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Certified Costa Rican Name Change Document Translation
Certified translation of the documents that record a change of name in Costa Rica, including the marginal annotations and registry endorsements that carry the legal effect and that a reader unfamiliar with the system will otherwise skip.
$24.95/page
Flat rate per page, up to 250 words. No hidden fees.
100% USCIS acceptance
Every certified translation is guaranteed to be accepted by USCIS.
24-hour delivery
Most 1-3 page documents are delivered within 24 hours. Same-day available.
The electoral tribunal keeps the registry
Costa Rica's civil registry sits inside the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones, the electoral tribunal, which also issues the identity card. A foreign reader expecting a ministry finds an electoral body, and that is the correct issuer.
A change of name is obtained judicially in the ordinary case, and the TSE records it against the birth entry. A certification issued afterwards carries the annotation.
The cédula number stays
The cédula de identidad number is nine digits written as province, tomo and asiento, and it is assigned at birth registration and does not change with a name. It is the reliable identifier across a Costa Rican packet.
Foreign residents carry a DIMEX number instead, in a different format, and the two are frequently confused. We reproduce each as labelled.
The administrative route for gender identity
Since 2018, following an Inter-American Court advisory opinion, Costa Rica has allowed an administrative change of name before the TSE in connection with gender identity, without a judicial process.
The resulting certification is worded to that basis, and we translate the entry as written rather than assimilating it to the general judicial route.
Two surnames, and the accents
Costa Ricans carry paternal then maternal surnames, and a US form indexing the last word indexes the mother's name. We keep both and make the order explicit.
Accents are dropped and restored inconsistently across documents, so Jiménez and Jimenez are one name. We reproduce the Spanish and say so. See our Spanish page.
Ordering, and what the certification covers
Upload the document, choose certified translation at $24.95 per page of up to 250 words, and it comes back typically within 24 hours as a PDF formatted to mirror the original, with a signed certificate of translation accuracy on letterhead. Marginal annotations are translated in place, in the margin, so the reader can see that the change was recorded against the original entry rather than written into a fresh document. See how we translate and certified versus standard.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the electoral tribunal issuing my birth record?
The civil registry sits inside the TSE in Costa Rica. It is the correct issuer.
Does the cédula number change?
No. It is assigned at birth registration and survives a change of name.
Is there an administrative route?
Since 2018 there is one before the TSE in connection with gender identity, without a judicial process.
Jiménez or Jimenez?
One name. Accents get dropped and restored across documents and we say so.
Ready to get started?
Upload the order, the resolution or the annotated certificate and receive the certified translation, typically within 24 hours.