Validity of your foreign driver’s license: PART III.

Highway in Costa Rics representing Validity of your foreign driver’s license

Question: What happens to the validity of your foreign driver’s license once your application for Costa Rica residency has been approved? Answer: Assuming you have not yet homologated your foreign driver’s license (see article – Foreign Driver’s License Homologation How-To), you will have 90 days to do so. Otherwise, you will need to do a […]

Foreign Driver’s License Validity Issues

Image of Costa Rican police officers representing foreign drivers license validity issues

“… but officer, I think you are mistaken…” Roadside Traffic Court Strategy Recently, I’ve received reports from clients who were stopped by Costa Rican transit police or had friends and neighbors stopped. The transit police claimed that their foreign driver’s licenses were no longer valid because the visa stamps in their passports were issued over […]

Purchasing a New or Used Vehicle in Costa Rica

Thumbnail image for article on purchasing a car in Costa Rica

What follows is based on my experience, plus the real-world expertise of immediate family and close friends in the automotive service business here in Costa Rica. Begin by carefully re-considering your brand bias. Many of those were developed with biased logic. Whatever brand you plan to purchase, look up its reliability ratings before making a […]

Driving in Costa Rica

Images of driving in Costa Rica

In a word: Different. You need to re-frame your idea of how to drive when you come to Costa Rica.  Road behaviors that can get you arrested and have your license suspended in your home country are often ignored here in Costa Rica. So you are left dealing with some really intrusive and outrageous habits […]

Tax-Free Vehicle Importation

Subjects covered: Most of the emails I receive about importation are about vehicles. As for the importation of furniture and other personal effects, check with your customs broker once you submit the actual list to them as to what you intend to import and if, in fact, going for tax exoneration with all its red […]