Legal Assistance For Doing Business in Costa Rica

1. There are different forms of corporations, but most investors use LTD (Limited Liability Corporation) or S.A. (Anonymous Society).
2. Both members of the corporation must be created with a minimum of two people. The members can be Costa Rica citizens or citizens of other countries. In case you are not currently in Costa Rica, it is possible to create the corporation using a Power of Attorney, which we can create for you, thereby avoiding a trip to Costa Rica.
3. To facilitate the incorporation process, please use our online corporation registration form.
4. Once the corporate documents are inscribed in the Costa Rican Public Registry, an identification number is assigned. The corporation is considered a separate legal entity and therefore your personal assets are not included.
5. Once the company is inscribed, it is legally possible to transfer the total number of shares to a single person.
6. The creation of a corporation in Costa Rica typically takes between 8 to 15 working days.
   
   

When you incorporate with DYN the following services are included:

• Public Deed of the Corporation issued by Notary Public, notarized and inscribed in the Costa Rican Public Registry.
• Translation of the Public Deed (Corporate By-Laws) of the Corporation from Spanish to English.
• Creation of Corporation shares
• Courier expenses for sending the Corporation Documents.
• One year of Costa Rica Resident Agent fee.

1. Legal Books: There are three legal books: Shareholders Registry, Shareholders Meetings, and Directors meetings. For an LTD the Directors Meetings is not required.
2. Accounting Books: There are three accounting books: Balance Sheet, Profit and Loss Statement, Journal. Our A.T. (the Costa Rican version of the US IRS) requires the company to have these books updated on a regular basis.
3. Initial set-up of the Legal and Accounting Books typically takes 3 working days.
   
   

1. Costa Rica Income Taxes.
2. Costa Rica Sales taxes.
   
   

1. Depending type of the business you want to open, (sale of products, services, or administrative), the local government will define the tariff.
2. Once the license is obtained, the corporation must pay a quarterly tax. Since the tax is handled by various local governments, the location of your corporation will determine the tax required.
3. It typically takes a month to obtain a commercial license in Costa Rica.
   
   

1. CCSS - Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social: This program is a Social Security program. CSSS covers maternity, medical services, etc. All of the corporation employees must be inscribed as "Employee". The corporation must pay a monthly amount equal to approximately 26% of the total salaries of its employees. A monthly report must also be generated with this information.
2. INS - Instituto Nacional de Seguros: This is a labor insurance program that covers employees who are injured on the job. INS is very similar to CCSS but based on the type of work and risk involved.
3. It typically takes one month to set up each type of insurance.
   
   

1. Accounting Services: Our bilingual Accounting Department has great expertise in local and international companies. Our Accounting Department has direct support from our legal and taxation department.
2. Payment Managerial Services: To free companies of this complicated process, our Administrative department offers assistance with the following: preparing tax returns, making tax payments, utilities management (water, electricity, phone, internet), and monthly payments and reports to CCSS and INS.
3. Bank Accounts: We have an agreement with one of the local banks, which allows DYN the ability to open bank accounts for our clients quickly and securely.
4. Legal Assistance: DYN's law firm has legal expertise in areas like corporations and taxation.