Costa Rican Citizenship — Born in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Citizenship
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See if you're a match →This citizenship pathway is for people who may already be citizens because they were born in Costa Rica or in another qualifying birth situation connected to Costa Rica. It generally turns on birthplace, birth date, and the parents' citizenship or immigration status at the time.
- Type
- Citizenship by birth
- Who it covers
- People born in Costa Rica or another qualifying birth situation
- Core records
- Birth records plus parents' status at the time
- What to know
- Usually a strong right if the facts and records line up
Summary
Costa Rica follows jus soli — anyone born on Costa Rican soil is a Costa Rican citizen by birth, no matter who their parents are or what immigration status they held at the time. The rule is enshrined in Article 13(1) of the Costa Rican Constitution.
If you were born in Costa Rica and never completed the paperwork to claim your Costa Rican passport, you're still a citizen — you just need to register with the Registro Civil (Civil Registry) to collect the documents.
Eligibility
You already hold Costa Rican citizenship by birth if:
- You were born in Costa Rica, on Costa Rican soil.
- You haven't formally renounced Costa Rican citizenship.
Your parents' nationality, their immigration status at the time of your birth, and where you've lived since don't affect your claim. Dual or multiple citizenship is fully permitted.
What This Route Allows
This route can help confirm or document citizenship in Costa Rica when the citizenship-creating facts named above are proven. For many people in this category, the main work is evidence: civil records, family-link records, prior citizenship records, and any registration or restoration paperwork needed to show the claim.
What This Route Is Not
This is not a shortcut around documentation. Even when the citizenship claim is based on a right, you still need records that prove each required fact and family link.
Next Steps
- Find your Costa Rican birth record. The original is filed at the Civil Registry in San José. Parents of Costa Rican-born children typically receive a Certificación de Nacimiento shortly after birth — that's the document you need. If you don't have it, order a copy from the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (the Registry falls under them) or through a Costa Rican consulate.
- Apply for a cédula. The cédula de identidad is the Costa Rican national ID. It's issued after your birth record is confirmed and identifies you as a citizen for all domestic purposes.
- Apply for a Costa Rican passport. Requires your cédula, a recent photo, and the current passport fee.
- Check on any lingering obligations. Costa Rican citizens who live abroad don't have tax filing obligations in Costa Rica for foreign income — but Costa Rican-born men aged 18–30 are technically on a military reserve list, though mandatory service was abolished in 1948.
Sources
- Constitución Política de Costa Rica, Articles 13–14 — citizenship by birth.
- Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones — Registro Civil — official Civil Registry portal.
- Costa Rica passport information — Ministry of Foreign Affairs consular services.