Drivers License Update
MOPT
Ministry of Public Works and Transportation
Press Release
Public Relations Department
(506) 2523-2063 / (506) 2523-2062
All services related to driver licenses to remain suspended until May 15
- Written and driving tests, license homologation and renewal are amongst the services affected.
- Grace period is extended for anyone whose license expired after March 20.
- Renewals can be processed at Banco de Costa Rica branch offices.
The Ministry of Public Works and Transportation has announced that the suspension of services related to driver accreditation will remain in place until Friday, May 15. This has been decided on the grounds of public interest, and as a preventative measure to help cope with the health emergency affecting the country, and given the nature of the tasks carried out by the Directorate General of Traffic Education staff and their continuous, permanent and close interaction with numerous users on a daily basis.
Services such as the issuance, renewal and homologation of licenses, and the issuance of driving permits, written and driving tests, will be affected. Moreover, all driving tests scheduled until May 15 will be cancelled, and anyone with test appointments on those dates will be able to reschedule in a few days, as appropriate.
Normal operations will resume on Monday, May 18, for which purpose, the Directorate General of Traffic Education has been instructed to present a proposal on the protocol to be applied nationwide once services resume, in accordance with the directives, guidelines and all sanitary measures and recommendations issued to date by the President of the Republic.
Expired driver licenses
The grace period is extended until May 15 for those drivers with licenses expired after March 20, that is to say, no one with a license expired within this period (March 20-May 15) will be subject to a fine for this reason. Yet, it must be noted that this grace period does not cover any driver with a license expired prior to March 20, 2020.
The above period also applies to any driver holding an international license, who has stayed in Costa Rica for more than 3 months in an uninterrupted way, with a homologation date as of March 20.
Furthermore, any tourist entering the country after December 17, 2019 is hereby granted a time extension until July 17 for the purpose of having their driver license renewed, if required.
Lastly, please note that, as part of the Digital Government (Gobierno Digital) agreement, all driver license renewal and driving permit services are offered at any of the 22 Banco de Costa Rica branch offices available.
MOPT
Public Relations Department
(506) 2523-2063 / (506) 2523-2062
29/04/2020