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 (ce?dula de identidad)

??? A certificate from the Civil Registry that he/she is single (certificado de solteri?a 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