Costa Rica
Waterfalls, cloud forest and a legal 'I do' anywhere the jungle allows
BEST: DECEMBER TO APRIL (DRY), MAY TO AUGUST (GREEN, FEWER CROWDS)
Eloping in Costa Rica
Costa Rica is one of the easiest countries on earth for foreigners to marry legally: a Costa Rican lawyer or notary can officiate anywhere, at a waterfall, on a beach, in the cloud forest, with just your passports and two witnesses, then registers the marriage for you. Add La Fortuna's waterfalls under Arenal volcano, Monteverde's moss-draped cloud forest and the whale-tail beaches of Uvita, and you get real adventure with genuinely simple paperwork.
The country runs on two seasons, and both work. December to April is dry and bright, the classic window. May through August, the green season, brings afternoon rains, morning sun, full waterfalls and empty trails, and it is honestly when we most like photographing here. Either way we build days that follow the light: waterfalls and forest in the morning, beach for the last golden hour.
An 8-hour Costa Rica elopement with us starts at $5,000 with travel included. Two-day itineraries from $8,500 pair the Arenal region with the Pacific coast; multi-day runs to $12,000.
At a glance
- COORDINATES
- 10.2735° N, 84.8380° W
- BEST MONTHS
- December to April (dry), May to August (green, fewer crowds)
- PACKAGES
- From $5,000 (8 hours) to $12,000 (multi-day), travel included
- PLANNING
- Locations, permits, legality and timeline included in every booking
Why couples elope in Costa Rica
The easiest legal elopement abroad
A licensed Costa Rican lawyer or notary performs and registers the marriage wherever you choose to stand, using your passports; no residency, no waiting period, no government office visit. Your certificate arrives registered and can be apostilled for home. It is the simplest legal destination we work in.
Waterfalls you can actually swim under
La Fortuna's 70-metre falls, the cascades of the Bajos del Toro region and dozens of unnamed jungle drops mean ceremony and celebration happen in the same pool. Few destinations let the wedding day end with a swim beneath the vow spot.
Three ecosystems in one itinerary
Volcano and rainforest at Arenal, cloud forest at 1,400 metres in Monteverde, and Pacific beaches at Uvita or Manuel Antonio, each two to four hours apart. A two-day elopement covers a continent's worth of habitat.
Tourism infrastructure without the crowds trap
Costa Rica has spent decades building lodges, guides and roads for nature travel, so logistics are easy, yet a ten-minute walk past any trailhead is usually empty. Pura vida is a working travel system, not just a slogan.
Field guide
The best places to elope in Costa Rica
La Fortuna & Arenal
The perfect-cone volcano above rainforest, hot-spring rivers and the La Fortuna waterfall, 70 metres into a swimmable emerald pool at the bottom of a 500-step staircase. We arrive at opening time for near-private frames, then spend golden hour on the volcano's lava-field viewpoints.
Monteverde cloud forest
At around 1,400 metres, the reserves at Monteverde and Santa Elena sit inside near-permanent mist: moss walls, hanging bridges above the canopy and resplendent quetzals if luck cooperates. Cooler and moodier than the coast, it is the destination's most atmospheric ceremony setting.
Uvita & Marino Ballena
The Whale's Tail sandbar unfurls at low tide inside Marino Ballena National Park, a kilometre of bare sand shaped exactly like its name. Humpbacks pass close offshore roughly July to October and December to March, two migrations a year.
Manuel Antonio
White-sand coves backed by rainforest where capuchins and sloths work the treeline, with the national park's trails behind. Busier than Uvita, prettier at close range; we shoot the quieter beaches south of the park and save the park itself for a next-morning walk.
Bajos del Toro
A high valley between Poás and the Juan Castro Blanco park, holding the electric-blue Catarata del Toro and the turquoise pools of Blue Falls. Ninety minutes from Arenal, barely on the tourist map, and one of the best waterfall clusters in the country.
Nauyaca Falls
A two-tier, 60-metre cascade near Dominical, reached by a 4x4 shuttle or an hour's hike, with a swimming pool the size of a plaza at the base. Pairs naturally with an Uvita beach evening for the full jungle-to-Pacific day.
When to elope in Costa Rica
| Season | Conditions | Our verdict |
|---|---|---|
| December – April | Dry season, 26–33°C coast, bright and busy | Reliable sun; book far ahead for February–March |
| May – August | Green season: sunny mornings, afternoon rain, full falls | Our favourite: lush, quiet, better rates |
| July – October | Humpback whales peak off Uvita, warm seas | The whale window for coastal ceremonies |
| September – November | Wettest months on the Pacific, storms and mud | Caribbean side improves; plan carefully |
The paperwork
Getting legally married in Costa Rica
Costa Rica is one of the easiest countries in the world for foreigners to legally marry, and we say that as people who compare paperwork for a living. A Costa Rican lawyer or notary public officiates the ceremony anywhere you like, with your passports, a short declaration of your marital status and two witnesses, whom your planning team can provide. There is no residency requirement, no blood test and no waiting period. The notary then registers the marriage with the Civil Registry, and your certificate, apostilled for international use, follows by mail in a few weeks.
Because the officiant travels, the legal ceremony and the adventure are the same event: you can be legally married barefoot on the Whale's Tail at low tide or beside a waterfall in Bajos del Toro. There is no reason to choose symbolic here unless you simply prefer it. We work with bilingual lawyer-officiants who make the legal wording feel like a ceremony, not a contract reading.
Costa Rica elopement questions
Is it really that easy to get legally married in Costa Rica?
Yes. A Costa Rican lawyer or notary officiates anywhere, beach, waterfall or cloud forest, needing your passports, a marital-status declaration and two witnesses. No residency, no waiting period. The notary registers the marriage and your apostilled certificate arrives within a few weeks, valid in the US, Canada, UK, EU and beyond.
Dry season or green season for a Costa Rica elopement?
Dry season, December to April, buys near-certain sun at peak prices and crowds. Green season, May to August, gives sunny mornings, an afternoon rain hour, waterfalls at full power and quieter trails at lower rates. We schedule green-season ceremonies for mornings and treat the rain as a built-in siesta.
When can we see whales at Uvita?
Two humpback migrations pass Marino Ballena: the southern-hemisphere population roughly July to October, peaking August to September, and northern whales December to March. Pair a low-tide Whale's Tail ceremony with a next-morning boat trip during either window and your odds are excellent.
How much does a Costa Rica elopement cost?
Our packages start at $5,000 for 8 hours, travel included. The lawyer-officiant and registration typically add a few hundred dollars. With flights, five nights across two regions, a 4x4 rental, hair and makeup and the legal fees, most couples spend $9,000 to $14,000 all-in.
How hard is it to get between Arenal, Monteverde and the coast?
Distances are short but roads are slow: La Fortuna to Monteverde is about three to four hours around Lake Arenal, Monteverde to Manuel Antonio about three more, and stretches run on rough gravel. We build itineraries with one region per day and a 4x4, which is the honest way to keep a wedding schedule here.
Begin the enquiry
Ready to elope in Costa Rica?
Tell us your season and your story. We reply within 48 hours with honest advice on timing, locations and a quote from $5,000 with travel to Costa Rica included.