International adoption country guide
Costa Rica: adoption records and family tracing
Practical guidance for adoptees based in the UK who were adopted in Costa Rica, were born there and adopted in the UK, or have a birth parent from there.
Research last refreshed: September 2026
Ask the Adoptee Rights Assistant
Start by identifying the records and rules that apply
Province, canton, family court, PANI office, institution or foster placement, adoption year and Spanish names with both surnames determine the record map. The new certificate naming adoptive parents is separate from the original certificate, abandonment or consent material and final decree.
If the person came to the UK, obtain the UK receiving or adoption agency file, court papers and immigration and nationality records in parallel. Confirm whether a later UK adoption order was made. UK records do not replace the records held in Costa Rica.
Check the current procedure before applyingThis guide explains the likely process, but forms, contact details, eligibility and access rules can change. Check the linked source before sending identity documents or paying a fee.
Choose the situation that describes you
Adopted in Costa Rica
What applies: Confirm that the legal adoption or other arrangement was made in Costa Rica, and identify the date, place, court or authority and institution.
How to look for records: Identify PANI as Central Authority, the competent family court, the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones Civil Registry and any child protection office, foster placement or institution. Request the adoption decision, adoption authority or welfare dossier, original civil registration, consent and social material, and institution record separately. A later birth certificate or adoption certificate is not the whole file.
How to look for family: No verified public nationwide adult origins or tracing application was found. Ask PANI to identify its adoption dossier and the competent family court, and request the original and amended civil registration material from the Civil Registry. Use the certified original certificate and court material to establish identity before contact.
Important: Keep the PANI dossier, family court file, original certificate, amended certificate and placement record separate.
Born in Costa Rica and brought to the UK
What applies: Establish whether the legal adoption was made overseas, in the UK, or in both places; keep the two countries’ records processs open until that is known.
How to look for records: If the person came to the UK, obtain the UK receiving or adoption agency file, court papers and immigration and nationality records in parallel. Confirm whether a later UK adoption order was made. UK records do not replace the records held in Costa Rica. Identify PANI as Central Authority, the competent family court, the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones Civil Registry and any child protection office, foster placement or institution. Request the adoption decision, adoption authority or welfare dossier, original civil registration, consent and social material, and institution record separately. A later birth certificate or adoption certificate is not the whole file.
How to look for family: No verified public nationwide adult origins or tracing application was found. Ask PANI to identify its adoption dossier and the competent family court, and request the original and amended civil registration material from the Civil Registry. Use the certified original certificate and court material to establish identity before contact.
Important: A UK adoption or registration record does not automatically disclose or replace the overseas birth, court, welfare or institution file. Keep the PANI dossier, family court file, original certificate, amended certificate and placement record separate.
A birth parent was from Costa Rica
What applies: Start with the records of the country where the person was born and adopted. A parent being from Costa Rica does not by itself mean that Costa Rica holds the adoption file.
How to look for records: Obtain the adoptee’s own birth and adoption records first. If they confirm the parent’s identity or a locality in Costa Rica, use the relevant civil registration, archive and family history sources there.
How to look for family: Use verified full names, spelling variants, dates, locality and institution with the relevant civil registry, adoption authority, court or decision maker and archives in Costa Rica. Keep official records work separate from supported and consent sensitive family contact. DNA may provide a parallel family finding lead, but database representation for Costa Rica may be uneven. Check current provider availability and any rules affecting sample collection or export. A match is a lead, not proof; corroborate it with shared matches and records, consider privacy and unexpected results, and obtain consent before testing another person.
Important: Do not assume nationality proves birth, citizenship or registration in Costa Rica. Confirm full names, spelling variants, dates and an actual locality before making overseas enquiries.
Records and family finding
Start with records
Identify PANI as Central Authority, the competent family court, the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones Civil Registry and any child protection office, foster placement or institution. Request the adoption decision, adoption authority or welfare dossier, original civil registration, consent and social material, and institution record separately. A later birth certificate or adoption certificate is not the whole file.
Looking for family
No verified public nationwide adult origins or tracing application was found. Ask PANI to identify its adoption dossier and the competent family court, and request the original and amended civil registration material from the Civil Registry. Use the certified original certificate and court material to establish identity before contact.
DNA
DNA may provide a parallel family finding lead, but database representation for Costa Rica may be uneven. Check current provider availability and any rules affecting sample collection or export. A match is a lead, not proof; corroborate it with shared matches and records, consider privacy and unexpected results, and obtain consent before testing another person.
Peer support
ICAV currently lists no Costa Rica specific group. Its broader Latin American adoptee group and search guidance may offer peer support; verify activity, eligibility, privacy and language.
Practical next steps
If you have no namesUse the adoption certificate or order, travel papers and receiving country file to identify the authority, court or decision maker, civil registration locality and institution in Costa Rica. Ask each identified holder for the underlying file and current adult access procedure.
If you have a name or placeUse verified full names, spelling variants, dates, locality and institution with the relevant civil registry, adoption authority, court or decision maker and archives in Costa Rica. Keep official records work separate from supported and consent sensitive family contact.
If the search has stalledAsk each possible holder in writing whether the record survives, was transferred or is restricted, and what review or court process applies. Then consider archives, verified peer support and carefully corroborated DNA as separate procedures.
Verified sources and resources
Official services and independent or adoptee-led resources are shown separately. Check current eligibility, security, costs and capacity before supplying personal information.
Other verified resources
Identify the official adoption, court, civil registration or welfare process
Things to check: Published information may not state the adult access procedure; confirm it directly
Identify the official adoption, court, civil registration or welfare process
Things to check: Published information may not state the adult access procedure; confirm it directly
Identify the official adoption, court, civil registration or welfare process
Things to check: Published information may not state the adult access procedure; confirm it directly
Identify the official adoption, court, civil registration or welfare process
Things to check: Published information may not state the adult access procedure; confirm it directly
Peer search and reunion safeguards
Things to check: Independent guidance, not a record holder; verify current activity and eligibility
Peer search and reunion safeguards
Things to check: Independent guidance, not a record holder; verify current activity and eligibility
This country guide provides general information, not legal advice or a tracing service. Records and family finding across borders can involve privacy, consent and personal safety considerations. Verify the current official procedure before acting.
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