Requirements for Marrying in Costa Rica

Generally, your wedding package will include the services of a lawyer who will handle all legal procedures to make your marriage legal both in Costa Rica as well as your own country.

Be prepared to provide the lawyer with the following for filing your marriage certificate:

• Full Name
  • First, Middle and Last; No inititals accepted
• Date and Place of Birth
• Current Address
• Passport Number
  • Nationality also if Bride/Groom is providing a non-United States Passport
• Maritial Status
  • If divorced, you will need to provide the date, city and state, name of court that decreed the divorce and the full name of former spouse, no initials accepted
  • Please Note: If the bride has been divorced within the last 12 months, it is required that she have a negative pregnancy test authenticated by the Costa Rican Consulate
• Profession/occupation
• Full name of father and his nationality
  • No initials accepted
• Full name of mother and her nationality
  • No initials accepted
  • Will need to indicate if name given is mother's maiden or married name

If you are coming to Costa Rica alone, your resort can supply witnesses for you. If friends are traveling with you they may act as your witnesses. Note that immediate family members are not allowed to be witnesses.

If you do have friends that can act as witnesses they will need to provide the following information:

• Full Name
  • First, Middle and Last; No inititals accepted
• Date and place of birth
• Current address
• Passport number and nationality if not from United States
• Maritial Status

You will need to bring with you two copies of each passport (Groom and Bride) and one copy of the witnesses' passports.

Once all this information is supplied, you will sign a document prepared by the lawyer swearing that the information supplied is truthful. After the ceremony, the bride, groom, and witnesses sign a certificate that the lawyer files in Costa Rica and at your home country's embassy. The final document is then forwarded to you.