Civil Marriage:

Lic. Heidy Cruz Gamboa has performed well over 100 marriages, in the past 33 years.

Contact Us on WhatsApp. 50683607808

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Requirements and Processes for Marriage in Costa Rica 

 

To legally marry in Costa Rica is a fairly simple process. Weddings must be conducted by a lawyer. 

Heidy will perform your ceremony, and then file all of the papers with the civil registry on the same day of the wedding. Then in approximately 2 weeks after acceptance by the civil registry, this will be presented to an official Costa Rican translator service for translation to English or another language. Once translated it is presented to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for international certification. We then will express mail the final papers to your selected destination.  Thus ensuring your marriage is legal and recognized internationally. During the ceremony, Heidy will have all the necessary information in judicial declarations that both of you plus the witnesses will sign. 

 

The following is a list of requirements for civil marriage of non-residents in Costa Rica. 

 

1. ID  Required? 

Costa Rica requires a valid passport, with at least 6 months before it expires, who wish to marry. Both parties must be of 18 years legal age. No other type of identification is accepted. 

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Your Birth Certificate is required. 

 

2. Does anything need to be certified by a CR consulate before your arrival? 

NO 

 

3. Sending of Required Information 

All documents have to be photos in JPEG format, NOT PDF, and should be sent with a minimum of 3  days prior to arrival or sooner, please. Everything may be sent by e-mail to hotcrtd@gmail.com and you may chat directly with your questions by WhatsApp at 50683607808

 

4. Required Witnesses? 

Two (2) people are required to bear witness. Those who are not allowed to bear witness are (related to the bride and groom): mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, uncle, aunt, sister, half-sister, brother, half-brother, cousin, nephew, niece, all in-laws, etc. 

All information for your witnesses must be provided. Best for witness duties are friends or local Costa Ricans. 

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5. How long do they need to be in Costa Rica to be married? 

No required minimum stay (permanence) in Costa Rica exists for a valid marriage. 

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6. Were one of you previously Divorced? 

A judicial declaration will attest to when, where, and from whom you are divorced. You must send the date, place, name, and address of the court that decreed the divorce, along with the full name of an ex-spouse, so that it may be included in the declaration. 

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7. For women divorced less than 300 days? 

An archaic law designed to prevent children from a previous marriage from being born into the next marriage. 

It requires the divorced bride to have a minimum of 300 days between the date of the divorce decree and the date of the upcoming marriage. If this is not possible, the bride must undergo two pregnancy tests by two different doctors, have them certify the negative results, have the certification translated by an official translator, and run through the required chain of signatures ending in the Secretary of State (or equivalent, depending on the country), and the Costa Rican Consulate. This must be presented to the officiating notary prior to the ceremony. 

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 The Certificate will be sent via Fed Ex or other express mail service.  

 

Once you receive the Certificate, it must be registered in the city of residence of the couple. Call your local city hall, town hall, municipality or other equivalent to inquire where marriages are registered, and take the Certificate as proof of marriage. Costa Rican marriages are recognized all over the world. 

 

NO NOTARIZED DOCUMENTS: 

You will not need to bring any notarized legal documents. 

 

Requisites for getting married- Kindly email the following information for both bride and groom: Photos of all documents  in JPEG format ) Not PDF

 

1. Full photo of your passport including the page with your signature.

2. Birth Certificate

3. Current address - (complete street address, please, No P.O. Boxes Accepted). This should be your home address. 

4. Marital status - if divorced, All final court documents are required. Note: If the bride is divorced, her divorce date must be at least 300 days prior to the date of the upcoming wedding. 

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 Lawyer's fees are $750.00 this does not include the express mailing.

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Thank you for  Selecting  Lic. Heidy Cruz

Contact Us on WhatsApp. 50683607808