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Land title records of Costa Rican properties can be viewed on the Internet but the document is available only in Spanish. The following interpretation of key words should guide you to the information that you are seeking.
- You will first need the six digit number that identifies the property called the “folio real.” Then go to www.registronacional.go.cr (the national registry).
- Click on the word “Consultas” (inquiry) on the menu bar at the top.
- Then click on “Bienes Inmuebles” (immovable property, (immovable property, real estate) at the top left column and go to “Por Número de Finca o Concesión” (by number of the property concession), second from the top.
- You then insert the name of the province and the property identification number (“Finca”) and click on “Consultar” (get advice).
- The next screen reveals the name of the property owner (“Proprietario”), the owner's identification certificate number (“cedula de identidad”) and the owner’s marital status.
- At the bottom of the screen is the word “Gravemenes” meaning encumbrances. If there are none, the "NO HAY" alongside. If otherwise and you are not aware of any charges against he property, you should then consult an attorney who can perform a more extensive search and explain the facts surrounding the nature of the encumbrance(s).
- Also, by clicking “Historia,” you can learn of the history of property transfers and charges against the title to the property.
It is indeed fortunate that the government of Costa Rica has made information concerning properties easily accessible to property owners via the Internet. A purchaser can rest assured that his/her financial interests can be authenticated.
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HELPFUL HINTS
Microsoft Word allows you translate Spanish (or a dozen other languages into English (U.S.) and vice versa. It may not be a perfect translation but it can help to obtain the general tone of the message.
Just follow these steps.
If you have visited a Cost Rica website where the wording is written in Spanish, highlight, copy and paste the website text that you wish to translate into a Word document.
Go to “Tools” then “language” and then to “translate”. A window opens on the right. Select Spanish to English. By clicking on the arrow in the small green box, the computer searches the on-line translation dictionary to provide the answer.
Full paragraphs may be translated in this manner and the arrow to activate the search may be found by scrolling down using the bar to the right.
Other helpful translation resources may be found at http://www.freetranslation.com, http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr and http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dict_en_es
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PLANNING TO BUY A CAR IN COSTA RICA
The government of Costa Rica has arranged a simple means for potential car buyers to check the ownership of the car that he or she plans to buy via the Internet. It is the prudent thing to do.
- The current car ownership registration can be viewed by going to the national registry at www.registronacional.go.cr. The information is provided in Spanish only but this article provides help with the interpretation into English.
- Click on the word “Consultas” (inquiry) on the menu bar at the top.
- Click on Bienes Muebles (movable property, chattels, personal property) – and then click on “Vehículos” (vehicles) at the top.
- “Placa” or licence plate appears at the top of the list. Enter the licence plate number and then click on click on “Consultar” (get advice).
- The name of the legal owner of the car appears. By clicking on “Infracciones” you can learn if any problems exist – and hopefully “Vehiculo no tiene Infracciones” appears; meaning that that there are no infractions that are held against the car.
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