If you and the love of your life choose to get married abroad, you will find that your wedding becomes much more than simply a one day event. Most couples that choose to marry abroad enjoy their wedding celebration over a number of days.

Costa Rica, with its stunning beauty, is an ideal setting for two people to exchange their vows. It is important to keep in mind many details when planning your wedding including the required paperwork if you marry abroad. Avoid headaches and begin the paperwork process ahead of time because it can be time consuming. Contact the Costa Rican Embassy and inquire about their up to date foreign wedding policies.

In general, marriages between U.S. citizens which are legally performed and valid abroad are also legally valid in the United States. The law in Costa Rica permits US citizens to get married. A lawyer can perform the legal ceremony while two witnesses are required. Required documents include:
? A valid passport
? A certified copy of your birth certificate
? If you have been married before: A certified copy of the divorce decree or a certified copy of your previous spouse's death certificate
? If you have been married before, you must come to the Embassy's Consular Section and make a sworn statement to that effect before a Consular Officer. For the woman, 300 days must have transpired from the official date of divorce. Former partner's name is required.

Other information that will be required of both groom and bride:
1. Name
2. Profession
3. Passport number
4. USA address
5. Birth date
6. Nationality
7. Father's full name
8. Mother's full name
9. Parents address
10. Marital status (specific, i.e. divorced one time)

The marriage cannot be recognized in the US until a marriage certificate is issued by the Costa Rican Civil Registry (Registro Civil). The issuance of the marriage certificate normally takes 4-6 weeks.

In order for the marriage to be recognized in the US you must do the following:
? The Costa Rican marriage certificate must be translated into English by any official translator of the Ministry of Foreign Relations.
? It has to be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Relations.
? The certificate must be notarized and signed by the US Embassy's Consular Section.

If you and your loved one start the paperwork well in advance, there should be no complications that arise. The decision to get married abroad in Costa Rica invites the spirit of adventure into your wedding and marriage. It is unlikely that friends and family will fret at the thought of traveling to Costa Rica for the festivities. Love is grand and a wedding in Costa Rica reflects that grandeur.

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