Renewal of your Costa Rican ID card (cédula)

 

 

For the renewal of your Costa Rican ID card (cédula), you must personally submit the following documents to the Consulate:

  • Current ID card (expired or about to expire)
  • Birth Certificate from Registro Civil, also you can buy it on line: (www.tse.go.cr)
  • Copy both sides of your ID Card.
  • Two photographs, preferably measuring at least 5cm in height by 4cm in width. The background should be gray or white. Do not write any information on the back of the photograph.

If your ID has been expired for more than ten years, you must come to the Consulate with two witnesses (family or friends). Each witness must bring their valid Costa Rican identity card (cédula) in good condition.

 

In case of loss or theft of your ID card, to request a new one you must provide a birth certificate issued by the Civil Register Office (Registro Civil) and an official photo ID, preferably your Costa Rican passport.

 

 

Applying for your first Costa Rican ID card (cédula)

 

 

To apply for a Costa Rican identity card (cédula) for the first time, you must personally submit the following documents to the Consulate:

  • Two photographs, preferably measuring at least 5cm in height by 4cm in width. The background should be gray or white. Do not write any information on the back of the photograph.
  • Child Identification Card (Tarjeta de Identificación de Menores or TIM)
  • Birth Certificate from Registro Civil, also you can buy it online: (www.tse.go.cr)

If you do not have a TIM, you must provide a birth certificate issued by the Registro Civil Office  (Registro Civil) and shall also come to the Costa Rican Consulate with witnesses; one witness if he/she is an immediate family member (only father, mother, brother, sister or grandparent), two witnesses otherwise. Each witness must bring their valid Costa Rican identity card (cédula) in good condition. If the direct family member is a foreigner, he/she must bring a valid passport (no foreign witnesses are allowed except for the aforementioned immediate family members).

 

You may request your first ID card from the moment you turn sixteen, but it will be given to you until the age of eighteen.

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