| Getting married in Costa Rica is really quite simple.
All you have to do is complete the required paperwork and
have the appropriate documents such as a passport, divorce
papers (if you were previously married), birth certificate
and any other pertinent information. We suggest consulting
your lawyer if you are marrying in Costa Rica to find out
exactly what documents are needed and what procedures to follow.
Lawyers can marry people in Costa Rica much like a justice
of the peace in the United States. This type of marriage is
called por civil and is usually quicker than a traditional
church wedding or por la iglesia. In Costa Rica, people
get married either way.
If you choose to have a lawyer marry you, you will need to
have two witnesses for the ceremony. Your lawyer will be able
to round up a couple of people if you can't find anyone. For
additional information about getting married in Costa Rica,
go to
http://www.costarica.com/ embassy/marriage.
If you are interested in obtaining a fianceé visa,
you should be aware of the following process. Marrying a foreign
national is a completely different experience than marrying
a resident of the United States. In this country, you go down
to the license bureau, apply for a marriage license and then
tie the knot. When joining your life with an alien spouse,
marriage alone does not necessarily allow the married couple
to be together in the country. The U. S. government must be
petitioned to permit your spouse to live with you in the United
States.
When a foreign marriage occurs, the American spouse must
file a Petition for Alien Relative and endure many months
or even years of separation from his or her new spouse while
the petition is approved and finally processed at the foreign
consulate abroad.
A citizen of the United States has an additional option available:
the fiancée visa. A U.S. citizen can petition for a
visa for his or her alien fiancée to allow him or her
admission the United States for a period of 90 days, to allow
them to prepare for their marriage and life together. The
fiancé process can be completed in a much shorter time
period than a spousal petition.
Upon entry into the United States, the fiancé(e) is
only permitted to remain for a period of 90 days. There are
no extensions allowed. During the admission to the United
States, the fiancé(e) will receive employment authorization
from INS.
The petitioner and beneficiary must marry within the 90-day
window or the beneficiary must leave the United States. If
marriage to the petitioner occurs, the married couple will
then apply for adjustment of status to lawful permanent resident
at the INS district office in their area. If the marriage
does not occur and the fiance(é) returns to his or
her home country within the 90-day period, then the U.S. citizen
retains his or her eligibility to pursue options with other
potential spouses in the future.
This is intended to provide general information on the visa
process. There are many other factors in this complex and
ever-changing area of the law. I divorced here several years
ago, but as far as I know nothing has changed.
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