in the court system of the home country.
When Independence came in 1821, the new government had to re-organize everything and the first registry of property titles began in 1824. Over the next decades this evolved into an administrative department.
In 1865, due to growth of the economy and commercialization of exports, LEY HIPOTECARIA Decreto XXXI divided the Registry into a Mortgages section and a Domain section. This establishes the figure of a property title, which became the first step for the registration of property.
In 1878, the Registry began the registration of companies and people. And in the early 20th Century the Land Office was established, that is where the famous Plano Catastro comes from, among other reforms. The Cadastral Office required that the property registered be accompanied by a formal map of the location and boundaries.
By the 1960s, the systems in the Registry had become too cumbersome and outdated for the recording systems used. In 1969 the Executive Branch created a commission to study the Registry and recommend structure, reforms and revenue to solve these problems and conflicts. Which ended in the passage of the Law No 5695 in 1975.
Structure from 1975 to Present
The 1975 law created formal departments in the National Registry: 1) Public Registry, 2) Real Property Registry, 3) Industrial Property Registry, 4) National Cadastral Office. In 1977 Intellectual Property rights were incorporated into the National Registry.
In the 1980s, more functions were transferred to the National Registry, the mobile property registry for motor vehicles, Author’s Rights and the Registry of Associations.
In the 1990s more reforms came along, with the registration of corporations becoming an independent section, the registration of Maritime Zone Property, Maritime Vessels and License Plate Bureau were incorporated.
Finally, the new millennium brought additional structural modifications. The Real Property and Cadastral (Land Office) were consolidated into one section, the registration of aircraft was transferred to the National Registry and several independent offices were folded into the Intellectual Property Department. Also, the creation of the National Geography Institute happened in 2011.
Digitalization of the Registry
Starting in 1999, the administration of the National Registry began focusing on making all the paper based system digital. Today, almost every single application or process is digital.
There are now 7 regional offices for any citizen that wants or needs to go in person for some reason, for example to pick up a vehicle license plate. The National Registry offers a Call Center for personalized attention, this includes website forms, chat, email and telephone. Most processes are now done remotely on National Registry platforms: incorporation of corporations and organizations; digital documents for actions related to legal entities, mobile property, and real property.
While the above platforms are only for lawyers, the web portal is available to any citizen who can create a user account. All ownership information can be verified on real property, mobile property, intellectual property, power of attorney for legal entities, and any certifications issued by the National Registry can be verified also.
Digital certifications are used in Costa Rica since 2009, an executive decree based on existing law established the legal framework for their use. A digital certification, such as a vehicle property title is just as valid as the physical document.