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400 Foreigners
Monthly Become Naturalized Costa Ricans
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400 Foreigners
Monthly Become Naturalized Costa Ricans
On average some 400 foreigners become
naturalized Costa Ricas every month. In
2008, 4,932 foreigners became Costa Rican
citizens. This year to day the number is
already at 1.300, according to the of the
Registro Civil, del Tribunal Supremo de
Elecciones (TSE).
According to TSE records, the majority
seeking Costa Rican citizenship are from
Nicaragua and Colombia, followed by Panama,
China, El Salvador, Cuba, Venezual,
Dominican Republic and Ecuador, altough the
list is much more extensive.
Americans, along with the British and
Russians and a host of other nations are on
the lower side of the list of their citizens
wanting to become Costa Rican.
One of the reasons is that obtaining Costa
Rican citizenship is faily simple and
straight forward, even easier than obtaining
legal residency, some will tell you.
"Any person can become a Costa Rican
citizen. That simple. And it should be that
way", says Ricardo Chavarría, director of
Opciones y Naturalizaciones.
Chavarría says the naturalization law 1155
needs reforms as it dates back to when it
was first approved by legislators on April
29, 1950, a law that has become "very old"
and not reflecting the Costa Rica of today.
Chavarría added that the law is so far
outdated that anyone, even if illegal in the
country, can obtain citizenship and without
any major hassles or delays.
To become a Costa Rican citizen foreign
nationals have a choice of six different
ways, the most common and used is by way of
marriage. The TSE shows that 75% of all
naturalization applications are by way of
marriage to a Costa Rican national.
Under the current system, any person married
to a Costa Rican can, after demonstrating
that he or she has been on Costa Rican soil
for at least tow years while married - legal
or illegal - can apply. And then all that is
required is proof of the marriage - registry
record certification - a certified record by
the immigration service which shows the
presence in the country requirements and a
certified birth certificate.
A background check for a criminal past is
then made by the Dirección de Inteligencia y
Seguridad Nacional (DIS) and the Organismo
de Investigación Judicial (OIJ), and if
nothing negative appears, the foreigner will
then be granted naturalization.
It is important to note, that in the case of
a marriage to a Costa Rican national, the
foreigner does not have to be, at any time,
a legal resident of the country. Nor is he
or she required to provide a criminal
history from hir or her country of origin.
This situation has caused a lot of headaches
for Costa Rican officials as many foreigners
have used the marriage option to become
citizens, many being "marriages of
convenience" and well within the law.
Chavarría said that only 2% of all
applications are rejected each year.
According to the TSE official, another
problem is the lack of requirement for
fingerprinting and or photographing of the
applicants, something that is required for
residency, for instance.
Chavarría added that there are reforms being
proposed to ley 1155 that would require
fingerprinting and photographing, as well as
increase the amount of years of marriage to
a Costa Rican and the requirement of legal
residency.
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