Recently approved plan to eliminate convenience marriages

Yesterday, a Bill to eliminate convenience marriages in Costa Rica was approved unanimously by the Congressmen on the first debate.Leaded by the representatives Evita Arguedas and Francisco Antonio Pacheco, this initiative is supported by Migration Authorities.

If the Bill is ratified on the second discussion in the Congress next week, witnesses, contracting parties and the public notaries involved shall be penalized from two to five years when it’s not for migratory effects. In the case of a migratory aim, convictions will range from three to six years. As well, notaries participating in such circumstances, next to the criminal sanction shall be unfitted to practice his/her profession from months to years.

This potential regulation is intended to control migratory processes, as well as the rights obtained when the union of a Costa Rican citizen and foreigner is declared. To avoid convenience couples from obtaining a migratory status, migration authorities should determine whether there’s a real relationship or not, allowing both Migratory Authorities and the Civil Registry to declare void marriages.

Members of the Congress consider necessary actions such as these have to be taken to control migratory status, since statistics show that in the past year approximately ten thousand unions of this kind were celebrated.