Some helpful information to get you started with your Costa Rica wedding plans:

Costa Rican law permits U.S. citizens to get married here.
A lawyer can perform the required legal ceremony.
You will need the following documents:

• A valid passport

• A certified copy of your birth certificate

• If you have been married before: a certified copy of the divorce decree OR a certified copy of your previous spouse’s death certificate.

• If you have not been married before, you must come to the Embassy’s Consular Section and make a sworn statement to that effect before a Consular Officer for a $55 fee. If you are marrying a Costa Rican citizen, he/she will need:

• A Costa Rican identity card (cédula de identidad)

• A certificate from the Civil Registry that he/she is single (certificado de soltería del Registro Civil)

Please note that the marriage cannot be recognized in the U.S. until a marriage certificate is issued by the Costa Rican Civil Registry (Registro Civil). The issuance of the marriage certificate normally takes 4-6 weeks.

• Translated into English by an official translator of the Ministry of Foreign Relations (see the Ministry’s approved list of official translators)

• Authenticated by the Costa Rican Ministry of Foreign Relations

• Notarized and signed by the U.S. Embassy’s Consular Section (there is a $32 fee for this service)

All of the above steps may be performed by a Costa Rican attorney. If you have further questions, please contact the Consular Section at (506) 220-3050 or US Embassy in Costa Rica