Costa Rica Civil Registration

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

Births (nacimientos)

 * 1823-1975: at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 2011-2015: Costa Rica, Birth Index, 2011-2015 at MyHeritage ($), index

Marriages (matrimonios, casamientos)

 * 1750-1920: at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1823-1975: at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Deaths (defunciones)

 * 1787-1900: at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1823-1975: at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Online Records

 * 1823-1975: at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

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.

Costa Rica Index of Births, Marriages and Deaths from the late 1800s to 2000s. http://servicioselectorales.tse.go.cr/chc/ 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) Click on Consultar.
 * 7) If there are 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.
 * 8) 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

On the detailed results page for each person you can do the following:


 * By clicking on Hijos Registrados you can see if there are children registered to the principal person in the record you are viewing.
 * By clicking on Matrimonios Registrados you can see if there are any marriages registered to the principal person in the record you are viewing. Some marriages recorded before 1960 are not available for viewing online. The search for marital status is only valid for persons born after 1950.
 * By clicking on Lugar de Votación you can see the voting place of the principal person in the record you are viewing.

Other searches
Consulta de matrimonios and Consulta de defunciones do not provide complete details of the event. You will have to follow the instructions indicated in order to receive a copy of the certificate. These are in Spanish. Use Google Translate or have your browser translate the page if you do not understand Spanish.