Marriages of Convenience A Big Business
An organization, headed by a notary in downtown Heredia, visits poor neighbourhoods in that province and in Alajuela and San José, looking for takers of their offer to lend their name on a marriage certificate in exchange for between ¢20.000 and ¢50.000 colones (us$38.50 and us$96).

The willing person is then married off - legally - to a foreigner who is looking to use marriage as a means of obtaining residency in Costa Rica. Both men and women are sought in a legal manoeuvre  that has become a cause of concern for immigration officials.

In all cases, the person granting permission for using the signature, with the promise of a quickie divorce, is fully aware that marriage is involved but never do meet or know the nationality of their spouse. However, divorce laws in Costa Rica do not allow the filing of a divorce before three years of marriage.

However it is not all roses for those who accept the tempting offers.

The immigration service reports that they have currently six complaints by women who are attempting to have their marriages annulled, which has become a nightmare for some as it affects their ability to obtain "bonos de vivienda" - housing bonds granted to those in a low income category. Because their marriages are to persons with financial resources, they do not qualify for the bonds, leaving them a complete disadvantage and looking for legal remedies.

In some of the cases where individuals are affected, they have kept their silence in fear of being involved in a legal problems, being warned by the organizers that they will all go down if they talk.

The phony marriages are one way for many foreigners to obtain their residency and citizenship in Costa Rica. The Dirección de Migración y Extranjería (immigration service) does not have the power to investigate these types of marriages and confirm if they are legitimate or of convenience, even in cases where the convenience is quite evident.

The director of Migración y Extranjería, Mario Zamora, is quite firm that in cases where there is a complaint, though his department is not involved in the divorce, it will annul any residency granted on the ties of matrimony.

Zamora added that few have the courage to step forward and denounce the practice like the cases of 23 year old Cindy Quesada Céspedes; Karen Zapata Cruz, 25, and Stephanie Uribe Monge, 18, who are all married to foreigners, people they have never met in their life.

According to Registro Civil records, all the women were married on September 3, 2004 and have yet to have received the promised divorce. "I am not afraid, I should want this over with", Zapata told the La Nación, not fearing reprisals for speaking out.

Foreigners of all nationalities, including those from the United States, Canada and Colombia take advantage of the current marriage laws to establish a tie to Costa Rica by marrying a Costa Rican national. These type of marriages of convenience can cost the foreigner from hundreds to thousands of dollars paid to notaries for their services, which may or may not include the process of filing for residency and obtaining their residency cedulas.