Business in Costa Rica

As in most countries, Costa Rica has a set of laws that one must follow when opening a business in Costa Rica. The first step involves the creation of a company. Here are some of the types of corporations one can create in Costa Rica:

• Sociedad Limitada(Anonima) - This is the equivalent of a limited liability company and is popular amongst foreigners as the liability of its members are limited.


• LLC - This is a variance of a Sociedad Limita in that it can be run by a single person


• Limited Partnership - Better known in Costa Rica as a Sociedad Comandita, this type of business is made up of at least one partner who has unlimited liability and one partner that has only limited liability.


• Razon Social - This is a general partnership where all partners share unlimited liability.


• Empressa INdividual de Responsabilidad Limitada - In short, this is a sole proprietorship where the owner is liable for everything.

Getting a License in Costa Rica
A license in Costa Rica is not needed in most cases depending on the type of business you wish to establish. If you were looking to open a sportsbook then a license is currently not needed but if you wanted to open one of the following you would need a license:

• sell alcohol


• open a call center


• open an internet cafe


• Tourism


• keep in mind these are just examples, it is best to seek out a lawyer and ask.

It is best to use a lawyer as the lawyer will explain in details what you need and will do all of the legwork for you as well as get all of the paperwork translated in English and Spanish. Here are some of the places where you will need to register your business:

• Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social - If you have employees, you need to have them regsitered so they can get their benefits


• tributacion Directa - This is where you pay taxes

Before you can register and open a company in Costa Rica, you need to have a physica address as it will be required in the paperwork.

If you choose to run the business out of your home, then your home address will be used on paper. Many individuals who choose to work from home actually use a virtual office to hold meetings and have access to a secretary and such.

If this is not for you and you need an actual office, I recommend using a Costa Rica real estate company as a good one will be able to advise you on the purchase and rental prices as well as recommend neighborhoods that would best fit your business.

Rent or Buy?
This is an important question. That only you can answer. If you can afford it, buying the office is great but sometimes, renting is better as it allows you to upgrade later on as your business starts to thrive.

Advertising your business in a foreign country can be a bit tricky depending on who your target market is. If you plan on catering to U.S. clients then it may not be so bad as you can use marketing techniques that work in the U.S.

However, if your target market are locals, then you will of course need to have everything done in Spanish and using a local company for marketing in Costa Rica is recommended as they will be able to make a marketing campaign that will fit the Costa Ricans without too much trial and error.

They are of course several methods to advertise your business for free or almost for free like using a Costa Rica Descuentos website where you can get your service listed by just giving out a coupon or promotion.

This is a list of business resources that can help you achieve maximum sucess in Costa Rica.

Real Estate in Costa Rica - One of many real estate companies in Costa Rica to get your office ready.
Investing in Costa Rica - Need a private loan or help in investing?
Video Services - This is a place where you can get a video done for your advertising purposes.
Costa Rica News - Keep in touch with events and news in Costa Rica
Real Estate Software - Looking to start a real estate company, this company can help you out.