Many of the participants in my relocation/retirement tours ask about the Costa Rican Legal System. I am not a lawyer and don’t feel qualified to give legal advice. However, I do have knowledge about some basic procedures that I have learned over the years.

Here is one of the questions I am often asked. Do powers of attorney exist in Costa Rica?

Yes, to the best of my knowledge there are four types of powers of attorney in Costa.

1.-Special power of attorney is a power of attorney for a single transaction or act. It doesn’t need to be recorded.

2.-General power of attorney has to be protocolized (to record in a notarial register) by a notary and has to be recorded in the Public Registry or Registro Público. This is used when a person gives power to another person to perform “certain” specific acts. This type of power of attorney has to be recorded in the registry before it can be used.

3.-General Power of Attorney or generalisimo is the broadest and most far reaching power of attorney that exists. It is given to an agent who acts for you or represents you. It has to be protocolized (to record in a notarial register) and recorded in writing in the public records like the previous power of attorney before it can be utilized.

4.-Special power of attorney can only be granted to lawyers by their clients to act on their behalf at a trial. It doesn’t have to be registered. However, it has to be authenticated and must be filed in the office or judicial office that is in charge of the proceedings in question.

I hope this makes sense.