Legal Services
1. Authentication process
CONVENTION FOR THE ELIMINATION OF THE LEGALIZATION REQUISITE FOR FOREIGN PUBLIC DOCUMENTS (“CONVENTION OF THE APOSTILLE”)
In March of 2011, Costa Rica joined The Hague Convention on the Apostille, through which is recognized by the effectiveness of a public document issued in any signatory country to the convention.
Starting December 14 of 2011, the Convention will come into force between Costa Rica and the United States.
This means that the documents issued in the United States with the Apostille will be recognized in Costa Rica, without the need to come to our consulates or the Foreign Ministry in San Jose.
The established process of the Convention consists on placing on the public document itself an Apostille that certifies the authenticity of the document’s signature issued in the United States. The Apostille can be obtained in the Secretary of State from the state where the document was issued. For more information from the different Secretaries of State, please visit this website.
2. Authentication of Diplomas and Certificates
If you have studied in the United States of America and require that your documents be recognized by the Costa Rican academic authorities or by a university, school or other institution in Costa Rica, your diplomas and certificates of grades should be authenticated by the Secretary of State.
3. Power of Attorney
There are two different types of procedures, depending on the content of the power of attorney: Authentication of an existent power of attorney or signing a new power of attorney in the Consul's Log Book. Please contact your attorney in Costa Rica to help you understand which is the applicable procedure in your case.
About the Consul's Log Book:
1) FOR CORPORATIONS:
In order to request a power of attorney, the institution granting it should provide the following documents:
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Send a draft written by a lawyer in Costa Rica, specifying the content of the power of attorney. Send this information via e-mail to the Consulate of your jurisdiction. Please note that Honorary Consuls cannot sign this kind of power of attorney, so please contact an Official Consulate.
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Certificate of Good Standing
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A valid passport from the person signing the power of attorney.
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A notarial certification stating that: a) The person who will sign the power of attorney is acting on his/her capacity of (President, Vice-president, Secretary, etc) of the entity (Company name), a corporation organized and existing under the laws of (State), USA. b) That the entity (Company name), a corporation organized and existing under the laws of (State), USA, located at _________, is duly organized, has present legal existence and that the purposes for which the power of attorney is granted are within the scope of its corporate purposes. c) That the person who is signing, has in fact the referred authority and that his/her representation is legal. This notarial certification should follow the authentication process.
5. A photocopy of the document of identity of the person who receives the power in Costa Rica (if he/she is Costa Rican, then present a photocopy of his/her cédula de identidad).
Once you have these documents, please contact the Consulate of your jurisdiction for an appointment. Once you are granted the power of attorney, it should be taken to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Costa Rica to authenticate the signature of the Consul. Depending on the type of power, it may need to be taken to the National Registry.
2) FOR INDIVIDUALS:
In order to request a power of attorney, the person who grants the power must be present in the Consulate and bring the following documents:
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Send a draft written by a lawyer in Costa Rica, specifying the content of the power of attorney. Send this information via e-mail to the Consulate of your jurisdiction. Please note that Honorary Consuls cannot sign this kind of power of attorney, so please contact an Official Consulate.
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Once you have these documents, you should contact the Consulate of your jurisdiction for an appointment and provide the following documents:
If you are Costa Rican, you must present the original and photocopy of your valid I.D. card (cédula). If you are a foreigner, you must present your own valid passport.
A photocopy of the document of identity of the person who receives the power in Costa Rica (if he/she is Costa Rican, then present a photocopy of his/her cédula de identidad)
3. Once in the Consulate, you should indicate to us the following information of yourself and the person who receives the power.
- Complete name
- I.D. number
- Occupation
- Marital status (if you were married or divorced, how many times)
- Exact address
4. If the power is meant to authorize the sale of a property, you should also present the original and photocopies of the property deed.
Time: the proceeding may last up to one hour.
Once you are granted the power, it should be taken to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Costa Rica to authenticate the signature of the Consul. Depending on the type of power, it may need to be taken to the National Registry.
4. Shipment of human remains to Costa Rica
The following documents must by presented by the Funeral Home to the Secretary of State for authentication:
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Original Death Certificate.
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Letter of No Contagious Disease from the Health Department (no applicable to cremated remains).
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Embalmer's Report or cremation certificate.
Important:
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The person responsible for bringing into the country the human remains must present a copy of the decease’s passport or identity card.
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It is recommended to have a copy of the Costa Rican Id or passport from the person who is bringing the human remains, as well a letter indicating his contact information.
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It is advisable to have a letter from the funeral home letterheaded stating: that only human remains are inside the casket; the flight itinerary; consignee’s name, address, and telephone number.
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The ashes should preferably be transported in a hermetically sealed cup with the name of the deceased, date of birth and death. It is recommended to have a letter from the funeral home letterheaded stating that the urn/container contains only cremated remains of the individual, and it´s approved for local and international flights.
5. Marriage Requirement for Foreigners
Civil and/or religious wedding:
The documents required to get married in Costa Rica are the following:
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Original birth certificate
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Affidavit of single status (if applicable)
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Valid passport
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Divorce decree (if applicable)
These documents need to follow the authentication procedure before being taken to Costa Rica. We recommend to contact a lawyer or judge if it is a civil marriage, and to contact a priest if it is a religious wedding. Registration is not required therefore it is not necessary to do it in the Consul’s notary book. The party interested can bring the power of attorney in printed form and subsequently sign it before the Consul, who will validate your signature accordingly.
Before scheduling an appointment for this signature, a copy of the said document must be sent via electronic email to the Costa Rican Consulate of the party’s jurisdiction, this is done so as to verify that the use of the notary registry is indeed not required. Consulate of your jurisdiction.
6. Application for Certificate of Delinquency
If you reside outside of Costa Rica and need to get your Certificate of Delinquency, you need to make a specific request to the Consulate of your jurisdiction.
The application letter should be sent to the Consulate and must state:
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Full name of the person requiring the certificate.
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Number of identity card (cédula de identidad) or passport.
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Date of birth.
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Full names of both parents.
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Full name, identity card (cédula de identidad) number and telephone number of the person in Costa Rica who is authorized to pick up the certificate of delinquency.
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Photocopy of both sides of your valid identity card (cédula de identidad) or photocopy of the first two pages of the passport.