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Required Documents
If you are NOT a Costa Rican citizen, you are required to have the following documents:
* A passport valid for at least six months
* A certified copy of your birth certificate (1)
* A certified copy of your police record (2)
* An Affidavit of Single Status (3)
If you are marrying a Costa Rican citizen, your future spouse will need the following documents:
* A Costa Rican identity card ("Cedula de Identidad")
* A Certificate of Single Status issued by the Civil Registry ("Certificado de Soltería del Registro Civil")
If you have been married before, you will need these additional documents:
* A certified copy of the divorce decree (1) or
* A certified copy of your previous spouse's death (1)
Note:
Special requirement for women. If a woman has been divorced or is a widow, she can only remarry after 300 days have elapsed from the official issuance date of her divorce decree or her former husband's death certificate. She can waive this requirement if she proves that she is not pregnant before your marriage ceremony. She must take a pregnancy test administered by the Supreme Court of Costa Rica at the Forensic Medicine Office (Medicatura Forense de la Corte Suprema de Justicia) in San Joaquin de Flores in Heredia, Costa Rica. Their telephone number is 506-2-295-3000. If her pregnancy test is negative, she can marry immediately.
You will need two witnesses for your wedding: non-relatives are preferred. They must have the following documents:
For non-Costa Rican citizens:
* A passport valid for at least six months
For Costa Rican citizens:
* A Costa Rican Identity card ("Cedula de Identidad")
Once you have the above documents, contact a lawyer, judge, or a priest in Costa Rica to perform the marriage ceremony.
(1) This document must be authenticated by a Consulate of Costa Rica prior to coming to Costa Rica.
(2) This document must be issued no more than six months prior to your marriage ceremony and must be authenticated by a Consulate of Costa Rica prior to coming to Costa Rica.
(3) This document must be must be authenticated by a Consulate of Costa Rica prior to coming to Costa Rica. Or, you may visit the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica at their Consular Section to issue the Affidavit of Single Status before a U.S. Consular Officer.
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Validity of Marriages Marriages legally performed and valid in Costa Rica are also legally valid in other countries.
Your marriage certificate will be issued by the Civil Registry ("Registro Civil") between four and seven weeks after your marriage ceremony. Your marriage will be legally recognized in the U.S. when you or your lawyer who performed the ceremony submits your marriage certificate with the appropriate certifications to the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica.
To be legally recognized in the U.S., your marriage certificate must be:
* Translated into English by an official translator who is accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Relations ("Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores")
* Authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Relations ("Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores")
* Notarized by a Public Notary
* Certified and signed by the U.S. Embassy's Consular Section
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