Wedding Abroad RulesNot legal advice. Marriage rules change and local offices interpret them differently. Confirm every requirement with the civil registry or embassy before you book or pay. Disclaimer
Legal for visitors?Yes
Wait / residencyNo residency found; edict in La Gaceta
Government feeNot confirmed
Same-sexNot confirmed
5 of 10 facts read on an official page; 3 not confirmed. Badges show the source level of each fact.
Where couples get confused
Costa Rica's single-status certificate goes stale after a month - order too early and you start over.
The rules
- Legal ceremony for visitorsOfficial ✓
- yesCivil marriage before the Registro Civil or a Costa Rican notary.
- Residency or waiting timeSnippet / semi-official
- No residency requirement found; an edict must be published in La Gaceta first.
- Required documentsOfficial ✓
- Passport/valid ID; birth certificate apostilled; civil-status (single) certificate apostilled and no older than 1 month unless it states its own validity; names/IDs of 2 witnesses; email + phone for notifications.
- Apostille / translationOfficial ✓
- Yes - birth and civil-status certificates apostilled, with official Spanish translation
- Blood or medical testNot confirmed
- Not confirmed, check with the registry or embassyOur unconfirmed note: not listed by TSE
- WitnessesOfficial ✓
- 2 adults
- Who officiatesOfficial ✓
- Registro Civil official or Costa Rican notary
- Same-sex couplesNot confirmed
- Not confirmed, check with the registry or embassyOur unconfirmed note: widely reported legal since 2020; not confirmed on an official page this pass
- Recognized in the US, Canada, UKSnippet / semi-official
- US: generally valid if valid where performed; confirm with your state Attorney General (State Dept). Canada: usually valid if legal where performed, no need to register (travel.gc.ca). UK: no general statement found on gov.uk - unverified.
- Government feeNot confirmed
- Not confirmed, check with the registry or embassyOur unconfirmed note: couple pays the La Gaceta edict cost; notary fees private
⚠ Pitfalls and scams to watch
Single-status certificate expires after 1 month; many US states don't issue one - plan an alternative. Edict in La Gaceta adds time and cost.
Planning a destination wedding? Get free help from a travel agent with a wedding in Costa Rica: venues, group room blocks and guest travel.
Get free help →Our sponsor: an independent Inteletravel travel agent. Not a legal or registry service.
Sources
Quotes copied from official pages on 2026-10-21. Items marked as a snippet were seen in search results because the page blocked our checker.
- documentshttps://www.tse.go.cr/pdf/requisitosytramites/Celebracion-Matrimonio-Civil.pdf
Certificado de estado civil apostillado ... de no señalarse, al momento de presentarse el documento deberá tener una fecha de emisión no mayor a un mes
- edicthttps://www.tse.go.cr/pdf/requisitosytramites/Celebracion-Matrimonio-Civil.pdf
Publicación de un edicto en el Diario Oficial La Gaceta ... (Los solicitantes deberán asumir ... el costo económico de la publicación del edicto)
All sources consulted
- https://www.tse.go.cr/pdf/requisitosytramites/Celebracion-Matrimonio-Civil.pdf
- https://cr.usembassy.gov/services/
- https://travel.state.gov/en/international-travel/living-abroad/marriage.html
- https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/documents/marriage-overseas
Last checked 2026-10-21. Spot something out of date? Email [email protected].
Get rule changes by email
A short email when a destination changes its marriage rules or fees.