In Scope No. 69 of May 30, 2025, Law No. 10729 was published, which reforms several articles of the Costa Rican Commercial Code (Law No. 3284) related to the incorporation and identification of commercial companies. This reform directly impacts Limited Companies (SA) and Limited Liability Companies (SRL), establishing a new identification scheme based exclusively on the legal identification card. As of June 2nd, 2025, Costa Rica is implementing a momentous reform to its Commercial Code, redefining the way in which new companies are legally identified before the National Registry.
What changes?
New corporations (SA) and limited liability companies (LLCs) will no longer use names to establish their corporate names. From now on, they will be identified exclusively by their legal identification number, which will be automatically assigned upon registration.
Examples of new legal identification:
- 3-101-123456 Sociedad Anonima
- 3-102-789012 Limited Liability Company
This change eliminates the need—and the possibility—of choosing a trade name as part of the incorporation process, under the terms established by our Trademark Law. These are denominative or mixed signs that identify and distinguish a specific company or commercial establishment.
The trade name: more relevant than ever
Although they will no longer be required for legal purposes, trade names will retain (and strengthen) their strategic role. This is the name by which the market knows and recognizes a company, the one used on signs, packaging, social media, and advertising campaigns.
Protecting a company’s trade name requires a minimal investment but has a significant impact on company differentiation. This tool will be key to helping the market identify the company and, with it, building a reputation in the marketplace.
Operational challenges
Furthermore, this transformation poses real and operational challenges, especially in environments such as banking. Among them, we anticipate that the absence of a company name can make it difficult to identify an account holder, increasing the risk of transfer errors and administrative complications. We will have to wait for the outcome of this issue at the banking level.
At Central Law, we are prepared to help your company protect its trade name and other intangible assets.
For more information, contact us: info@central-law.com
Ricardo Rodríguez
Director IP
Costa Rica
