Tuesday 09 September
2008, San José, Costa
Rica
Marriages of Convenience
At An End in Costa Rica
Homes Damaged and
Traffic Chaos Resulting
From Afternoon Tornado
Costa Rica and Nicaragua
Hold 7th Bilateral
Meeting
Hiring
Expectations In Costa Rica With A
Positive Outlook
Bus Driver Lunched For
Providing Bad Service
Bus, Taxi,
Train and Mail Services All Looking For
Rate Hikes
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Marriages of Convenience
At An End in Costa Rica
The Sala Constitucional
or Sala IV as it is
often referred to, has
given the immigration
service the tools to put
a stop to marriages of
conveniences and the
lucrative business
surrounding it during
the last several years,
where in some cases,
foreigners have reported
paying up to us$10.000
to marry a Costa Rican.
The Constitutional court
decision is clear that
the Dirección de
Migración y Extranjería
can scrutinize
applications for
residency based on the
families ties
provisions.
The director de
Migración, Mario Zamora,
said that the
immigration service now
has, based on the court
ruling, the legal basis
to demand that
applicants for residency
based on a marriage to a
Costa Rican, proven that
the marriage is real and
can refuse residency if
otherwise.
The court ruling also
puts an end to lawyers
charging high fees to
arrange such marriages
of conveniences.
Marriages of
conveniences, that is a
marriage where a
foreigner legally
marries a Costa Rican
national based on a
business arrangement, in
most cases, the two
parties to the marriage
never meeting each
other, solely for the
purpose of obtaining
legal residency in the
country.
A loophole in the
legislation left the
immigration service with
their hands tied in the
face of a residency
application based on
such marriage, clearly
evident that the couple
had no ties to each
other whatsoever.
Reports of foreigners
contracting nuptials to
a person who they had
never met, and would
never meet, to obtain
residency were common,
starting with a contact
with a lawyer or notary
public, who recruited
Costa Ricans on the
lower end of the
economic scale, to
provide their "cedula"
(identification) for as
little as ¢10.000
colones.
Marriages in Costa Rica
are as simple as signing
on the dotted line at
the lawyers of notary's
office and the document
registered with the
Registro Civil (Civil
registry).
Once the document is
filed, the foreigner
could then apply for
residency with the
immigration service,
which by law was impeded
to investigate the
marriage, even if the
signs are clear that it
is a marriage of
convenience.
Zamora added that a
network of lawyers and
notaries was operating
freely and openly
providing foreigners the
service.
The immigration director
called the Sala IV
decision a "historic"
decision.
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