It is that time of the year once again! The year is almost over and now would be a
good time to check up on your Costa Rican legal matters and ensure that everything
is up to date.

1. Costa Rica Real Estate. If you own property in Costa Rica you must pay
property taxes to the Municipal government where the property is located. Taxes
are generally 0.25% of the appraised value of the property. The property taxes
are due on a quarterly basis. If you have not paid your property taxes then this
is a good time to get caught up.

Once you have paid in full you have the option of requesting the Municipal Government
to issue you a certificate that you are current in all property and municipal
tax obligations before that particular Municipal Government. The Certificate is
referred to as a "Constancia Municipal".

To rent or buy this 54 minute video with Costa Rica Attorney Roger Petersen please visit our Video On Demand page here.

It is also a good idea to pull a property title report to ensure that there are
no movements or annotations on your property which you may not be aware of. Just
print the report and keep in your property file.

2. Automobiles. In order to legally circulate in Costa Rica your vehicle
must have a valid inspection sticker (Riteve). The due date depends on the termination
number of your license plate. For more information, please visit the Riteve
web site.

You also need to have a valid Registration (Marchamo) which are issued
on an annual basis. The current marchamo will expire on December 31, 2008. The
Registration is administered by the National
Insurance Institute (INS) and you can check the amount you owe on the
National Insurance Institute
(INS) web site.

You can pay your new registration in most banks in Costa Rica and they
will normally become available for payment mid November.

3. Corporations. If you have a Costa Rican corporation the Fiscal Year
ends on September 30th so if you had any economic activity for the corporation
then you must file a tax return (D-101) with the Tax Department (Tributacion Directa).
If you have a corporation that did not have economic activity and was simply a
corporation holding property then you may file the (D-101) tax return and list
the corporation as "inactive".

The corporation must also pay the Education and Culture Stamp Duty (Timbre de
Educacion y Cultura) which is also payable at the Revenue Department. For those
interested, the proceeds from this stamp tax are distributed as follows: (a) 65%
to the University of Costa Rica (b) 34% to the UNED University, (c) 10% to the
National Museam.

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Written and copyright by Attorney at Law – Roger A. Petersen. Roger has been an attorney since 1992 and is a member of both the Costa Rican and Florida Bar. He practices law in San José, Costa Rica and is the author of the best-selling book The Legal Guide To Costa Rica which you can order from Barnes & Noble here or from Amazon.com here. Attorney Petersen’s website can be found at Petersen & Philps Law Offices.

If you would like to speak to Attorney Roger Petersen about hiring him as your Costa Rica attorney please contact him using the information below:

Costa Rica Attorney Video Interviews.

To help educate and protect you with your real estate investments in Costa Rica, you can enjoy the following interviews with Attorney Roger Petersen and Attorney Rick Philps online at:

• Costa Rica Real Estate – Foreigners OK To Buy with FREE online video interview.
• Costa Rica Legal Guide – On sale for US$34.95 including shipping. FREE online video interview with Attorney Roger Petersen.
• Costa Rica Corporations – Why Pay More For Less? With FREE online video with Attorney Rick Philps
• Costa Rica Residency Categories Explained – With FREE online video interview with Attorney Rick Philps
• Costa Rica Property Taxes – When Scott officially complained that his property tax bill was too low… FREE online video interview with Attorney Roger Petersen.
• Buying or Building Real Estate in Costa Rica? Here is What You Need To Know? Part I with FREE online video interview with Attorney Roger Petersen.

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.