Property registration to go exclusively online next year

Costa Rica’s Federated Association of Engineers and Architects (CFIA) and the National Registry say that starting in January they will accept only digital topographic surveys, maps and property plans.

Currently both agencies accept both digital and print documents, but from next year registration only will be allowed through an online platform dubbed “Administrador de Proyectos Topográficos” (APT 2.0).

CFIA president Luis Guillermo Campos said the digital platform — currently available in Spanish only — improves the flexibility and security of the registration process and will save professionals the requirement to file print documents at both agencies.

“The digital process represents savings in time and resources for property owners, but also for engineers and land surveyors. It also improves security for the full process,” Campos said.

Registered users have full access to the system and to an online chat in which they can submit inquiries about the registration process. The platform is also available through mobile devices, so that documents can be submitted at any time and from anywhere, Campos said.

The system will send notifications about the status of the registration process through text messages and by e-mail, “which allows for improved controls of the full process,” Campos said.

The CFIA and the National Registry process some 140,000 topographic and surveying plans every year and they expect the full migration to the digital system also will improve the efficiency of the property registration process.

Contact Laianer Arias at larias@ticotimes.net.