Costa Rica Cédula Verification API (CCCR): TSE Name Lookup and Renewal Status

Updated November 2026

This guide shows how to verify a cédula in Costa Rica with Verifik’s API: the endpoint, its parameters, a request you can paste into a terminal, the documented response and errors, and what to watch for when you put it in production. Everything below comes from the official endpoint documentation.

About the cédula in Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s cédula de identidad is issued by the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE) through the Registro Civil. The number has nine digits; the first digit usually reflects the province of registration.

Verifik’s endpoint uses the document type CCCR and returns the registered name. It also handles one Costa Rica-specific case: cards that the TSE requires to be renewed in person.

To follow this guide with your own integration, open a Verifik account and generate your access token.

How to call the Costa Rica cédula API

Endpoint: GET https://api.verifik.co/v2/cr/cedula. Send your token in the Authorization: Bearer header. Parameters, as documented:

Request example with placeholder values (replace them with your user’s data):

curl --location --request GET 'https://api.verifik.co/v2/cr/cedula?documentType=CCCR&documentNumber=101110111' \
--header 'Accept: application/json' \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer <token>'

200 response from the docs (personal data masked):

{
  "data": {
    "documentType": "CCCR",
    "documentNumber": "01*****01",
    "firstName": "M**** E****",
    "lastName": "L**** G*****",
    "fullName": "M**** E**** L**** G*****"
  },
  "signature": {
    "message": "Certified by Verifik.co",
    "dateTime": "July 27, 2026 3:00 PM"
  }
}

A successful call returns HTTP 200 with a data object containing: documentType, documentNumber, firstName, lastName, fullName. Every response also carries a signature (timestamp and “Certified by Verifik.co”) and a unique id you can store as evidence of the check.

Documented errors for /v2/cr/cedula

• 400 INVALID_DOCUMENT (“Invalid document number”): the document number failed validation; ask the user to re-check it before retrying.
• 401 UNAUTHORIZED (“Authentication required”): the token is missing or invalid; check the Authorization header.
• 500 InternalServerError (“Server error”): a server or source error; retry with backoff and log the request id.

Integration tips

• Send the number without spaces, dots or hyphens (for example 101110111, not 1-1110-0111).
• A card that is not eligible for online reprint still returns 200, with status: "requires_renewal" and expired: true, plus a bilingual message. Branch on these fields instead of treating every 200 as approved.
• Show the returned message.es or message.en to the user so they know they must renew the document at a TSE office.
• A 400 INVALID_DOCUMENT means the format is wrong; validate length before calling.

Personal data and terms of use

Identity lookups process personal data. Use the API only for a lawful purpose you can document, such as onboarding, fraud prevention or contract checks, collect consent where the local law requires it, and keep only the fields you need. Usage is governed by the smartCHECK terms and conditions.

Pricing

Each successful request consumes credits from your Verifik plan. Current plans and per-endpoint costs are on the smartCHECK pricing page.

Related guides and documentation

• Costa Rica company lookup API
• Panama cédula verification API
• Endpoint documentation (English)
• Documentation in Spanish

Start testing

Create a Verifik account to get your API token, or book a meeting if you want to review coverage and volumes with the team.