Expats and property owners here in Costa Rica who hold a home, vehicle, land or other assets through a sociedad anónima should check their corporate filings before tomorrow’s deadline.
April 30 is the annual deadline for inactive legal entities to file the Declaración Informativa de Personas Jurídicas Inactivas, now listed by the Ministry of Hacienda as Form 272 through the OVi platform in TRIBU-CR. Many property owners and accountants still refer to the obligation by its former name, D-195.
The filing applies even when the corporation does not invoice, operate a business or generate income. In Costa Rica, “inactive” does not mean the company has no tax responsibilities. It generally means the company is not carrying out a profit-making activity, but it may still hold assets such as real estate, vehicles, bank accounts, investments or other property.
For many foreign residents and nonresident property owners, this is a common issue. Homes and land in Costa Rica have often been placed inside a corporation for ownership, estate planning or administrative reasons. Those companies may sit inactive for years, but they still remain on the books and can still be required to report their assets and liabilities.
The inactive company declaration must include information about the corporation’s assets, debts and capital structure. That can include registered and unregistered real estate, vehicles, bank accounts, investments, intangible assets, accounts payable and who covers the company’s expenses.
The same April 30 date also matters for the Registro de Transparencia y Beneficiarios Finales, known as RTBF, which is filed through the Banco Central de Costa Rica’s Central Directo system. That filing reports shareholders, participants and beneficial owners of legal entities and other covered structures.
Missing these obligations can be expensive. Costa Rica’s tax rules has warned that failure to submit required information can trigger sanctions ranging from three base salaries to 100 base salaries, depending on the case. For inactive companies, the risk is often tied to owners assuming that no income means no filing duty.
Property owners should also confirm that the annual Impuesto a las Personas Jurídicas is paid. That tax was due Feb. 2 for the 2026 fiscal period, according to Hacienda. The amount ranges from ₡69,330 for inactive companies to higher amounts for active companies, depending on gross income. Companies that fail to pay can face interest, late-payment sanctions and, after three consecutive unpaid periods, possible dissolution under the law.
The next best step for owners is to contact the accountant, attorney or notary who handles the corporation and ask for written confirmation that the Form 272 filing, RTBF filing and annual corporate tax payment are all current. For expats, retirees and absentee owners, the deadline can be easy to miss, especially when the corporation only exists to hold a house or lot. But Costa Rica’s tax system still treats that entity as a legal person with filing duties.
With the April 30 deadline coming tomorrow, owners should not assume that an inactive company is automatically compliant. The filings may be informational, but the penalties for ignoring them can be real.
