Costa Rica Civil Registration

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Introduction
Civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths began in 1888.

Births (nacimientos)

 * Costa Rica Civil Registration 1860-1975 (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Marriages (matrimonios, casamientos)

 * Costa Rica Marriages 1785-1910 (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Costa Rica Civil Registration 1860-1975 (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Deaths (defunciones)

 * Costa Rica Civil Registration 1860-1975 (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Costa Rica Deaths 1787-1900 (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Search Strategies
To effectively use civil records, follow these steps:


 * 1) Search for the relative or ancestor you have selected. When you find the person’s birth record, search for the births of his or her brothers and sisters.
 * 2) Search for the marriage of his or her parents. The marriage record will often give you information that leads to the parents’ birth record.
 * 3) Estimate the parents’ age and search for their birth records.
 * 4) Repeat the process for both the father and mother.
 * 5) If earlier generations are not in the record, search neighboring municipios.
 * 6) Search the death records for all family members.

Searching Births, Marriages and Deaths in the Costa Rica Civil Registry

 * 1) Access Civil Registry section of the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones de Costa Rica http://www.tse.go.cr/consulta_persona/menu.htm
 * 2) To find information on individuals, select "consulta por nombre y apellidos" http://www.tse.go.cr/consulta_persona/consulta_nombres.aspx
 * 3) Enter the first name and maiden name of the person being searched.
 * 4) In the results window, select the person from the list and click "Realizar Consulta" near the bottom of the list.
 * 5) The profile for the individual is displayed showing birth date, names of parents and death date, if applicable. Click on any links to get additional details.
 * 6) To find marriages or death records, repeat steps 2 to 4, selecting "consulta de matrimonios" or "consulta de defunciones"
 * 7) The profiles for the married couple or the deceased person is displayed, showing marriage or death dates and names of parents.

Websites

 * 1) Costa Rica Index of Marriages and Deaths from the late 1800s to 1900s. www.tse.go.cr/consulta_persona/menu.htm To search the website, follow these steps.


 * 1) Click on the option Consulta por nombre y apellidos.
 * 2) Enter the first name in the Nombre field.
 * 3) Enter the paternal surname in the 1er Apellido field.
 * 4) If known, enter the maternal surname in the 2do Apellido field.
 * 5) You can limit the date range searched by entering dates in the fields Desde (from) and hasta (until)
 * 6) You will now need to enter the letters you see in the captcha image in the box just below it.
 * 7) Click on Consultar.
 * 8) If you were any matching results, you should now see a list. In the small check box to the left of the name, check all the entries you would like to view then click on Realizar Consulta.
 * 9) You will now see your first result. To view subsequent results click on the word Siguiente located below the words DETALLE DEL NACIMIENTO PARA ESTA PERSONA