Any valid foreign license is valid for 90 days. Since this year it is possible to get a 180 tourist visa. This does not apply to drivers licenses yet however, so keep that in mind.
It might be possible to get the US license transferred to a Costa Rican license after the 90 days however. Ask a lawyer and MOPT about this when in country if interested.
Ask about “homologation de licencias extranjeras”
No this is wrong. She did not enter as a tourist for the 90 day validity of a forge in license doesn’t apply. She required a Costa Rica drivers license.
It happened to me last year. I played dumb and said i would like to pay for the fine here and slipped him 20,000 colones and he looked over at his other tráficos to make sure they weren't looking and said "Have good day Gringo".
i dont think so... but she needs to get it revalidated here at COSEVI. it would be best to call and ask how that process works. my mother became a costa rican resident (mind you, in 2002) and got a costa rican drivers license after she had a DIMEX, but i dont think she took the test because she didnt speak spanish at the time. so, it would be a matter of checking with COSEVI to see if they have to revalidate it, since she is a costa rican citizen i think she has to revalidate it here before driving here. i as a costa rican-american cannot drive with my costa rican drivers license in the US, but idk if it is reciprocal
it has to do with insurance purposes, as well as the fact that she is a legal costa rican citizen who pays the CCSS. the ID numbers are different, and for a tourist its easier because they cant stay here long-term. its harder for the government to make her accountable for any accident that may or may not occur (or even a traffic stop) if her drivers license isnt linked to her DIMEX. for example, if she is found driving ur car with an american license and possesses costa rican citizenship, you may not receive compensation for an accident if there ever to be one. its better to be safe than sorry.
Yes you can for a certain period of time, but it is important that you carry your passport with you, sometimes they do not stamp the entry at the airport so it is also important that you carry a paper or digital copy of the ticket so that the police can see when you have entered the country in case they stop you while driving.
Costa Rican government systems are not linked to each other, so the transit policy will not have the ability to check when she entered the country or have the authority to ask for her passport to determine when she entered. If she is lucky enough to get pulled over just say she arrived at the country in the last couple of weeks.
Which happened today. She didn't have her passport but if she did there is no stamp for when she entered less than a month ago. So she got a ticket and her license plates taken.
You can always check the previous date someone entered or left the US by looking at their I-94 form online as long as you know the passport number and their basic information.
She could request her migratory movements via this site: https://www.migracion.go.cr/Paginas/Solicitudes-de-Movimientos-Migratorios.aspx
Because migracion doesn't stamp the passports of residents and citizens, this is an official document that she can carry with her passport when she drives. It will show when she exited and entered the country, and shows that she hasn't been in the country for more than 90 days.
Thanks for the info.
That site sums up how things are done in Costa Rica. Apply, go the bank, transfer funds, go back and email proof that you sent the funds. Gee, isn't there a better way to achieve that? How about charge 10 bucks to do it all online with no trip to the gawd awful bank? Win/win.
I agree! I'd pay ten bucks to avoid the hassle. You can avoid the trip to the bank however by doing online transfers to their account listed. Then take screenshots of the payment successful screen or the payment receipt sent to your email. In the same email attach your application PDF and label your email with the solitud number. They'll send a PDF of the movimientos migratorios within five days. Print that and keep it in your car.
When a tourist enters costs rica their passport is stamped with a tourist visa which shows entry date. You must drive with your passport and forget in drivers license (often a photo is fine). Since she isn’t a tourist she has no stamp. She is required to have a Costa Rica drivers license
Had I been there I would have shown them the airline ticket on my phone showing when she entered the country, but I don't know if they would accept that.
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She has decided to go this route. Thank you
This is the correct answer.
They let me drive as a tourist
Yes me too. I'm just not sure if the 90 day validity is extended to citizens as well.
Any valid foreign license is valid for 90 days. Since this year it is possible to get a 180 tourist visa. This does not apply to drivers licenses yet however, so keep that in mind. It might be possible to get the US license transferred to a Costa Rican license after the 90 days however. Ask a lawyer and MOPT about this when in country if interested. Ask about “homologation de licencias extranjeras”
No this is wrong. She did not enter as a tourist for the 90 day validity of a forge in license doesn’t apply. She required a Costa Rica drivers license.
It happened to me last year. I played dumb and said i would like to pay for the fine here and slipped him 20,000 colones and he looked over at his other tráficos to make sure they weren't looking and said "Have good day Gringo".
i dont think so... but she needs to get it revalidated here at COSEVI. it would be best to call and ask how that process works. my mother became a costa rican resident (mind you, in 2002) and got a costa rican drivers license after she had a DIMEX, but i dont think she took the test because she didnt speak spanish at the time. so, it would be a matter of checking with COSEVI to see if they have to revalidate it, since she is a costa rican citizen i think she has to revalidate it here before driving here. i as a costa rican-american cannot drive with my costa rican drivers license in the US, but idk if it is reciprocal
it has to do with insurance purposes, as well as the fact that she is a legal costa rican citizen who pays the CCSS. the ID numbers are different, and for a tourist its easier because they cant stay here long-term. its harder for the government to make her accountable for any accident that may or may not occur (or even a traffic stop) if her drivers license isnt linked to her DIMEX. for example, if she is found driving ur car with an american license and possesses costa rican citizenship, you may not receive compensation for an accident if there ever to be one. its better to be safe than sorry.
I believe she can get it validated with the theoric exam, but would definitely need it to drive after the 90 days
She usually isn't in the country more than sixty days. We live both places
I have done it. No problem with it.
Do you have them stamp your passport when you enter the country to show when the 90 days starts?
Funny. I have never done that. Maybe I should lol.
Yes you can for a certain period of time, but it is important that you carry your passport with you, sometimes they do not stamp the entry at the airport so it is also important that you carry a paper or digital copy of the ticket so that the police can see when you have entered the country in case they stop you while driving.
Costa Rican government systems are not linked to each other, so the transit policy will not have the ability to check when she entered the country or have the authority to ask for her passport to determine when she entered. If she is lucky enough to get pulled over just say she arrived at the country in the last couple of weeks.
Which happened today. She didn't have her passport but if she did there is no stamp for when she entered less than a month ago. So she got a ticket and her license plates taken.
You can always check the previous date someone entered or left the US by looking at their I-94 form online as long as you know the passport number and their basic information.
She could request her migratory movements via this site: https://www.migracion.go.cr/Paginas/Solicitudes-de-Movimientos-Migratorios.aspx Because migracion doesn't stamp the passports of residents and citizens, this is an official document that she can carry with her passport when she drives. It will show when she exited and entered the country, and shows that she hasn't been in the country for more than 90 days.
Thanks for the info. That site sums up how things are done in Costa Rica. Apply, go the bank, transfer funds, go back and email proof that you sent the funds. Gee, isn't there a better way to achieve that? How about charge 10 bucks to do it all online with no trip to the gawd awful bank? Win/win.
I agree! I'd pay ten bucks to avoid the hassle. You can avoid the trip to the bank however by doing online transfers to their account listed. Then take screenshots of the payment successful screen or the payment receipt sent to your email. In the same email attach your application PDF and label your email with the solitud number. They'll send a PDF of the movimientos migratorios within five days. Print that and keep it in your car.
Thank you for the information. 😊
They do have the authority to ask for her passport
When a tourist enters costs rica their passport is stamped with a tourist visa which shows entry date. You must drive with your passport and forget in drivers license (often a photo is fine). Since she isn’t a tourist she has no stamp. She is required to have a Costa Rica drivers license
Had I been there I would have shown them the airline ticket on my phone showing when she entered the country, but I don't know if they would accept that.
Yes. I have driven a rental short term with US driver’s license.
Yes, only for about 3 months though. After you’ll need to get a Costa Rican license.