The Power of Attorney

If a person is to leave Costa Rica for some time no matter the reason, and has in investments or interests of any kind in the Country, it’s recommendable to leave a person of trust in charge of those interests for as long as he is away. The legal procedure to do that is by granting a Power of Attorney. The Power of Attorney is a legal instrument by which a person (the principal) gives another (the agent) the legal capability to act on his behalf according to the extension that the Power itself allows him. There are different kinds of Power of Attorney:

- Full Power of Attorney: This Power allows buying and selling any goods, accepting mortgages on properties, acquiring debts, giving any good as warranty, signing checks, and etcetera. It’s a Power of Attorney in which the agent can appear before almost any authority on behalf of the principal and act in almost any kind of situation in his name.

- General Power of Attorney: This Power of Attorney is to be used for administrative purposes. It’s the power given usually when you have a business and you need someone to manage that business in your place. It allows hiring help, signing invoices and, if not limited au contraire, performing any activity considered as usual among the business or company.

- Special Power of Attorney: It allows the agent to perform only a specific act or sequence of acts, each one specifically described in the Power. Any other act that is not enclosed in the Power itself cannot be performed legally.

As a general note to powers of attorney is important to emphasize that when a principal gives the power, he can state any limitations he may deem appropriate, depending on the needs and trust he has on the agent.