# Costa Rica surname order legislative proposal

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/costa-rica-surname-order-legislative-proposal
> Updated: 2026-09-15T23:36:20.000Z. Sources: 2. Developments: 2.

In Costa Rica, a new legislative bill, expediente 25.714, has been introduced to the Legislative Assembly to allow parents to choose the order of their children’s surnames. Proposed by Frente Amplio deputy Antonio Trejos Mazariegos, the initiative aims to grant families the right to decide whether the mother’s or father’s surname appears first for minors.

The proposal seeks to address a legal gap following a Constitutional Court ruling (Sentence N.° 2024-1728) which declared the automatic imposition of the paternal surname unconstitutional due to its “patriarchal roots.” While that ruling applied to adults, the new bill specifically addresses the situation for minors and includes provisions to recognize the matrilineal affiliation systems of the Bribri and Cabécar indigenous peoples.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-15: Mexico: Parents may choose maternal surname order on birth certificates

In certain Mexican states, parents can choose to place the mother's surname first on birth certificates following a 2016 Supreme Court ruling against gender-based naming restrictions.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/mexico-parents-may-choose-maternal-surname-order-on-birth-certificates

### 2026-08-18: Costa Rica bill seeks parental choice in children's surname order

Costa Rican deputy Antonio Trejos Mazariegos has introduced a bill allowing parents to choose the order of their children's surnames to ensure equality and respect cultural matrilineal traditions.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/costa-rica-bill-seeks-parental-choice-in-childrens-surname-order

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Cite as: Costa Rica surname order legislative proposal. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/costa-rica-surname-order-legislative-proposal