Wills in Costa Rica are governed by the Costa Rican Civil Code. In the form below I have set forth the content of a standard will. This is the english translation of a simple will that complies with Costa Rican Law. This type of Will is known as a Testamento Abierto because the will is done before a Notary Public and the will gets filed in the National Archives (Archivo Nacional) of Costa Rica.
NUMBER ONE HUNDRED FORTY EIGHT: Before me Francisco Perez Campos, Notary Public with office in San José, personally appeared JOHN DOE, no second surname on account of his United States nationality, of legal age, married once, businessman, resident of Escazú, Urbanization Bello Horizonte from the first entrance one hundred meters south and five hundred west, with passport number 5926111 and STATES as follow: That he appears in this act to state his Last Will and Testament according to the laws of Costa Rica and the following clauses: FIRST: That he names ANNE DOE, no second surname on account of her Canadian nationality, of legal age, married, business person, resident of Vancouver, Canada and born on, December 23, of 1971 as his only heir of all my assets, property, share certificates, bank accounts which are located in our outside of Costa Rica which I may have at the time of my death. SECOND: That he designates ANNE DOE as the Executor of the estate for all purposes as required by law. In her absence I name as substitute, Mr. RONALD JONES, no second surname on account of his Canadian nationality, of legal age, married, business person, resident of 200 Royal Street Vancouver, Canada. THIRD: In the event the testator and the beneficiary die in the same act he confers his entire estate to the children of ANNE DOE which may living. FOURTH: That in this act he revokes and leaves without legal effect any prior wills which he may have granted either in Costa Rica or abroad. THAT IS ALL.. I have read this document to Mr. DOE and making a simultaneous translation to the English language by the following two interpreters which are also present in this act: JUAN FERNANDEZ RODRIGUEZ, of legal age, married once, Attorney, with identity card number 1-555-666 resident of San José, from POP’s 700 meters west and 10 south; PRISCILLA SANTOS MAYOR, of legal age, single, Attorney, with identity card number 1-650-700 resident of Ciudad Cariari, Bosques de Doña Rosa; and in presence of the following witnesses: JUAN GUTIERREZ GUTIERREZ, of legal age, business person, resident of San Jose, Barrio Don Boco, 25 meters south of Purdy Motors on Paseo Colon with identity card number 1-801-802; MARIA ESQUIVEL SANTIAGO, of legal age, married, professor, resident of POP’s 700 meters west and 10 south with identity card number 1-444-555 and GILBERT GONZALEZ ICASA, of legal age, married, Legal Assistant, resident of Llorente de Tibas, 125 meters east of La Nacion with identity card number 6-222-333. The testator accepts the dispositions made herein. The undersigned Notary Public hereby swears that based upon the information provided and based upon here personal knowledge of the testator she manifests his capacity to enter into this act. We sign in the City of San José at 10:00 hours on the 15th of May of 2016.
