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Guidance

Costa Rica: Knowledge Base profile

Updated 1 May 2026

© Crown copyright 2026

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/costa-rica-knowledge-base-profile/costa-rica-knowledge-base-profile

Version 3.0

About: Costa Rica

This document contains useful information about Costa Rica which will assist His Majesty’s Passport Office staff process passport applications.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the document and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the document has factual errors then email the Guidance team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this document (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the document then you can email the Guidance team.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

  • version 3.0
  • published for Home Office staff on 27 April 2026

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated in the section Costa Rica names to tell examiners that Costa Rica nationals can change their family name.

Costa Rica: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Costa Rica.

Names in Costa Rica consist of:

  • no more than 2 given names
  • a family surname, consisting of the father’s and mother’s first surnames

When children are registered their parents can decide the order of their surnames.

The family surname given at registration will be used in all official documents.

Name alignment

HM Passport Office will add an observation to the British passport referencing the name shown in the foreign passport if:

  • the customer is unable to align their Costa Rica passport; and,
  • no exceptions apply, as shown in the guidance, Names: aligning names on foreign documents

Change of name

Name changes are legal in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica nationals can submit a request to change their family surname through the civil court.

Costa Rica: legitimacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy in Costa Rica.

Legitimacy

Costa Rica does not recognise a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births. This means that all births are considered legitimate whether the parents are married or not.  

Costa Rica: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Costa Rica.

Adoption is legal in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica: gender recognition

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about gender recognition in Costa Rica.

Transgender citizens are recognised in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica: civil partnerships and marriage

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about civil partnerships and marriage in Costa Rica.

Civil partnerships and same sex marriages are legal in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents in Costa Rica.

Birth certificates

All births in Costa Rica must be registered within 30 days of the birth with the Civil Registry. A birth certificate is issued when the birth is registered.

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