Approved California apostille certificate on a U.S. document bound for Costa Rica
Costa RicaHague Apostille member
Documents for Costa Rica · San Jose, CA · Atendemos en español

Apostille for Costa Rica
family records & residency papers

Sending family records or residency papers to Costa Rica? From our San Jose, California office we notarize and apostille them, with same-day service available.

Is Costa Rica a Hague country? Yes

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).

Book Appointment Call (408) 766-3528
No consulate step In by 10 AM, ready by 6 PM Spanish-speaking staff
1 Step
Apostille, No Consulate
Same-Day
Apostille Available
Spanish-Speaking
Staff On Site
CA Sec. of State
Official Authentication
What you’ll need apostilled

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 →
Apostille vs. legalization

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.

Notarized power of attorney prepared for apostille to manage property or a pension in Costa Rica
The short answer

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.

How it works

Four steps to a document
Costa Rica will accept

1

Bring or prepare the document

We notarize affidavits and powers of attorney on site, or you bring certified vital records and your FBI report.

2

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.

3

Apostille it

State documents go through the California Secretary of State; FBI reports get a federal apostille. You handle neither.

4

Pick up or ship

Collect in San Jose the same day on rush, or we ship it tracked to you or to Costa Rica.

On a deadline for Costa Rica?

Walk in today, leave with
an apostilled, translated document

Same-day California apostille, plus help with the official Spanish translation. Call or book and we’ll tell you what to bring.

Book Appointment Call (408) 766-3528
Why people need it

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.

Simple pricing

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.

$85Standard, starting
Book Appointment Call (408) 766-3528

Prefer mail? Order an apostille online and ship your documents to us.

Why choose 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.

Multilingual staff greeting a customer at the San Jose apostille, notary, and translation office

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, Vietnamese, Cantonese, and Spanish.

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, owner of Fingerscan Digital and bonded California notary in San Jose
Prepared by

Quinnie Do

Owner, Fingerscan Digital Inc.

Bonded & commissioned California Notary Public, IRS Certifying Acceptance Agent, and registered California Immigration Consultant. Quinnie and her multilingual team have handled Bay Area apostilles for marriages, residency, and immigration since 2020.

Related services

Single Status Affidavit Apostille → FBI Apostille for Costa Rica (Residency) → Order an Apostille by Mail → All Apostille Services →
Common questions

Apostille for Costa Rica
questions, answered straight

Is Costa Rica part of the Hague Apostille Convention?
Yes. Costa Rica has been a member since 2011, so U.S. documents only need a single apostille from the California Secretary of State to be accepted there. You do not need a separate legalization from a Costa Rican consulate or embassy.
Do I need a Costa Rican consulate to legalize my documents?
No. Because Costa Rica accepts apostilles, the California apostille is the final step — there’s no consulate legalization. That’s faster and cheaper than the chain non-Hague countries require.
Do my documents need to be translated into Spanish?
Yes. Costa Rica requires an official Spanish translation by a registered traductor oficial. We apostille your documents at our San Jose, California office and our Spanish-speaking team helps you get them ready for that translation.
What documents do I need apostilled for Costa Rica residency?
For pensionado, rentista, or marriage-based residency you typically apostille your FBI background check, birth certificate, and marriage certificate, each with an official Spanish translation. Confirm your category, then bring the documents to us.
How recent does my FBI background check need to be for Costa Rica?
Costa Rican immigration commonly wants the FBI background check issued within about 90 days. We can obtain and apostille a fresh report so it is still valid when you file — see our FBI apostille for Costa Rica page.
How fast can I get a Costa Rica apostille?
Standard runs about 30 days, with priority, rush, and same-day options for tighter deadlines. On same-day service you can walk in and leave with the finished, translated document the same day.
How much does an apostille for Costa Rica cost?
Standard is $85 (about 30 days), Priority $200 (about 2 weeks), Rush $350 (3 to 5 business days) and Same-Day $450 when you drop off by 10 AM. Extras, such as notarization, are quoted when you call or come in — so you get an exact price for your documents, with no surprises. The seal is identical at every speed, so if your date is months out, take the standard tier and keep the money.
My documents keep expiring before I file. How do I stop that?
This is the single most common problem with Costa Rican residency files. Several documents are treated as valid only for a limited window from their issue date, and slow processing eats that window — so people order records early, wait on an apostille, and find the record has aged out before the file is complete. The fix is sequencing: order the records last, not first, and apostille on a tier that matches your filing date rather than the cheapest one.
Can you apostille my Costa Rican birth certificate?
No. A California apostille only goes on a document issued by a California authority. A record issued in Costa Rica is authenticated there under their own process. What we seal are your U.S. records — a California birth or marriage certificate, an FBI background check, a notarized affidavit.
Do I need a state apostille or a federal one?
It depends on the issuer. California vital records, diplomas and notarized affidavits go the state route. An FBI Identity History Summary is federal and authenticated in Washington, D.C. instead — different office, different timeline. Sending one down the other route gets it returned unprocessed.
Does the translation have to be done in Costa Rica?
Often yes — many Costa Rican offices require a traductor oficial registered there. Ask the office handling your file before paying for a translation here. Where one is prepared in the U.S., the order still matters: apostille first, translate second, because a translation attached beforehand is not covered by the seal.
I am applying as a pensionado. What actually needs sealing?
Typically your birth certificate, an FBI background check, and proof of the pension income, with a marriage certificate if a spouse is included. Requirements vary by consulate and change, so get the current checklist from the office handling your case and bring it in — we will tell you which items are ours and which are not.
My spouse and children are applying with me.
Each person generally needs their own records apostilled, plus the marriage and birth certificates that connect you. We handle the family packet in one visit so everything carries the same date and nothing ages out while waiting on the rest.
Something came back on my FBI report. Can you still apostille it?
Yes. The apostille authenticates the document, not its contents, and we do not assess what it says. What Costa Rican immigration does with the information is their decision — and if it concerns you, one worth discussing with an immigration attorney before filing.
Can I mail my documents in?
Yes. Send the certified originals to our San Jose office and we return the sealed documents. Same-day is the exception, since it depends on the document physically reaching us by 10 AM.
What usually gets a Costa Rica document refused?
An expired underlying record, a photocopy where a certified copy was required, a translation attached before the seal, or a federal document sent to the state office. The expiry one catches more people than the rest combined.
Ready when you are

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.

Book Appointment Call (408) 766-3528

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.

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Document guides

Which document are you authenticating?

Requirements differ by document type. Each guide covers what counts as a certified copy, whether notarization is needed first, and how long the California route takes.