Vista Pacifico, Jaco, Costa Rica Wedding information.

Wedding Groups
General Information about getting married in Costa Rica

The hotel has had many wedding groups stay with us. The actual marriage ceremonies were held at Villas Caletas (pictured below to the right), the Marriott at Los Suenos, Pura Vida Gardens (pictured at the bottom) or a local Church. ( Pictured to the left below is a group at the hotel from the UK & Switzerland.)

We have found that often the younger people stay at our moderately priced lodging while the parents and others stay in the fancier, more expensive hotels (some of which are mentioned above). On other occasions the immediate family and close friends have stayed with us while other guests booked elsewhere. Having said this we have also had occasions were all the guests, photographer and wedding party booked with us. Obviously these were small weddings as we can only accommodate a maximum of about 24 people, depending on the bed arrangements. The groups generally have visited from 3 to 5 days. While some members returned home others extended their stay to take in other parts of the country or stayed on with us to discover the many adventures in the Jaco area.

The three wedding groups pictured on this page booked at Hotel Vista Pacifico.

Information for getting married in Costa Rica

The following is a list of requirements prepared a questions, flora civil marriage of non-residents in Costa Rica, for both the bride and groom. They have been prepared them in a question & answer format.

ID required?
Costa Rica requires a valid passport for foreigners who want to marry. For most visitors to Costa Rica Visas are not required.
A Birth Certificate is not required since a sworn statement attesting to your date and place of birth covers that requirement.

Does anything need to be certified by a CR consulate before they arrive?
No certifications or authentications are necessary, since the sworn statement covers items that need to be authenticated or notarized.

Information, sent how far in advance?
Requisite information is best sent to the lawyer as early as possible. If data is complete, accurate and sent along with passport scans, 10 days before the ceremony date is normally sufficient. (for required information, see below)

Witnesses? who can they be?
Two (2) people are required to bear witness. They cannot be family up to the third degree. This means that the mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, uncle, aunt, sister, half sister, brother, half brother, cousin, nephew or niece, of the bride or groom can not be bear witness to the marriage. Best for witnesses to be friends.

How long do they need to be in Costa Rica to get married?
No minimum stay in Costa Rica is required for a valid marriage.

Divorces? How long, original copies of decrees or any copy?
Copies of previous divorces are not required since the sworn statement will attest to when, where and from whom you are divorced. All you need to do is send the date, place, name of court that decreed the divorce, and full name of ex-spouse, so that it can be included it in the sworn statement.

Casual Wedding and Lunch at Pura Vida Gardens

Then how do people get the certificate, how long does it take, what is the legal process in CR and what do they do with it once it reaches them - for non-residents.
The Certificate of Marriage takes about 3 (three) months to process. It is slow due to the sluggishness of the Costa Rican Civil Registry system, which takes roughly 11 (eleven) weeks to register the marriage in its books. This is a requisite for a marriage to be recognized abroad.
A Rush Option is available for an additional fee, making the Certificate available in approximately 10-12 business days. But even going the regular route you know the Certificate of Marriage is on its way.

NO NOTARIZED DOCUMENTS:
You will not need to bring any notarized legal documents since all your data will be included in a sworn statement which you both sign the day of the wedding. This avoids you having to notarize documents at a Costa Rican Consulate, and will save you time and money.

CERTIFICATION OF MARRIAGE:
The procedure for a valid marriage in Costa Rica involves the signing of two documents once the ceremony is concluded. One is a sworn statement attesting principally to your marital status, thus avoiding any further proof. The other is the marriage document itself. After the ceremony, you will not immediately receive a Marriage Certificate because the paperwork must be submitted to the Civil Registry of Costa Rica. The whole processing of documents, which includes translation and authentication by the Consulate of your country of residence, may vary but normally takes 3 months. Once everything is ready, the Marriage Certificate will be sent, along with instructions, to the address you provide to the lawyer. The lawyer or wedding coordinator will keep you updated with progress on the paperwork, via email, so you know exactly when the documentation is sent.

Getting married in Costa Rica is really quite simple but you should consult a Costa Rican lawyer before you make plans and before you and your guests book air flights.

Hotel Vista Pacifico

An Elopement Story
from Hotel Vista Pacifico, Jaco, Costa Rica

A couple from Nova Scotia, Canada booked to stay with us during October and in the weeks leading up to their arrival they decided to secretly get married at our hotel while on their two week Costa Rican Vacation.

When they wrote to ask us for help with wedding arrangements we spoke to our English speaking lawyer Rodolfo who was then put in touch with them directly to discuss their up coming wedding (in Costa Rica, lawyers can perform civil marriage ceremonies). Copies of their documents were sent to the lawyer and the required papers for the wedding were arranged by him in Costa Rica.

The bride and groom brought their special wedding clothes and the rings with them from Canada and we helped them arrange for the champagne, flowers, music and cake for their wedding.

The evening wedding ("boda" in Spanish) was attended by the wedding couple, Evelyn and Rick and as witnesses Jan and Greg (owners of Vista Pacifico Hotel), the lawyer, Rodolfo, and his wife Isabella, as well as our neighbour, "Dona" Cecilia, who is Rodolfo's friend. Given the intimate little group, the ceremony was held in the Hotel's Rancho, lit by candles and decorated with flowers and rose petals. The effect was quite beautiful.

Unlike other weddings, the entire ceremony was conducted with the Bride and Groom and Witnesses seated at tables with classical music playing in the background. Rodolfo gave his best wishes and greetings and after pronouncing the legal part of the ceremony in English. asked Jan and Greg to each read a passage from "The Profit" written by Lebanese writer Kahil Gibran. The bride & groom knew the passage and were very pleased with Rodolfo's choice of reading.

Documents were signed, the rings were exchanged and the lovely couple were married. We toasted with champagne and enjoyed the delicious cake decorated with rose petals.