How Long Does It Take to Close on a Property in Costa Rica?

Buyers ask this question constantly, and brokers tend to give an optimistic answer to keep momentum going. The honest answer is: it depends heavily on what your attorney finds during due diligence, and on whether you are paying cash or financing. Here is what a realistic timeline actually looks like.

A Straightforward Cash Purchase: 30 to 45 Days

When the title is clean, the seller is organized, and there is no financing involved, 30 to 45 days from signed purchase agreement to recorded deed is a realistic target. That window covers the due diligence period, drafting and signing the escritura, and initial filing with the National Registry.

Step by Step: What Actually Happens

• Purchase agreement or option contract: Terms, price, and a due diligence period get locked in, usually with an earnest money deposit held in escrow.
• Due diligence period: Your attorney checks the title at the National Registry, confirms no liens or encumbrances, verifies boundaries, and checks municipal tax status. This is where most delays originate. Our guide to land title verification in Costa Rica covers exactly what this review includes.
• Resolving anything the review finds: Unpaid taxes, a boundary discrepancy, or a lien has to be cleared before closing. Timeline here depends entirely on what is found.
• Escrow and closing funds: Funds are typically wired into a licensed escrow account ahead of closing, not directly to the seller. Our guide to how escrow works when buying property in Costa Rica explains this step in detail.
• Signing the escritura: The transfer deed is executed by a notario publico, the only person legally authorized to do so.
• Recording at the National Registry: The signed deed still needs to be filed and recorded before your ownership is fully protected against third-party claims. This step can take days to several weeks depending on registry backlog.

What Extends the Timeline

Title problems are the single biggest cause of delay: an unresolved lien, a boundary that does not match the registered survey, unpaid municipal taxes, or a missing permit for existing construction. None of these are necessarily deal breakers, but each one adds time to resolve before you can safely close. Our guide to the legal requirements for foreign buyers covers what your attorney is actually checking for during this stage.

Financing adds its own delay if you are borrowing from a Costa Rican bank, since approval and documentation review can take weeks on top of the standard closing timeline. If you are buying through a power of attorney signed outside Costa Rica, add one to three weeks for apostille or consular authentication, depending on your home country's process.

Corporate Purchases: It Can Go Either Way

If the property is already held inside a Costa Rican corporation and you are buying the shares rather than the property directly, the transfer mechanics can move quickly. But your attorney still has to verify the corporation itself has no hidden debts, pending lawsuits, or tax liabilities attached to it, since those come with the shares. That review takes real time and should not be shortcut just because the share transfer itself looks simple.

What This Means If You Are Buying Remotely

If you cannot be in Costa Rica for closing, build the power of attorney timeline in early rather than discovering the requirement the week you expected to close. Combined with a normal due diligence period, a remote buyer using a poder should plan for closer to 45 to 60 days as a realistic baseline, not 30.

The buyers who get surprised by delays are almost always the ones who treated the 30-day timeline as a guarantee instead of a best case. Build in buffer, especially around due diligence and any document that needs to cross a border.

If you want an independent, on-the-ground check on a specific property before you sign anything, or want help understanding what a realistic timeline looks like for your situation, send us a message here.