Government of Canada services and information in San José, Costa Rica

Refer to International adoption.

In Costa Rica you must deal directly with the Child Welfare Office called “Patronato Nacional de la Infancia (PANI)”

Refer to Children born outside of Canada.

If your child is born outside of Canada, you do not need to register the birth in Canada.

In Costa Rica, all births are registered at the official authority which is Registro Civil.

Refer to Canadian citizenship.

Complete your citizenship application before booking an appointment to present your documents in person. Bring your online payment receipt to your appointment.

Pay your application fees online before you apply for citizenship services.

Refer to Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Criminal record checks.

Refer to Death abroad.

Refer to Marriage outside Canada.

Consular officials do not provide any legal advice or represent a person in court. The office provides the following notarial services, by appointment only, to Canadian citizens and, in limited cases, to non-Canadian citizens if the documents are intended for use in Canada.

Notarial services are not considered primary services and are only provided when the time and resources of the Mission allow it, and are subject to consultation with headquarters. Consular officers may deny notarial services.

You should first seek notarial services from local notary publics or lawyers, as they are legally authorized to perform these tasks in their respective countries.

Note: Documents must be in English or French, or accompanied by an official translation in English or French.

Authentication/Attestation (certify the document signature, the position of an official and the seal are genuine):

• Documents issued in Canada must be authenticated by Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa before the office will certify the documents (fees apply).
• Witness a signature on a Statement in lieu of certificate of non-impediment to marriage abroad form (fees apply).
• Clients requiring information about authenticating documents while outside of Canada, refer to Authentication of documents.

Certified copy (certify the document is a true copy of the original):

• Documents presented by a Canadian citizen or a non-Canadian citizen for use in Canada; exceptions apply (fees apply).
• Government-issued identification requiring a certified true copy (fees apply).

All other notarial services requested will be evaluated case-by-case, to determine if the service can be rendered by the Consular staff.

Note: Complete all documents before booking an appointment. Sign all documents in front of the consular officer.

Refer to Canadian passports and travel documents.

You can pay online for all your passport services before completing your passport application.

Book an appointment to present your documents in person. Bring your online payment receipt to your appointment.

• Report a lost or stolen passport

Refer to Benefits for Canadians living abroad and Retiring abroad.

Same-sex marriage in Costa Rica is currently not authorized by local authorities.

Refer to Studying abroad and EduCanada.

The Embassy does not provide information about immigration or visas to Canada.

• Apply to travel, study, work or immigrate to Canada.
• Find a visa application centre (VAC) to book an appointment to give your biometrics (fingerprints and photo).
• Submit an enquiry using the IRCC web form to contact a visa office.

Permanent residents of Canada: Find out how to apply for a Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD).

Refer to Voting in an election while outside Canada.