The identity card constitutes the unique document of citizen identification, which is essential to carry out any legal or administrative procedure by Costa Ricans over eighteen years of age, which is issued by the Civil Registry of the Supreme Court of Elections of Costa Rica.

The identity of whoever requests a card for the first time must be corroborated by their parents, grandparents, siblings or by two witnesses, identified with their identity card.

Requirements:

Original birth certificate with no more than three months of issue or, it can be purchased from the following website: https://www.tse.go.cr/certificaciondigital.html or valid Minors Identity Card (TIM) with a maximum of 6 months past due, in good condition and legible photocopy of the same, in the case of over 12 years.
Appear with a witness if it is one of the parents, siblings or grandparents or 2 Costa Rican witnesses who know you and attest to your identity.
Original and photocopy on both sides of the identity cards of the Costa Rican witnesses.
Two current passport size 4.5 X 4 cm photographs with a light gray background.
Original and photocopy of the biographical data sheet of the applicant's passport, if he/she had one.
If the manager is a person over 21 years of age, it is convenient that in the
To the extent possible, those who sign as witnesses at the time of processing the
management, whether they are direct relatives (father, mother, brother and/or grandfather), not
However, if you provide two witnesses, the process is received normally. These
negotiations must be the object of a careful study so that it can be
Request a statement from the applicant, which must be ratified by
the person who signed as a witness.

Requirements:

• Two current passport size 4.5 X 4 cm photographs with a light gray background.
• Original and photocopy on both sides of the previous identity card.
• Birth certificate issued by the Civil Registry of Costa Rica if the applicant does not carry their previous identity card or it is expired.
• If the identity card expired in 1995 or before, it is necessary to go to the Consulate with two Costa Rican witnesses, preferably relatives (parents, siblings or grandparents) who must carry their current identity card (and a photocopy of it on both sides) and present a sworn statement signed before the competent consular official, ratifying the identity of the person requesting the renewal of their ID. In this case, the interested party must also submit a sworn statement indicating the reasons why they did not renew their document at the time of its expiration and provide, if they had them, the original and a photocopy of other identifications that confirm their identity.

Procedure: Free procedure. The original documents are sent to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal of Costa Rica once a month, the user can assume the payment of a courier service to send them to Costa Rica or from Costa Rica to London if they urgently need their ID.
Once the card is in the custody of the Consulate, its owner will be notified so that he can proceed to pick it up personally, presenting his expired card.

IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO MAIL THEM TO YOUR HOME.

Remember that under Decree No. 3-2020: identity cards with expiration after February 4, 2020 are considered valid until February 6, 2022.

For passport renewal or first-time passport procedures, please request the requirements by emailing us on [email protected]

Any minor, Costa Rican or foreigner with legal residence in Costa Rica, needs authorization from their parents or legal representatives in order to leave Costa Rican territory. The exit permit for minors can be managed by one or both parents or the legal representative of the minor, at the Costa Rican Consulate in the country in which they are or reside.

Procedure: This procedure is free, by appointment, providing the requirements indicated below. Once compliance with these requirements has been verified, the documentation is sent by email to the Department of Exit Permits for Minors of the General Directorate of Immigration and Immigration (DGME), so that the request is processed, the process is completed and the temporary exit permit is authorised.

Requirements:

• Application form for temporary permission to leave the country for a minor, duly signed by the parents or legal representative. This form is filled out directly at the Consulate.
• Original birth certificate issued less than a year ago or a current Minor Identity Card (TIM), in good condition, and a legible photocopy of the same, in the case of children over 12 years of age.
• Original and photocopy on both sides of the identity card of the parents, if they are Costa Rican; of the residence card or passport, in the latter case if they are foreigners without residence in the country in which they manage the modification. All identity documents presented must be valid and in good condition.
• Two photographs of the minor, passport size.
• Photocopy of the biographical page of the passport of the minor for whom the permit is processed.
• Photocopy of the identity card or passport of the person (relative or third party) with whom the parents authorise their son or daughter to travel.
•  In the case of a judicially declared legal guardian, they must present a literal birth certificate issued by the Civil Registry in which the registration of the guardianship is recorded.
• Once the documentation has been presented at the Consulate, it will be sent immediately to the Departures of Minors section of the Immigration Office where the information will be entered into the system, with which the minor will no longer have any problem leaving Costa Rica.
• The minor's temporary exit permit will be valid for 30 days from the moment that Migration receives the documentation.
• If one of the parents is in Costa Rica, they must go to the General Directorate of Immigration and Immigration in La Uruca, in the Minors Exit Section to carry out the respective procedure.

The declaration of birth is the procedure by which the birth abroad of sons and daughters of Costa Rican citizens is registered in the Costa Rican Civil Registry.

Procedure: The declaration of birth of Costa Ricans abroad is a free procedure that must be managed by the Costa Rican parent(s) of the minor or of legal age but under twenty-five (25) years of age, born abroad.

Requirements:

•  Original birth certificate of the person to be registered, duly apostilled.
• Official translation of the birth certificate into Spanish.
• Apostilles of birth certificates and translations, if they are British documents, can be requested from the following site https://www.gov.uk/get-document-legalised
• Original and photocopy of the identity card of both parents.
• If the interested party is of legal age, he or she must appear together with her parents to carry out the procedure, ratifying her will to request the registration of her birth.

Birth registration must be done before the age of 25. After this, they lose the option to register their son or daughter as a Costa Rican and must first apply for a residency and then naturalize.

If you got married outside of Costa Rica and need to register it with the Civil Registry, you can do so at the Consulate. You must make an appointment at the Consulate by email to [email protected] and you must provide the following documents:

• Certification of Marriage with
• Official Translation (in case the original document is not in Spanish)
• The document with official translation must be apostilled
• You must provide your identity card up to date and in the event that one of the spouses is not Costa Rican, you must provide a valid identity document.
• The spouses must complete the marriage registration form at the Consulate.

This procedure is free.

If you require a criminal record certificate from Costa Rica, you can request at the Consulate that a certificate of yours be provided to a person of your choice in Costa Rica. The interested party must request the document and must authorize a person in Costa Rica to retrieve said document.

There are two methods for making a criminal record request:

Personal Request
If you reside in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and need to obtain your Criminal Record Certificate, you can do so in person by requesting an appointment at the Consulate by emailing [email protected] for this purpose.

To your appointment you must bring:

• You must bring the completed criminal record request form (Download the form here)
• Your identity card, if you are Costa Rican. If you are of another nationality, you must bring all your passports that were valid at the time of your visit to Costa Rica and your current identity document.
• Copy of identification (identity card or passport) and telephone number of the person in Costa Rica who is expressly being authorized to withdraw the criminal record certificate.

The certificate can only be delivered to the authorized person in the Judicial Registry.

This procedure is free.

Request by Mail

You must send us the following documents by post to the embassy address:

• Completed criminal record request form (Download the form here)
• Your signature on the form must be legalised by a notary public.
• If you are not in the United Kingdom, said form, legalised by a notary public, must also be apostilled.
• If the form or legalization is in a language other than English or Spanish, it must include an official translation and an apostille of the official translation.
• Color photocopy of your identity card, if you are Costa Rican. If you are of another nationality, you must send a color photocopy of your passports that were valid at the time of your visit to Costa Rica and your current identity document.
• Copy of identification (identity card or passport) and telephone number of the person in Costa Rica who is expressly being authorized to withdraw the criminal record certificate in Costa Rica.

You must start by sending to the email: [email protected]

1. Draft of the deed prepared by a Costa Rican public notary in editable Word format or a simple copy of the document in the case of signature authentications.

2. Copy of the identity card of Costa Ricans or passports of foreigners involved in the legal business.

3. If appearing on behalf of a commercial company or legal person, a certificate of legal status must be provided that attests to the capacity of representation.

The consular notary will carry out a preliminary analysis of the documentation and notarial act required and, if necessary, will prevent the provision of any other document or, otherwise, will send a final version for the express approval of the person(s) appearing.
If the user is satisfied with the final content, he will be told how much he must pay for the service.

For protocol acts $100.00
For extraprotocol acts $50.00

Take into consideration that the same deed may contain more than one act, so the final amount to be deposited will be indicated by the consular notary and no amount should be deposited prior to the instruction.

Duration of the process: It can last about an hour.

Once the testimony of the deed or the reason for authentication has been granted, it must be taken to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Costa Rica to legalize the signature of the consular notary, and if it is an act that can be registered at that time, the security ticket will be attached to it.