Getting legally married in Costa Rica.

I have been planning weddings in Costa Rica for a little over eight years, and I am a certified bilingual symbolic-ceremony officiant. Which means I have had this conversation — do we marry legally here, or do it at home — with more couples than I can count, often around month two of planning, usually after they have read three contradictory blog posts and spoken to one lawyer who quoted them a price for paperwork without explaining what the paperwork actually does.

This piece is the version of that conversation I would have with you if we were sitting together. No fairy-tale framing. No "your special day." Just the facts, the trade-offs, and the path most international couples actually take — and why.

If you are also figuring out the money side, you may want to read our 2026 cost guide alongside this. The legal decision sits inside the budget decision more than most couples realize.

Two paths, side by side

Before we go into either process in detail, here is the comparison I draw on a napkin in almost every first call.

There is no wrong answer. There is a cleaner answer for most international couples, and I will explain why below. But if anchoring the legal moment to Costa Rica matters to you — for sentimental reasons, dual-residency reasons, immigration reasons — civil marriage here is absolutely available, and the country handles it well.

The required documents checklist

If you are planning to marry legally in Costa Rica, here is what you will be asked to produce. Bring originals and digital copies.

• The apostille is the part that bites people. It is a single-page authentication, attached to your divorce decree or death certificate, that confirms the document is real. The U.S. issues these state by state (not federally). Canada now issues apostilles federally as of January 2024, via Global Affairs Canada. Both countries: expect 2–6 weeks if you mail it in.
• You do not need a blood test. Costa Rica abolished this requirement years ago.
• You do not need to live in Costa Rica. No residency requirement, no minimum days in-country.
• Your witnesses do not need to be Costa Rican. Friends and guests work. They just need to be over 18, hold valid ID, and not be your immediate family.

How civil marriage in Costa Rica actually works, step by step

1. Engage a Costa Rican notary or judge — 4 to 8 weeks out

In Costa Rica, marriages are officiated either by a licensed notary public (notario público, who in this country is a full lawyer with notarial authority — not the same as a U.S. notary public) or by a court judge. Most international weddings use a notary, because notaries can travel to your venue. Judges generally cannot. Expect $500–$1,500 for the legal officiation and document handling.

2. Gather and apostille your supporting documents — 3 to 6 weeks out

Order divorce decrees and death certificates from the issuing state or province. Have them apostilled. Ship originals to Costa Rica or hand-carry them. If documents are in English, the notary will tell you whether sworn Spanish translation is required. This is the slowest stage, and the one couples most often start too late. Begin the moment you have set a date.

3. The pre-ceremony meeting with the notary — 1 to 3 days before

Either in person in Costa Rica or by video, you and your partner sit with the notary to review the marriage act, sign the declaration of single status, and confirm witness details. 30 to 60 minutes. Bring your passports. Bring your witnesses' full names, ID numbers, and addresses.

4. The ceremony day

The notary attends your ceremony at your venue. The civil portion is short — typically 10 to 15 minutes — and includes a formal reading of the marriage articles from the Costa Rican Family Code, the declaration of intent from both parties ("sí, acepto" or "yes, I accept"), the signing of the marriage act by both spouses, both witnesses, and the notary, and the exchange of rings if you wish.

You can absolutely have a longer, more personal ceremony built around this legal core — a symbolic bilingual layer with custom vows, readings from family, and an extended ring exchange. I do this often. The civil section sits inside a larger ceremony, and most guests will not notice where one ends and the other begins.

5. Civil Registry filing — within 8 days of the ceremony

The notary submits the signed marriage act to the Registro Civil (Civil Registry) in San José, where the marriage is officially recorded. Costa Rican law requires this filing within 8 days. No action from you.

6. Marriage certificate issued — 2 to 6 weeks after the ceremony

Once registered, the Civil Registry issues your official Costa Rican marriage certificate (certificación de matrimonio). The notary collects it and sends it to you, or your planner forwards it to your home address.

After the ceremony — apostille and home-country recognition

Your Costa Rica marriage is legally binding the moment you sign the marriage act. But it is not yet recognized in the United States or Canada. To make it recognized — for filing taxes jointly, immigration purposes, name changes, insurance — you need to bring the certificate home in an authenticated form.

Costa Rica is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, which is excellent news. It means the certificate can be apostilled once in Costa Rica and is then accepted by every other Hague signatory country (which includes the U.S., Canada, the U.K., the EU, Australia, and most of Latin America) without further legalization.

1. Marriage certificate issued by the Costa Rican Civil Registry — 2 to 6 weeks after the ceremony.
2. Apostille applied at the Costa Rican Ministry of Foreign Affairs in San José. Cost: ~$30 plus service fees. Timeline: 1 to 3 business days.
3. Sworn translation into English by an official Costa Rican translator. Cost: $50–$150. Timeline: 3 to 7 business days.
4. Home-country recognition. Apostilled and translated certificate is now valid for state-level filings.

The symbolic ceremony alternative — what most couples choose, and why

When I tell couples that roughly 80 to 90% of my international couples choose symbolic ceremony in Costa Rica + legal marriage at home, they often pause. It sounds like a workaround. It is not. It is the cleaner version of the same outcome — and in many ways, the more honest one.

Here is what a symbolic ceremony actually is. A real ceremony, conducted by a real officiant (often me, as a certified bilingual symbolic-ceremony officiant), with real vows, real meaning, real rings, real witnesses. The only difference is that no civil document is signed and no notary is present. There is no legal weight in Costa Rica. There is no apostille. There is no Civil Registry filing.

And then, before or after your trip, you and your partner go to your county courthouse, sign a one-page civil marriage license, and that is the legal moment. It usually takes 30 minutes and costs between $35 and $120 depending on your state or province.

Why this is the path most couples take:

• It is bilingual by design. A symbolic ceremony has no required language. We design every line to land in both English and Spanish if your families need it. The civil marriage script in Costa Rica is in Spanish.
• It is built around you, not around the law. Custom vows, custom processional, family blessings, readings in any language, sand ceremonies, hand-tying, anything. Civil marriage is fixed in form.
• You can be married by anyone. A friend. Your father. Your college roommate. Me. Civil marriage requires a Costa Rican notary or judge.
• No paperwork friction. No apostille. No translation. No 30-to-90-day wait. No risk that something gets lost in the registry.
• It is just as meaningful. I have officiated symbolic ceremonies that brought entire families to tears. The piece of paper signed at the courthouse three weeks later does not diminish a thing.

The one case where civil marriage in Costa Rica is the right call: when something about your home-country situation makes marrying at home impractical or undesirable — immigration timing, dual residency, a complex divorce that cannot easily be re-filed, or a sentimental anchor to Costa Rica that matters to your family. Or when one partner is Costa Rican and the marriage will be filed locally regardless.

Same-sex marriage in Costa Rica

Costa Rica legalized same-sex marriage on May 26, 2020 — the first country in Central America to do so — following a 2018 ruling from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Same-sex couples have identical legal rights to opposite-sex couples in marriage, adoption, and inheritance.

For destination weddings, this matters. Some Caribbean and Latin American countries that are popular wedding destinations still do not perform same-sex marriages, or perform them in ambiguous legal forms. Costa Rica does not have this ambiguity. The civil-marriage process I described above is identical regardless of the couple's genders.

I have officiated same-sex weddings here every year since 2020. The Costa Rican wedding vendor community — at least at the luxury tier — is welcoming, well-prepared, and matter-of-fact about it. This is genuinely one of the easier countries in the region for an LGBTQ+ destination wedding.

Frequently asked questions

Can U.S. citizens legally marry in Costa Rica?

Yes. Both parties must be present with valid passports, two adult witnesses who are not immediate family, and any prior-marriage documentation (divorce decree or death certificate) apostilled in advance. There is no residency requirement and no waiting period. The marriage is officiated by a Costa Rican notary public or judge, registered with the Civil Registry, and then apostilled for recognition at home — a 30 to 90 day post-ceremony process.

Can Canadian citizens legally marry in Costa Rica?

Yes — and the process is identical to the one for U.S. citizens. Canada joined the Hague Apostille Convention in January 2024, so your Costa Rica marriage certificate can now be apostilled here and accepted by Canadian vital-statistics offices without further legalization.

Is same-sex marriage legal in Costa Rica?

Yes. Costa Rica legalized same-sex marriage on May 26, 2020, the first country in Central America to do so. Same-sex couples have identical legal rights to opposite-sex couples, and the civil-marriage process is the same.

How long does it take for my Costa Rica marriage to be recognized in the U.S. or Canada?

Typically 30 to 90 days from the ceremony date. The Civil Registry takes 2 to 6 weeks to issue your marriage certificate, the apostille takes 1 to 3 business days, sworn translation takes 3 to 7 business days, and then it is recognized at home immediately upon presentation.

Do I need a blood test to marry in Costa Rica?

No. Costa Rica abolished the blood test requirement years ago. Any source still mentioning it is out of date.

Is there a waiting period?

No. There is no minimum number of days you must spend in Costa Rica before marrying, and no waiting period after the ceremony before it is legally binding. The marriage is valid the moment both parties sign.

Do I need a Spanish translator at the ceremony?

If neither of you speaks Spanish, yes — a translator must be present so that you understand the legal portion of the ceremony, which is conducted in Spanish. Sometimes the notary is bilingual; sometimes I serve in this role as the bilingual officiant.

What is an apostille?

A one-page authentication, attached to an official document, that confirms the document is genuine and the signing official is genuine. The Hague Apostille Convention allows apostilled documents to be accepted in any other member country without further legalization. Both Costa Rica and the U.S./Canada are members.

Can I marry in Costa Rica if I'm divorced?

Yes. You will need the final divorce decree from your previous marriage, apostilled by the issuing state, province, or country. If the decree is in a language other than Spanish, the Costa Rican notary may also request a sworn translation. Begin this 4 to 6 weeks before your ceremony.

Can I marry in Costa Rica if I'm widowed?

Yes. You will need the deceased spouse's death certificate, apostilled. Same timeline and translation considerations as a divorce decree.

Do I need two witnesses?

Yes. Two adults over 18, with valid government-issued ID, who are not your immediate family (parent, sibling, or child). Friends, cousins, in-laws, and guests all qualify.

Can a friend officiate my Costa Rica wedding?

For a symbolic ceremony, yes — and many of my couples bring a friend or family member to officiate. I work with that person on the script and serve as Master of Ceremonies. For a civil ceremony, no — only a licensed Costa Rican notary public or a court judge can legally officiate.

What's the cost of legal marriage paperwork in Costa Rica?

Total legal fees typically run $700 to $2,500, depending on document complexity. This includes the notary's officiation and document handling ($500–$1,500), Civil Registry filing fees, the apostille at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (~$30), sworn translation if needed ($50–$150), and courier or expediter fees.

Where do I get my marriage certificate?

From the Costa Rican Civil Registry (Registro Civil), which issues it 2 to 6 weeks after the ceremony. Your notary collects it on your behalf and forwards it to you, or to your planner.

What if my passport name is different from my legal name?

The name on the marriage certificate will match your passport exactly — including middle names, maiden names, and any apostrophes or accents. If your passport name does not match the name you intend to use after marriage, the certificate will reflect the passport version, and any subsequent name-change paperwork at home should be filed accordingly.

Can I marry in Costa Rica without telling my home-country government in advance?

Yes — there is no pre-notification requirement. Most couples handle the home-country recognition only after receiving the apostilled certificate. The marriage exists legally from the moment of signing; the recognition step is administrative, not consensual.

Do I need a wedding planner to handle the legal paperwork?

Not strictly — you can engage a Costa Rican notary directly and manage the document chain yourself. In practice, almost every international couple at the luxury tier uses their planner as the coordination layer, because the apostille timeline, the translation logistics, and the Civil Registry filing all benefit from having someone in Costa Rica chasing them.

Is a Costa Rica marriage valid in countries other than the U.S. and Canada?

Yes — in every Hague Apostille Convention member country, which is over 120 nations. For non-Hague countries, an additional legalization step at the destination country's embassy in San José may be required.

The marriage starts when you both say yes. The paperwork is just paperwork.

What I would tell you if we were sitting together

There is no wrong choice between civil marriage in Costa Rica and symbolic-plus-legal-at-home. Both produce a legally married couple. Both can carry every ounce of meaning you want them to carry.

What I want couples to avoid is making the choice on incomplete information. The friction of civil marriage here is not the ceremony — it is the apostille timeline, the document chain, and the certificate wait. If you understand that and want to proceed anyway, beautiful. If you understand it and decide the symbolic route fits your family and your timeline better, equally beautiful.

The ceremony I officiate for you will be the same either way: bilingual if you want, in English or Spanish if you prefer, paced to your day, with vows that are yours and a script that was written for the two of you specifically. Whether a notary signs a document during it or not is, in the moment, almost invisible.