Apostille for Costa Rica
residency, retirement & more
From our San Jose, California office we notarize and apostille your documents for Costa Rica residency — FBI checks and records, same-day available.
Costa Rica has been part of the Hague Apostille Convention since 2011, so a single California Secretary of State apostille makes your U.S. documents valid there — no Costa Rican consulate legalization. From our San Jose, California office our Spanish-speaking team notarizes and apostilles your birth, marriage, FBI, and power-of-attorney documents; Costa Rica then requires an official Spanish translation (traductor oficial).
Every document Costa Rica asks for
handled in one place
Whatever you’re doing in Costa Rica, the document needs a California apostille first.
Single Status Affidavit
Proof you’re free to marry — for getting married or registering a marriage in Costa Rica.
Single status apostille →Birth Certificate
For Costa Rica residency, citizenship, and children’s records.
Birth certificate apostille →Marriage Certificate
To register or recognize a U.S. marriage with the Costa Rican registry.
Marriage certificate apostille →FBI Background Check
For pensionado, rentista, and residency files (issued within ~90 days). We handle the federal apostille.
FBI apostille for your visa →Power of Attorney
To manage property, a pension, or banking on your behalf in Costa Rica.
Power of attorney apostille →Diploma & Degree
For work permits, employment, and study in Costa Rica.
Diploma apostille →For Costa Rica, you need an apostille
not consulate legalization
Costa Rica has been part of the Hague Apostille Convention since 2011 — which decides your whole process: U.S. documents need one authentication, a California apostille, to be accepted across Costa Rica. No second consulate trip for legalization.
Documents headed to a non-Hague country need a longer consular-legalization chain. Because Costa Rica is a member, an apostille for Costa Rica is faster, cheaper, and final. Costa Rica also requires an official Spanish translation (traductor oficial), which our Spanish-speaking team helps you prepare for.
Not sure which path your country needs? See our guide to apostille vs. legalization.
Costa Rica = apostille. One California Secretary of State apostille (or a federal apostille for your FBI report), plus the official Spanish translation, and your document is ready for residency, a registry, or a court — no consulate step.
Four steps to a document
Costa Rica will accept
Bring or prepare the document
We notarize affidavits and powers of attorney on site, or you bring certified vital records and your FBI report.
Official Spanish translation
Costa Rica requires an official translation by a registered traductor oficial. We apostille your documents and help you get them ready for it.
Apostille it
State documents go through the California Secretary of State; FBI reports get a federal apostille. You handle neither.
Pick up or ship
Collect in San Jose the same day on rush, or we ship it tracked to you or to Costa Rica.
Common reasons you’ll need
a Costa Rica apostille
Residency by marriage
Single-status affidavit, marriage record, and FBI check apostilled for marriage-based residency.
Pensionado residency
FBI background check and birth certificate apostilled for a retiree (pensionado) residency.
Rentista residency
FBI background check and income records apostilled for a rentista (income) residency.
Property, pension & banking
Power of attorney apostilled so someone can sign, sell, or claim a pension for you.
Citizenship & family records
Apostilled U.S. birth and marriage records to register a child or support naturalization.
Working or studying there
Diploma and transcripts apostilled for employers, universities, and degree recognition.
Standard apostille from $85
call or come in for the rest
Every order includes a document reviewed for the receiving office and the California Secretary of State authentication. For priority, rush, same-day, and notarization, call or visit for an exact price — no surprises.
Prefer mail? Order an apostille online and ship your documents to us.
One office for
the whole document
Most services authenticate the paper and stop — you still hunt for a notary, then a translator. We do all three in San Jose — in Spanish — and partner with TruPoint Legal for deeper legal needs.
Notarize, translate & apostille in one place
No running between a notary, a translator, and Sacramento — built right the first time.
Same-day when you can’t wait
Same-day California apostille keeps tight travel and consulate dates on track.
Real Spanish-speaking help
We explain every step in Spanish and apostille your documents, then help you line up the official Spanish translation — our staff speaks English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Bonded California notary in-house
Quinnie Do reviews each document for the receiving office, which means fewer rejections in Costa Rica.
“They apostilled my FBI check and birth certificate for our Costa Rica pensionado residency and explained every step in Spanish. One visit, no consulate, no runaround.”
— Robert & Sandra P., San Jose
Quinnie Do
Bonded & commissioned California Notary Public, IRS Certifying Acceptance Agent, and registered California Immigration Consultant. Quinnie and her trilingual team have handled Bay Area apostilles for marriages, residency, and immigration since 2019.
Apostille for Costa Rica
questions, answered straight
Is Costa Rica part of the Hague Apostille Convention?
Do I need a Costa Rican consulate to legalize my documents?
Do my documents need to be translated into Spanish?
What documents do I need apostilled for Costa Rica residency?
How recent does my FBI background check need to be for Costa Rica?
How fast can I get a Costa Rica apostille?
How much does an apostille for Costa Rica cost?
Get your documents ready
for Costa Rica, from San Jose, CA
Walk into our San Jose, California office to notarize and apostille in one visit, or order online and we’ll ship it back — same-day available.
California Secretary of State apostille service by Fingerscan Digital Inc. · 434 Blossom Hill Rd, San Jose, CA 95123 · (408) 766-3528 · Serving San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Milpitas and the Bay Area. For business and bulk document authentication, visit fingerscan-digital.com. Last updated June 2026.