To get legally married in Costa Rica is a simple and straightforward process. We do not require blood tests, birth or civil status certificates, or a minimum stay time on Costa Rican soil. A sworn statement attesting your civil status, date and place of birth and parents name covers all requirements.

All weddings require the presence of a lawyer, who then files all of the legal documents with the Costa Rican Civil Registry, as well as your Embassy, thus ensuring your marriage is legal and recognized internationally.

Before you come to Costa Rica, our lawyer will send you a questionnaire via email, asking for some general information about yourself and your spouse-to-be (i.e. civil status, occupation, parent’s names, age, birthplace, current address etc.) and the name and passport number of two witnesses, that you fill out and send back with a copy of your passports. (If you do not have witnesses, we can provide them for your). With this information, the lawyer prepares the marriage document and the sworn statements, which must be signed immediately after the ceremony.

Once all the documents have been submitted to the Costa Rican Civil Registry, the lawyer will submit a final certification to your Embassy for Consular Authentication. The authenticated documents are usually sent to you within 90 days from the day of the event (via Fedex or certified mail).

Contact us with questions about legal aspects of weddings in Costa Rica.

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