QCOSTARICA – Getting married in Costa Rica is pretty easy, all it takes is valid ID (passport for foreigners, cedula for locals) and a notary.
No need to get notarized documents, or have documents translated. A police record is not necessary. Blood tests, what’s that? No marriage license required. A Costa Rica marriage is legally recognized internationally.
To get married in Costa Rica (civil ceremony or Matrimonio Civil in Spanish) all it requires is a trip to a notary (or the notary come to you) and two witnesses willing to sign the document. The notary will be responsible for filing the paperwork with the Registro Civil (Civil Registry).
It takes a few weeks for the marriage to appear on the Civil Registry. You can check registered marriages here.
Checking marriages by name: Nombre is you name. 1er Apellido is your last name. 2do Apellido is your second last name (if you do not have a second last name, leave it blank). Sexo: Masculino is Male; Femenino, Female. Fill in the captcha code and press ‘buscar nombres’.
Related: Catholic Church Marriages Regaining Ground in Costa Rica
Cost for civil marriages can vary, it depends on the fee set by the notary. Most lawyers/notaries start at ¢80,000 colones (US$150 dollars).
In Costa Rica, all notaries are lawyers, but not all lawyers are notaries. And you will need a notary, that is a lawyer who is a notary, to do the paperwork.
Also, In Costa Rica, the woman doesn’t change her name when getting married.
