At American Law Partners, we provide legal services for expats in Costa Rica with U.S.-style professionalism and Costa Rican notarial authority. Our firm is built to protect international investors, foreigners purchasing property, and individuals relocating to Costa Rica who need trusted guidance, clarity, and high-level representation. We represent clients domestically and abroad in English and Spanish, ensuring documents, contracts, and procedures align with Costa Rican law and international expectations.
Buying or selling real estate in Costa Rica requires more than a simple contract. We protect your investment by performing title reviews, due diligence on water rights, zoning, and environmental regulations, plano verification, shareholder/ownership chains, and restriction analysis. We coordinate escrow, draft purchase and sale agreements, manage notarial closing documents, and register transactions in the National Registry.
Who this is for: foreign buyers, sellers, investors, developers, hotel and land acquisitions.
Goal: avoid fraud, prevent financial loss, protect your asset at closing.
Foreign investors often use companies (SRL or SA) to hold assets or operate business activity. Our firm helps create or restructure corporate vehicles to reduce liability and remain tax compliant. We maintain corporate books, draft shareholder agreements, represent foreign shareholders, and provide guidance on RTBF filings, municipal licenses, VAT and tax registration, and operating permits.
Benefit: reduce personal risk and streamline business activity legally and efficiently.
Costa Rica offers immigration categories for investors, retirees, residents, and remote workers. We provide legal guidance for investor residency applications, financial documentation, translations, apostilles, background checks, and consular appointments. We prepare sworn statements, Powers of Attorney, and notarized submissions to Migración, ensuring your file is complete and defensible.
Outcome: faster processing with fewer rejections or legal setbacks.
Before you invest, build, or develop, we conduct legal audits to identify risks. Our due diligence reports include title research, environmental restrictions, water concession verification, zoning and municipal permissions, corporate ownership review, litigation/encumbrance search, and legal compliance with INVU, MINAE, and SETENA.
Ideal For: hotel buyers, land developers, hospitality operators, international investors, and foreigners considering acquisitions above $500,000.
Disputes between partners or shareholders can escalate quickly in Costa Rica. We assist in cases involving breach of trust, misappropriation of funds, breach of fiduciary duties, corporate irregularities, and fraudulent administration. We build the legal strategy, coordinate querella penal filings, and manage dispute resolutions with the goal of protecting assets and securing accountability.
We do not guarantee outcomes, but we do guarantee representation grounded in legal ethics and evidence.
As licensed notaries, we draft and execute protocolized documents, purchase and sale deeds, corporate books, certifications, sworn statements, and Powers of Attorney. We represent clients before government institutions, banks, and registries.
Note: We do not receive commissions from real estate agents, developers, or brokers.
Heredia – American Law Partners – Condo Santa Verde H306, Heredia, 40103, Costa Rica Jacó — American Law Partners – Edificio Crystal, Segundo piso, Puntarenas, Jaco, 61101, Costa Rica Río Claro/Golfito — American Law Partners – Rio Claro Golfito – 75 metros sur del Colono Agropecuario, calle a entrada trasera del Colegio, Guaycara, Puntarenas, Rio Claro, Costa Rica
We represent clients nationwide and internationally via remote appointments.
Legal representation is provided exclusively through engagement agreements in accordance with the Colegio de Abogados y Abogadas de Costa Rica.
We operate independently from brokers and do not accept commissions or referral payments.
Contact us to schedule a preliminary consultation and secure legal guidance.
