All You Need to Know About Driving Legally in Costa Rica
Originally published in 2022 | Updated October 2026
When you’re traveling outside your native country, you normally take into account aspects such as lodging, food, and transportation. This last one is as important as the other two mentioned, so having information about driving legally in Costa Rica is essential and useful for those who want to travel across the country with their own vehicle, rented or even borrowed.
Whether you are visiting Costa Rica as a tourist or planning to relocate permanently, understanding the relationship between immigration status and driving privileges is particularly important. For those considering a longer stay, our guide to moving to Costa Rica provides additional information about residency and other legal requirements.
Driving legally in Costa Rica
For foreigners who want to drive in Costa Rica, the Traffic Law (Ley de Tránsito por Vías Públicas Terrestres y Seguridad Vial, Law No. 9078) will apply in the same way as it does for locals. That is to say that the same regulations apply to them, and also the same sanctions as to Costa Ricans or other residents.
When this article was originally published in 2022, the period permitted for a person to drive with a foreign license in Costa Rica was three months. However, this rule was subsequently modified.
Under the amendments introduced by Law No. 10591, which entered into force in December 2024, foreign visitors holding a valid driver’s license can drive in Costa Rica for the period authorized by the Immigration Department, provided they comply with the applicable legal requirements. Consequently, the authorized driving period is connected to the visitor’s immigration status rather than an automatic 90-day limit.
Foreign nationals who intend to remain in Costa Rica for an extended period can also consider obtaining a Costa Rican driver’s license through the process known as homologación, which recognizes qualifying foreign driver’s licenses.
For the process of obtaining a national license or homologating a foreign one, the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT, its acronym in Spanish) establishes requirements concerning the validity of the foreign license, the applicant’s legal immigration status, and the type of license requested. Under the updated legislation, applicants must demonstrate their legal stay in Costa Rica rather than assume that an approved residency card, known as DIMEX, is the only possible basis for eligibility.
The MOPT provides official information about foreign driver’s license homologation, including the procedures and requirements for completing the process.
For foreigners who have already submitted a residency application, it is also important to understand the relationship between their immigration proceedings and their driving privileges. Our article, Can I Drive With a Foreign Driver’s License While Waiting for Residency in Costa Rica?, addresses this question in greater detail.
Why is it important to drive legally?
Many people think that the repercussions of driving illegally as a foreigner in Costa Rica are strictly migratory in open processes, but that’s not entirely true. The MOPT is a government institution and is separate from the Immigration Department, so its regulations are intended to ensure road control. However, both departments have communication between them.
If a person is stopped on the road and is driving without the appropriate legal authorization, traffic authorities can impose the sanctions established under Costa Rican law. Depending on the circumstances and the applicable violation, these consequences can include fines and administrative measures affecting the vehicle. In the case of a rented vehicle, the rental company can also become involved in resolving the resulting administrative issues.
Outstanding traffic fines can create additional complications, particularly when they are associated with a vehicle or driver subject to administrative restrictions. The National Road Safety Council (COSEVI, its acronym in Spanish) is responsible for various functions involving traffic enforcement records and related administrative procedures.
Drivers should therefore verify whether outstanding fines or restrictions apply to their particular circumstances before attempting to leave the country or complete administrative procedures involving their vehicle.
Additional information about traffic regulations and applicable sanctions is available through the National Road Safety Council (COSEVI).
Grace period for using a foreign driver’s license
Historical information: The following section describes temporary measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. These exemptions have expired and should not be confused with the rules currently in force.
Previously, the MOPT had extended the periods to be able to drive with a foreign license due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a series of temporary measures taken by the Immigration Department.
For example, foreign drivers who were in Costa Rica as tourists from December 17, 2019, to November 30, 2020, were given a waiver to legally drive after their first three months in the country. This was done with the purpose that these people, due to border closures and other reasons, could use their foreign license on Costa Rican roads until June 1, 2021.
Thus, within this category of tourists were all those people who had an appointment scheduled with the Immigration Department but had not yet presented their documents on the premises of this institution. In other words, these foreigners were waiting for the date of the appointment to arrive and, under the rules applicable at the time, would have to leave the country and enter again in order to be able to use their driver’s license.
The other grace period, which is the one that many foreigners had doubts about, was the one for people who already had an open process with the Immigration Department. In this case, the MOPT established that the waiver was extended for foreigners whose immigration status could be classified as “regular” — that is, those whose final residency resolution was pending or those who were in the process of requesting a change of immigration category or extension (“prórroga”, in Spanish).
Because of this grace period, those foreigners could drive in the country until September 30, 2021, if their driver’s license was valid or expired as late as March 20, 2020. This applied to everyone who had a docket number provided to them at the time of filing the application for residency and who were waiting for the Immigration Department to issue a ruling on the application.
Why was this grace period not extended?
Historical context: This section explains the situation in 2021 and 2022, before subsequent amendments to the Traffic Law.
A fundamental point at the time was that the Traffic Law only allowed a person to drive with a foreign license for a period of three months and no more than that. Nevertheless, there were circumstances that temporarily changed this fact, as happened during the months when borders had to be closed due to COVID-19. That was the reason the MOPT granted an exception for a certain period of time.
As a result of the above, the law had to be complied with once the temporary exceptions expired. After September 30, 2021, the borders were already open and operating normally, so the MOPT made the decision not to extend the grace period that had previously been granted.
An important detail to take into account is that both institutions are part of the government. They have communication between them, and they analyze aspects that involve both. However, neither has a hierarchy over the other since they are different institutions with different functions. Thus, the MOPT’s decision at that time was intended to ensure road control and compliance with the provisions of the Traffic Law.
It is important to distinguish these historical exemptions from the current legal framework. In December 2024, Costa Rica enacted Law No. 10591, modifying the recognition of foreign driver’s licenses and the relationship between driving privileges and authorized immigration stays.
Foreign nationals who intend to remain in Costa Rica should therefore review the current requirements before relying on the rules that applied during the pandemic.
For additional information about the different immigration categories available to foreigners, see our Complete Guide to Getting Residency in Costa Rica.
Based on the above, if you want to drive in the country, the most important thing is to do it in compliance with all the regulations that Costa Rica establishes since they will apply to everyone equally, whether they are nationals or foreigners.
As mentioned, not complying with the regulations will bring consequences to both the person and the vehicle, so it is important to follow the guidelines and avoid negative repercussions, which will make your time in Costa Rica more enjoyable.
