If you need to use a public document issued by any State in the United States or by the Federal government in a foreign country then you will need to have that document Apostilled. An Apostille is a certificate that authenticates the origin of that public document.
In this video, I review the Apostille process using a birth certificate issued by a US state as an example. The most common documents that require an Apostille when applying for residency in Costa Rica are the birth certificate, marriage certificate, and the criminal background report.
You can view the complete Apostille Guide from the Hague Convention on the Legalization of Foreign documents here: https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/c...
In the United States to Apostille state documents, you will need to contact your Secretary of State. Here is the list of their contact information: https://www.nass.org/membership
For US Federal documents you will need to contact the U.S Department of State: https://travel.state.gov/content/trav...

If you require a background search from the Federal Bureau of Investigation F.B.I. then you can contact them here: https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/ide...

For more information about Costa Rica be sure to check out our website at: https://costaricalaw.com/ and our YouTube Channel @CostaRicalaw