Requirements for a Civil Marriage in Costa Rica

A civil marriage in Costa Rica can be performed free of charge by the Registro Civil (a division of the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones, TSE), or by a notary public or an authorized religious minister.

Basic requirements for both individuals:

• Be at least 18 years of age.
• Be legally free to marry (not currently married to another person).
• Have the mental capacity to express consent to the marriage.
• Present a valid identification document in good condition (Costa Rican cédula; foreign nationals must present their DIMEX issued by the Direccion General de Migracion y Extranjeria).

Additional requirements for foreign nationals:

• Apostilled certificates (for example, birth certificate and single status certificate from the country of origin).
• Official translations of those documents if they are not in Spanish.

Process before the Registro Civil (free of charge):

• The couple must appear together, with their valid identity documents, to sign the application.
• At the central office, application acceptance is Monday through Friday, from 8:00am to 10:00am. At regional offices, the schedule is from 7:00am to 2:00pm.
• After the application, a date for the ceremony is scheduled.
• Inquiries about this process: Unidad de Matrimonios del Registro Civil, phone 2287-5555.

Alternative: you can also get married before a notary public or a duly authorized religious minister, who then register the marriage with the Registro Civil — this option usually has a cost, unlike the direct process with the TSE.

Note: there is a more streamlined option ("digital marriage"/"expedited marriages") that the Registro Civil has been implementing — check tse.go.cr to confirm if it is available and its specific requirements at the time of your application, as it is a relatively new service.