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Esteemed Lovers of Costa Rica,
I need some documents notarized and I would prefer to have them notarized by an individual that brought their stamp with them from some State in the USA rather than go to the embassy. If I go to the embassy, do they have State certified notaries or will I be getting some sort of embassy stamp on my document? I am in San Ramon de Tres Rios but would drive anywhere in the San Jose area to get these docs stamped and would gladly buy coffee or lunch for my new friend…
Thanks,
JerryI don’t believe that you will find any US Notaries practising in Costa Rica. The State that issues the Notary Licence. I believe in all cases, has a residency requirement in order to practise. The US Embassy is your best alternative in that regard.
Watchdog is correct. A state-licensed notary in the US is not authorized to authenticate documents outside the state where he is licensed. I don’t recommend using a Costa Rican notary. It’s legal to do so but complicated and easy to mess up. Your best bet is to go to the embassy. They routinely authenticate (notarize) documents and their authentication is valid in all states and for all purposes.
I would think any appointed State Department employees in Costa Rica should be able to sign documents for by virtue of their appointment and employment. It could be these days that only one of the several consular officer of State at the Embassy have the power to notarize official individual documents. I would call the Embassy to ask their process for notarizing documents. The last time I had it done many years ago on Guam, the signature came with the beautiful gold star with the seal of the United States pressed into the star. Pretty impressive!
Later,
Tom[quote=”cancertomnpdx”]I would think any appointed State Department employees in Costa Rica should be able to sign documents for by virtue of their appointment and employment. It could be these days that only one of the several consular officer of State at the Embassy have the power to notarize official individual documents. I would call the Embassy to ask their process for notarizing documents. The last time I had it done many years ago on Guam, the signature came with the beautiful gold star with the seal of the United States pressed into the star. Pretty impressive!
Later,
Tom[/quote]No, that’s not the case. The laws are very specific as to who can notarize and authenticate documents and the process is handled through the consular service office at the embassy. It’s a simple, routine process they perform many times each day.
Here’s the legalize:
Notarial and authentication services are one of the oldest traditional consular functions dating back to Statute I, Session I, Chapter 24 of April 14, 1792, “An Act Concerning Consuls and Vice Consuls”. See 22 U.S.C. 4215; 2 U.S.C. 4221; Rule 44(a)(2) FRCvP, 28 U.S.C. Appendix; Rule 902(3) FREv, 28 U.S.C. Appendix; 28 U.S.C. 1740; 1741; 22 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 92.2 et seq. Only persons who meet the definition of “notarizing officer” may notarize documents at a U.S. embassy or consulate. See 22 C.F.R. 92.1(d). The term “notarizing officer” at a U.S. embassy or consulate includes consular officers, officers of the Foreign Service who are secretaries of embassy or legation under 22 U.S.C. 4221 and such U.S. citizen employees as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Overseas Citizens Services may designate for the purpose of performing notarial acts overseas pursuant to Section 127(b) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994-1995, Pub. L. 103-236, April 30, 1994. See also the Uniform Notarial Act, the Uniform Recognition of Acknowledgments Act and the Uniform Acknowledgment Act.
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