INHERITANCE LAW
Usufruct in Costa Rica: Protect Your Estate During Your Lifetime
The term 'usufruct' may sound complex, but in Costa Rica it is a simple and powerful legal figure that allows you to transfer a property while retaining the right to use and enjoy it for life. It is a commonly used tool for estate planning, family protection, and even...
Common-law union: legal keys to protecting your partner
More and more couples are choosing to live together, build a life, and even raise a family—without getting legally married. It’s a valid choice, and often one that fits their values and lifestyle. But there’s a question few ask in time: what happens if something...
When a business owner passes away without a plan
What happens when a business owner passes away without a plan? A company’s legal continuity is often tied to the health of its key partner. But when that person passes away unexpectedly — and no will or trust...
Planning Your Estate Is an Act of Love: Will or Trust in Costa Rica
Organizing what will happen with your estate after you're gone is not a cold or selfish act—on the contrary, it’s one of the most loving decisions you can make for those you care about most. In Costa Rica, there are two main legal tools to plan your succession: the...
How to proceed when the assets are registered in the name of a company
In Costa Rica, inheritance can take certain forms, which will depend on the nature of the individual or entity that receives the assets. It can be: for natural persons, legal entities or inactive companies. In this article we tell you how to act in the case of a...
The importance of making a will
It is important that people, regardless of the assets they wish to bequeath, draft a will with their last wishes, indicating how they want these assets to be inherited and distributed once they pass away (successions). In the will, the testator can bequeath to family...