Costa Rica - Autoridad central e información práctica

Central Authority(ies):

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship
Legal Directorate

Contact details:

Address: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship
Legal Directorate
Avenida 7-9, Calle 11-13
San José, Costa Rica
Telephone: (506) 2539-5335
Fax: -
E-mail: cooperacionjudicialinternacional@rree.go.cr
rvargasj@rree.go.cr
General website: www.rree.go.cr
Contact persons: International Legal Cooperation Area
Legal Directorate
Teléfono: (506) 2539-5335
cooperacionjudicialinternacional@rree.go.cr

Natalia Córdoba Ulate
Director, Legal Directorate
Teléfono: (506) 2539-5527
ncordoba@rree.go.cr

Raquel Vargas Jaubert
International Legal Cooperation Coordinator
Teléfono: (506) 2539-5335
rvargasj@rree.go.cr
Languages spoken by staff: Spanish/English
Working hours from Monday to Friday - 7:00 to 15:00

 

Practical Information:

Forwarding authorities
(Art. 3(1)):
Judicial authorities and those that have jurisdictional functions.
Methods of service
(Art. 5(1)(2)):

The request must be physically submitted with two complete copies to the Central Authority of Costa Rica, which is the Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship. The envelope must be clearly labeled to avoid misplacement. The physical address is as follows:

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship
Legal Department
Attention: Raquel Vargas Jaubert
Avenida 7-9, Calle 11-13
San José, Costa Rica

Additionally, the request must be sent in digital format, scanned into a single document, to the email: cooperacionjudicialinternacional@rree.go.cr. Please include the name of the courier company that will handle the delivery in this email. This information is essential for the Legal Department to anticipate the documentation and provide traceability reports in the future.

Upon receipt of the request, the Legal Department will verify the completeness of the documentation, ensure that Spanish translations are provided, and confirm that two sets of copies are included. If the request is incomplete, the Legal Department may issue a notice to the requesting State regarding the missing requirements.

Once the request is complete, the Legal Department will have a period of 10 business days to transmit the documentation to the Secretariat of the Supreme Court of Justice.

The Secretariat of the Supreme Court of Justice will then forward the request to the corresponding Judicial Circuit.

In Costa Rica, it is a judge who issues a resolution and orders the service. A judicial server will be authorized to reach the location specified in the request and execute the service.

Once the judicial file has been processed, it returns to the Secretariat of the Supreme Court of Justice from the courts. The Secretariat certifies the documents and forwards them to the Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship, which sends the final certification as the Central Authority to the requesting country. (Article 6)


Important Note: According to Costa Rican legislation, notification must be carried out personally at the defendant's residence or workplace. Please refer to the Judicial Notifications Law, Law No. 8687.

Translation requirements
(Art. 5(3)):

All documentation of the request must be officially translated into the Spanish language.

Filling the blanks of the forms in Spanish is most appreciated (see however Art. 7(2)).

Costs relating to execution of the request for service
(Art. 12):
No costs.
Time for execution of request: From 2 to 6 months approximately.
Judicial officers, officials or other competent persons
(Art. 10(b))
 
Oppositions and declarations
(Art. 21(2)):
 
Art. 8(2):  
Art. 10(a):  
Art. 10(b):  
Art. 10(c):  
Art. 15(2):  
Art. 16(3):  
Derogatory channels (bilateral or multilateral agreements or internal law permitting other transmission channels)
(Arts. 11, 19, 24 and 25)
Disclaimer:
Information may not be complete or fully updated – please contact the relevant authorities to verify this information.
 
Useful links:

Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Costa Rica: www.rree.go.cr

Sistema de Información Jurídica en Línea: https://www.pgrweb.go.cr/scij/Busqueda/Normativa/Normas

Secretaría de la Corte Suprema de Justicia de Costa Rica: https://secretariacorte.poder-judicial.go.cr

Competent authorities
(Arts 6, 9)
 
Other authorities
(Art. 18)
 

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