Selling property in Costa Rica as a foreigner: the gain, the withholding, the wire home.

How much tax does a foreigner pay on selling Costa Rican property?

15% on the capital gain, under Article 31 ter of the income tax law. For property bought before the capital-gains rules took effect on 1 July 2019, the owner may instead choose, on the first sale, to pay 2.25% of the sale price. The choice matters most where the gain is large.

A gain on the sale of the taxpayer's habitual home is exempt, including a home held in a company that is clearly used as the owners' habitual home. The seller also carries half of the 1.5% transfer tax by law. All taxes in one place: Costa Rica property tax for foreigners.

What is the 2.5% withholding when a foreigner sells?

When the seller is not domiciled in Costa Rica, the buyer must withhold 2.5% of the total agreed price and pay it to Hacienda, on account of the capital-gains tax. The Registro Nacional cannot register the transfer until it is paid. The rule is Article 28 ter of the income tax law.

According to Globalex and EY (2025), the procedure is set by Resolution MH-DGT-RES-0051-2025, published on 6 October 2025, with the payment due within 15 days after the month of the sale. Hacienda's 2025 draft resolution sets the base as the agreed price, but not less than Hacienda's official valuation, and applies the habitual-home exception only to sellers domiciled in Costa Rica.

Is the 2.5% withholding the final tax on a Costa Rican sale?

Not settled as of September 2026. The statute says the 2.5% is withheld on account of the capital-gains tax. Hacienda's draft resolution and EY describe it as single and final. The final text of the implementing resolution was not reviewed for this page, so get a tax adviser's view before you price the sale.

If it is on account, the real tax is 15% of the gain, settled separately. If it is final, 2.5% of the price is the whole tax. Which is cheaper depends on the size of the gain.

How does the sale itself work in Costa Rica?

The same way as the purchase, in reverse. A notary, who must be a lawyer, executes the transfer deed and files it with the Registro Nacional. A seller abroad can act through a special power of attorney granted in a public deed. The buyer's notary records how the price was paid.

Expect the buyer to run the same checks you ran: the registry report on the folio real, the plano catastrado and proof that municipal taxes are paid, according to AEGIS Legal Partners (July 2026). Unpaid property tax stays with the property. More on the title: Costa Rica property title, explained.

Can a maritime zone concession be sold to a foreigner?

Only to a buyer who meets Article 47 of Law 6043, and only with express authorisation. A concession cannot be assigned or transferred without the approval of the municipality and the ICT or the land institute; acts that break this are void. A foreigner needs five years' continuous residence to hold one.

Entities holding a concession cannot transfer shares or quotas to foreigners. That narrows the pool of buyers for a coastal concession compared with titled property.

Can a foreigner take the sale money out of Costa Rica?

Yes. The central bank law requires the colón to stay freely convertible, and no foreign-exchange approval for selling property was found. The main exit cost is tax, the 2.5% withholding on the price for a non-domiciled seller, not a currency control. Cash of USD 10,000 or more must be declared at the border.

The money-in side, and the notary's source-of-funds rule: transferring money to Costa Rica for a property.

Header photo: Tamarindowiki, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. All credits: image credits.