Countries › Costa Rica › Guide › 14. Disputes › Cross border service, evidence and documents in Costa Rica: Hague Service and Evidence Conventions, Inter American conventions, letters rogatory and apostille

Cross border service, evidence and documents in Costa Rica: Hague Service and Evidence Conventions, Inter American conventions, letters rogatory and apostille

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Last verified: 2026-10-29 · Status: Stable

Costa Rica joined the Hague Service Convention (in force 1 October 2016) and the Hague Evidence Convention (in force 15 May 2016), and has long applied the Inter American conventions on letters rogatory and on taking evidence abroad (Ley 6165 of 1977). Foreign requests for assistance are processed by the competent cassation chamber of the Supreme Court. Foreign public documents from Apostille Convention states need only an apostille (in force for Costa Rica since 14 December 2011) and an official translation.

Key facts

Hague Service Convention party	yes yes or noHCCH status, as of 2026-10-29 · in force
Hague Service Convention in force	2016-10-01 dateHCCH status, as of 2026-10-29 · in force
Hague Evidence Convention party	yes yes or noHCCH status, as of 2026-10-29 · in force
Hague Evidence Convention in force	2016-05-15 dateHCCH status, as of 2026-10-29 · in force
Apostille Convention party	yes yes or noLey 8923, as of 2026-10-29 · in force
Apostille Convention in force	2011-12-14 dateLey 8923, as of 2026-10-29 · in force

The rule

1. HCCH records Costa Rica's accession to the Hague Service Convention on 16 March 2016, in force 1 October 2016, with no declarations listed.Convention of 15 November 1965 on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents, status table, 2016-03-16 official text · verified 2026-10-29

2. HCCH records Costa Rica's accession to the Hague Evidence Convention on 16 March 2016, in force for Costa Rica on 15 May 2016; as an accession it applies with each state that accepts it.Convention of 18 March 1970 on the Taking of Evidence Abroad, status table, 2016-03-16 official text · verified 2026-10-29

3. Costa Rica approved the Inter American Convention on Letters Rogatory and the Inter American Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad (Ley 6165, La Gaceta 241, 21 December 1977).Ley 6165, approval law, 1977-12-02 official text · verified 2026-10-29

4. Requests for judicial assistance from foreign courts or arbitrators are handled by the cassation chamber competent for the matter under treaties or, failing them, national procedure, ensuring due process; the chambers only process letters rogatory from judicial bodies.Ley 9342, Código Procesal Civil, art. 100, 2016-02-03 official text · verified 2026-10-29

5. Costa Rica acceded to the Apostille Convention by Ley 8923; HCCH records accession on 6 April 2011 and entry into force on 14 December 2011, with no declarations.Ley 8923, art. 1, 2011-02-22 official text · verified 2026-10-29

6. Documents in another language submitted for recognition of foreign judgments and awards need an official translation.Ley 9342, Código Procesal Civil, art. 99.2, 2016-02-03 official text · verified 2026-10-29

7. Judicial notifications in Costa Rica are governed by the Ley de Notificaciones Judiciales (in force 1 March 2009), which regulates personal service and the designation of a means for notices.Ley 8687, whole law, 2008-12-04 official text · verified 2026-10-29

Worked example

A US court needs to serve a claim on a company in Heredia. It can use the Hague Service Convention channel through the Costa Rican central authority. If a Costa Rican court must later recognise the US judgment, the company's Costa Rican counsel will check that service followed that route, since proper service is a recognition requirement.

Step by step

Choose the treaty route that both states share: Hague Service and Evidence, or the Inter American conventions.
Apostille foreign public documents and obtain official Spanish translations.
Keep complete proof of service abroad for any later recognition request in Costa Rica.

Common traps

Hague Evidence accessions only operate with states that accept them, so check acceptance for the specific state pair.
The chambers only process letters rogatory issued by courts (CPC art. 100); a tribunal seated in Costa Rica asks a competent court for help taking evidence under Ley 8937 art. 27.
Defective service abroad is a ground to refuse recognition of a foreign judgment (CPC art. 99.2).

Sources

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