Official: Costa Rica extends grace period for foreign drivers

The Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT) has publicly announced an extension to the validity of foreign driver’s licenses within Costa Rica.

Foreign nationals who entered Costa Rica as tourists from December 17, 2019 to November 30, 2020 can drive using their valid foreign license until March 2, 2021. These people must carry both their license and their passport, MOPT says.

Permanent residents, temporary residents or refugees who should have homologated their foreign license by March 20, 2020, now have until January 11, 2021 to do so. Until that date, they too can drive with a valid foreign license.

“It is clarified that as long as these extensions are in force, the Traffic Police will not sanction for these causes the people whose conditions apply for these grace periods,” MOPT says.

Typically, a foreign driver’s license is valid for 90 days after arriving in Costa Rican, which coincides with the maximum duration of a tourist visa. These extensions for tourists and residents are due to the travel and institutional impacts caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Citizens, residents or refugees can book an appointment to homologate their foreign license at this link: https://servicios.educacionvial.go.cr/Formularios/SolicitarCitaTramite