Kolaboro / Countries / Costa Rica / How to check
How to check an off-plan project in Costa Rica
Official registers, what local projects leave out and the questions to ask, from 9 tracked projects.
To check an off-plan project in Costa Rica, match what the developer tells you against the official record before each payment. Start with the 3 official registers listed below, then ask the questions that the 9 projects we track in Costa Rica most often leave open.
The check most often missing in Costa Rica: permit or licence number (not public for 9 of 9 projects).
- Official registers
- What projects here leave out
- Questions to ask the developer
- Free check
- Questions and answers
Step 1: official registers in Costa Rica#
SETENA (environmental viability) (Costa Rica)
- What it proves
- Whether the project has environmental viability (viabilidad ambiental) from the National Environmental Technical Secretariat.
- What it does not prove
- A construction permit.
- How to search
- Ask for the SETENA file number and resolution and check the file with SETENA.
Open the official register (opens in a new tab) www.setena.go.cr
From our register guide.
CFIA (registered construction plans) (Costa Rica)
- What it proves
- The construction plans were registered with the Federated College of Engineers and Architects, a step before the municipal construction permit.
- What it does not prove
- That the municipality issued the permit.
- How to search
- Ask for the CFIA project number and the municipal permit, and confirm both.
Open the official register (opens in a new tab) www.cfia.or.cr
From our register guide.
Registro Nacional (Costa Rica)
- What it proves
- The owner, liens and mortgages on a property, and company records.
- What it does not prove
- Permits or environmental approval.
- How to search
- Search the property by folio number or the company by legal ID on the Registro Nacional digital service.
Open the official register (opens in a new tab) www.rnpdigital.com
From our register guide.
Step 2: what off-plan projects in Costa Rica leave out#
Share of the 9 tracked projects that make each check public, and how many are confirmed by an official register or independent source.
| Check | Public | Not public | Confirmed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permit or licence number | 0 (0%) | 9 | 1 |
| Deposit protection | 1 (11%) | 8 | 0 |
| Construction progress | 2 (22%) | 7 | 0 |
| Site or floor plans | 4 (44%) | 5 | 0 |
| Developer track record | 8 (89%) | 1 | 3 |
| No guaranteed-return language | 9 (100%) | 0 | 0 |
Step 3: questions to ask the developer#
The questions our research agent raised most often for projects in Costa Rica, with how many projects they apply to. Each one points at a gap in what the developer publishes.
- No building permit mentioned: ask for the number before paying. (8 of 9 projects)
- No deposit protection published: will your payments go into an escrow or trust account in your name? (8 of 9 projects)
- Completion advertised for 2026: does progress on site match? (7 of 9 projects)
- Title type not stated: leasehold, freehold or a company structure? (3 of 9 projects)
- Fraud complaints reported in public sources: ask the developer for the current status, in writing. (1 of 9 projects)
- Construction stalled in public sources: ask the developer for the current status, in writing. (1 of 9 projects)
- A building permit is claimed: does it exist in the official system and match this plot? (1 of 9 projects)
Send them in writing: ask the developer with our template.
Step 4: run a free check#
Paste the project page into the free desk review: our agent reads it, quotes every claim and looks it up in the registers above where it can. Then see all projects we track in Costa Rica.
Questions and answers#
What should I check before buying off-plan in Costa Rica?
The permit or licence number, deposit protection, construction progress, plans, the developer's track record and any guaranteed-return promise. In Costa Rica the check most often missing is permit or licence number (9 of 9 tracked projects do not publish it).
Is there an official register to check an off-plan project in Costa Rica?
Yes: SETENA (environmental viability); CFIA (registered construction plans); Registro Nacional.
What do developers in Costa Rica most often leave unanswered?
No building permit mentioned: ask for the number before paying. (8 of 9 projects).
Are you the developer, or did we get something wrong? Send documents and we add your reply or correct the record: right of reply · corrections. Every figure here is computed from the open dataset (/data/bali-cases.json, CC BY 4.0) and changes when the data changes.