Costa Rica – an offshore jurisdiction known only to a few

Company Express offers Costa Rica incorporation options.

Costa Rica is one of the most politically and economically stable countries in Latin America. The country offers company registration with the possibility of being tax-free if activity is outside Costa Rica.

Advantages of Costa Rica incorporation

• Tax-free if a company doesn’t perform business activity in Costa Rica – only a fixed annual government levy must be paid
• No requirement to file annual accounts for companies with business activity outside Costa Rica
• No restriction for company ownership by non-residents
• Company directors can be residents of other countries
• Legal person can act as a director for the company
• Annual shareholders’ and directors’ meeting can be held anywhere in the world

Price structure for Costa Rica incorporation

What documents will you receive upon incorporation?

• Articles of Incorporation
• Minutes of First Meeting of Shareholders
• Extract from Registry
• Corporate Number Certificate
• Register of Shareholders
• Register of Directors and Officers
• Share Certificates

If using nominee services you will also receive:

• Apostilled Power of Attorney
• Trust Deed
• Nominee Director Declaration

What do you need to form a company in Costa Rica?

Give us a call, or drop us an email, and we will be glad to detail all the requirements for you.

Taxation and statutory requirements at a glance

Company profits remain tax-free on the condition that they are not Costa-Rica sourced, even if the connected deal was made inside Costa Rica.

No annual return requirement. The company still has to file a tax return, even if the business activity was outside Costa Rica.

Additional information

Costa Rica allows for registration of two types of companies: corporations (S.R.L.) and limited liability companies (S.A.).

The main difference between the two types is that the share capital of a corporation (S.R.L.) is divided into shares which are called “quotas“. If there is no separate provision in the Articles of Incorporation, the quotas may be transferred only after unanimous agreement by shareholders. Shares of a limited liability company (S.A.), however, can be sold without restriction, unless there is separate provision for that in the Articles of Incorporation.

One person can manage a corporation. A limited liability company must have three directors.

There are no requirements for pre-paid share capital.

You might be also interested in: