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Country Background

Costa Rica is located in Central America bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean. It is bounded by Nicaragua and Panama. The capital of Costa Rica is San Jose. The official language is Spanish. The country’s population in 2016 was approximately 5 million. Costa Rica is a predominantly Christian country, with about 76% of the population Roman Catholic.

Constitution & Legal Structure

Costa Rica is referred to as a presidential republic, in which the sovereignty belongs to the people and the Constitution is the supreme law of the land, adopted in 1949 and amended in 1989 to create a constitutional branch within the Supreme Court. This fourth chamber (Sala IV) has specific jurisdiction over constitutional matters and those that involve constitutional rights. The system of government is based on principles of separation and checks and balances and has three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.

Constitutional Status of Islamic Law

Islamic law has no constitutional status in Costa Rica.

Jurisdiction(s) of Islamic Law

Islamic law has no official jurisdiction of operation in Costa Rica.

Dominant School of Islamic Law

Costa Rica has no official school of Islamic law. 

Sources of Law for Legal Research

Official Publications

• Legislative
  • Asamblea Legislativa
  • La Gaceta, Diario Oficial (official gazette)
• Executive
  • Presidencia
• Judicial
  • Judiciary
  • Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones

 Unofficial Databases

• Normas Basicas de Derecho Publico (CESDEPU - Centro de Estudios Superiores de Derecho Publico) offers updated and consolidated full texts in Spanish of the constitution and laws.
• FAOLEX: Costa Rica (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) database of national laws and regulations on food, agriculture, and renewable natural resources.
• GLIN Archive: Costa Rica (1916–2012) (Law Library of Congress)
• NATLEX: Costa Rica (International Labour Organization) database of national laws on labor, social security, and related human rights.
• RefWorld Legal Information: Costa Rica (UNHCR)
• WIPO Lex: Costa Rica (World Intellectual Property Organization)

References:

For an extended list of legal resources for this country, see the Library of Congress’s Research Guide, and for a narrative review, see the GlobaLex Foreign Law Research Guide (most updated version, where available). The Constitution is available in the LOC Guide in its original language and at Constitute in English and Arabic translation. For full versions of past constitutions, amendments, and related legislation, see HeinOnline World Constitutions Illustrated or Oxford Constitutions of the World [subscription required for each].