Published on Wednesday, July 15, 2026
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Beginning in August 2026, Costa Rica's Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) will launch a new Online Marriage Registration platform that will become mandatory for attorneys registering marriages in the country.

According to the TSE, the new platform will replace the digital marriage registration system that has been in use since 2011.

Under the new system, marriages will be legally registered immediately in the TSE database, provided both spouses are Costa Rican citizens by birth and meet all legal requirements to marry.

Once a marriage is registered, the record will be available through the TSE's institutional database, where it may be accessed by third parties. Couples will also be able to request an updated civil status certificate reflecting their newly registered marriage.

Marriage requirements and procedures remain the same for all couples. Both Costa Rican citizens and foreign nationals may legally marry in the country, and there is no residency requirement for non-citizens.

The same requirements apply to same-sex couples. Costa Rica legalized same-sex marriage in 2020, becoming the first country in Central America and the sixth in Latin America to recognize marriage equality.

When one or both spouses are foreign nationals or naturalized Costa Rican citizens, the new online system will allow the required declaration to be submitted electronically. 

However, the case file must still be reviewed by officials in the TSE Registration Section, as required under current regulations whenever at least one of the parties is a foreign national.

The marriage registration platform will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and attorneys will be able to access it through the TSE website.

Attorneys responsible for registering marriages must first obtain authorization to use the platform. They must also be legally licensed and registered with the Costa Rican Bar Association, as required by law to practice in the country.

According to the TSE, the upgraded online marriage registration and legalization system is intended to simplify the process and reduce processing times.

The new platform is also designed to prevent illegal marriages from being registered and to reduce transcription errors in marriage records.

Costa Rica prohibits child marriage under the Law to Eradicate Child Marriage (Law No. 9406), which established 18 as the minimum legal age for marriage and eliminated all exceptions that previously allowed marriages involving minors.


Anyone who marries in Costa Rica is eligible to use the new online marriage registration system. The registration service is provided free of charge, both for the couple and for the attorney registering the marriage.


Costa Rica's electoral system is administered by the independent Supreme Electoral Tribunal, which is composed of three principal magistrates and six alternate magistrates appointed by the Supreme Court of Justice.

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What advances have been made in online marriage registration in your country? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com