Costa Rica Marriage Customs

Thinking of getting married in Costa Rica? Before you say your I do’s you might find it worthwhile to consider learning about Costa Rica marriage customs. Getting married is the ultimate dream of couples who want a wedding in a beautiful tropical paradise. Considering all the immaculate sandy beaches, wild tropical jungle with its many waterfalls you could not find a better location to get hitched. Use an inexpensive Costa Rica vacation to visit this beautiful paradise and you will know it is the place to get married.

Considering all the details that need to be care of before the wedding it would be wise to consider the services of a professional wedding coordinator. This will allow you to enjoy your wedding because all the nagging details are being taken care of. All the lodging arrangements for the wedding party and guests will be completed well in advance of the wedding day. According to Cost Rica marriage customs you will need to announce your wedding well in advance. The wedding coordinator will book all the necessary facilities needed for the wedding well in advance to assure the wedding will proceed without problems. Professional wedding coordinators in Costa Rica handle hundreds of weddings each year. They make sure that your wedding memories will last a lifetime.

It is very important for the couple to have their passports, especially on the wedding day. This eliminates whatever setbacks there may be on the wedding day itself. When applying for a marriage license in Costa Rica, there are several documents needed, and this should be accomplished at least a month before the wedding scheduled date. Normally, a Costa Rican I.D card and a certificate of single status are needed. There is no residency requirement but for those who are not Costa Rican citizens, a passport valid for at least six months is required, plus an authenticated copy of birth certificate and police clearance along with the certificate of single status.

In the event however if the bride-to-be has been previously married, a 300-day waiting period is required by law. The bride-to-be has to wait for 300 days after the death of her previous husband, or after the divorce decree has been released. There are also areas in Costa Rica which require pregnancy tests, especially if the bride-to-be has been formerly married. If the woman’s pregnancy test result is negative, then the waiting period is waived.

To do away with parental consent, both the bride and groom have to be at least eighteen years of age. It is one of the Costa Rica marriage customs to make parental consent obligatory if either of the couple is below the compulsory age requirement. There are no proxy marriages allowed in Costa Rica, and same sex marriages are illegal as well.

At least two witnesses are needed during the marriage ceremony to make the union valid. Family members and relatives up to the third degree cannot be counted as witnesses. It is advisable to invite friends along to serve as best man or brides maid and to act as witnesses during the wedding ceremony. A certificate of marriage will be made available to the couple from the Costa Rican governement after about least three months. The certificate will be mailed to you after this processing period. However it is recommended that you have the process expedited by paying an additional fee. This usually means you will have your marriage certificate in hand within 10 days.

Getting married in Costa Rica is really very easy to accomplish. Just follow the simple document rules and Costa Rica Marriage customs and you will have a beautiful wedding in Paradise.