Choose a Costa Rican lawyer or notary for the specific work you need, and verify professional status before signing or paying. A recommendation and an English-language website are useful starting points, but neither establishes current authority or experience with your matter.
Choosing a lawyer in Costa Rica
Use the Colegio de Abogados y Abogadas professional lookup to check the person by name or professional number. Ask who will actually handle your file, which area of law they practise, how they communicate and whether another party to the transaction is also their client.
Match the experience to the problem: a property purchase, employment dispute, company closure, family proceeding and immigration application involve different work. Request a written engagement explaining the task, documents, fees, taxes, third-party costs, exclusions and how you can end the engagement. Ask for an estimate of stages rather than a guarantee about a court or agency decision.
Checking a notary’s current authority
A lawyer’s membership check is not the same as checking notarial authorization. The Dirección Nacional de Notariado advises clients to verify that the person is registered and active before hiring them. Use the official notary consultation service, not a certificate or screenshot supplied without a current check.
The DNN’s date-specific status guide explains how the Events section records periods of authorization and disqualification. This matters when reviewing an earlier deed as well as choosing someone for a new transaction.
What to clarify before a notarized transaction
Ask what act the notary is being asked to authorize and which checks are included. A certified copy, signature authentication, public deed and registry filing serve different purposes. Do not assume that notarizing a document proves every commercial statement in it or guarantees a profitable transaction.
- Confirm the identities of the parties and any authority to sign for a company or another person.
- Request an explanation of the document and arrange appropriate language assistance before signing.
- Ask which registry searches, tax checks or supporting certificates are included.
- Agree who submits the document, how defects are corrected and when you receive evidence of registration.
- Keep the signed documents, receipts and relevant filing references.
Property purchases and company documents
For a property transaction, separate legal review from physical and technical checks. Title information does not establish the building’s condition, boundaries on the ground, water availability or suitability for your plans. Ask which independent survey, engineering, municipal or environmental checks are needed.
For a company, confirm the legal representative’s authority and any required corporate approvals. Review the corporation compliance checklist before using company-owned assets in a transaction. A power of attorney should be reviewed for its exact scope and current validity; avoid granting broader powers than the work requires.
Fees, funds and follow-up
Request an itemized quote distinguishing professional fees from taxes, stamps, translations, registry charges and other expenses. Confirm payment instructions through a trusted channel, especially if a message changes the bank account. If funds will be held for a transaction, obtain a written explanation of who holds them, under what terms and when they may be released.
Keep a record of communications and ask for periodic updates. If the professional becomes unavailable, the DNN’s notary-location service explains the help available when current office information is needed. For a complaint, identify whether the concern relates to legal representation or notarial conduct and use the competent professional or judicial channel.
For future planning, see our wills and life-insurance guide. This article does not recommend or claim an affiliation with a particular outside firm.
Reviewed 8 September 2026 using DNN and Colegio de Abogados y Abogadas resources linked above.