Can foreigners buy property in Costa Rica in 2026?

Ask for the folio real and a recent certificacion literal from the Registro Nacional. It should show the registered owner, boundaries, mortgages, liens, and annotations. Compare that paper to the physical unit, seller identity, and cadastral plan. Scam and misrepresentation risk rises when sellers push urgency on beach villas or Escazú towers: Avoid rental scams for the same “pay before you verify” pattern.

Use an independent Costa Rican attorney who represents you, not only the listing agent. Closing typically runs through an escritura pública before a notary and registration in the Registro Nacional. Confirm HOA (cuota de mantenimiento) rules, pet and short-rental restrictions in the Reglamento de Condominio, water source (AyA versus ASADA), and internet before you treat an Escazú gated price as complete: Living in Escazú and Where to live in Costa Rica.

Ley 6043’s Zona Marítimo Terrestre (ZMT) covers roughly the first 200 metres inland from the mean high-tide line on both coasts. The first 50 metres are inalienable public domain; nobody owns that strip as private titled land. The next 150 metres are generally concession land leased through municipalities (and tourism regulation where ICT applies), not ordinary fee-simple title. Foreign participation in concessions is typically capped and structured differently from inland titled purchases. Tamarindo, Nosara, Santa Teresa, and Manuel Antonio listings deserve an explicit “folio real or concession?” answer in writing: Living in Tamarindo.

A clean-looking sales brochure can still hide concession status. Registry title checks do not replace maritime-line due diligence. Many movers still rent first while they learn a corridor: Short-term housing for newcomers, How to rent a home, and Rent in Costa Rica. DIMEX helps banking and residency life after purchase; it is not the ownership key: Get a DIMEX.