Getting Married in Costa Rica: Legal Requirements Made Simple (2027 Guide)
Here is some good news that surprises most couples. Costa Rica is one of the easiest countries in the world for foreigners to legally marry. No residency requirement, no waiting period, no blood tests.
After photographing hundreds of international weddings here, we have watched this process from the front row. Here is what you actually need to know.
The Short Version
A Costa Rican lawyer or notary performs and registers your marriage. You need your passports, a few basic details, and two witnesses who are not family. That is essentially it. Your marriage is then registered with Costa Rica's Civil Registry and is fully valid in the United States, Canada and Europe once you receive the certified and apostilled documents.
What You Will Need
Valid passports for both of you
Copies of your passport photo pages
Basic personal information: full names, professions, addresses, and your parents' names
If previously married: divorce decree or death certificate of the former spouse
Two witnesses over 18 who are not immediate family, with their passports
Your wedding planner or officiant usually collects all of this by email weeks before you fly. Most couples spend less than an hour total on paperwork.
Timeline and Costs
The legal ceremony itself typically costs between $500 and $900, which includes the notary's services and registration. After the wedding, your marriage certificate takes several weeks to be issued, translated and apostilled, then mailed to your home country.
Plan for 2 to 3 months between your wedding day and having the final documents in hand.
Legal Ceremony or Symbolic Ceremony?
Here is something worth knowing. Many of our couples choose to handle the legal paperwork at their local courthouse at home, quietly, before or after the trip. Then their Costa Rica ceremony is symbolic, which means total freedom. Any officiant, any words, any location, no documents.
Nobody watching a symbolic ceremony can tell the difference. The tears are the same. The vows are the same. And in our photographs, the moment your eyes meet at the end of that beach aisle looks exactly as real as it feels.
There is no wrong choice. Legal in Costa Rica is genuinely easy. Symbolic is genuinely free. It only depends on what feels right for you two.
One Last Thing
Whatever you choose, the paperwork is the smallest part of your day. What remains after the documents are filed and the sand is shaken out of the suitcases are the images. That is where we come in.
If you are planning your Costa Rica wedding and want a photography team that knows this country by heart, tell us your story. We would love to be there.
