Driving in Costa Rica

Like any other country, Costa Rica has particular laws, customs, and activities regarding driving. There is plenty to learn and explore when you come to a new country, so here we offer a general overview for those wondering how owning a vehicle and driving is like in Costa Rica.

Who can drive in Costa Rica?

By Costa Rican law, people ages 16 and older can drive motorcycles and those 18 and older are allowed to drive passenger vehicles legally. Tourists can drive as long as they have their foreign license up to date, paid local insurance, and provide valid passport stamps. Residents are able to obtain a Costa Rican license either by validating their foreign license or by passing the tests of the Road Safety Council (Cosevi).

Licenses have various categories as well, depending on the type of vehicle you are driving your age, and special training requirements. Each type corresponds to the use of a specific vehicle. This means that you cannot drive a motorcycle with a passenger car license and vice versa. Check our articles on how to validate your foreign license or get a tico license and how to renew your tico license.

Importing vehicles

 Compared to other countries, shipping vehicles into Costa Rica does not pose many restrictions, but, since imported goods are regulated by Customs, you need to be prepared for a slow and bureaucratic process. You can read about this procedure here.

Restrictions

In 2012 a law was issued stating that cars that have the steering wheel on the right side of the car and cars converted to switch the wheel and pedals to the left cannot be imported. Right-hand-drive cars imported before 2012 were given the chance to be converted so they could remain in Costa Rica.

Costa Rican emission regulations work differently for vehicles registered before and after 1995. If you import an old vehicle now, it will be registered as if it was a new one no matter its manufacturing date. If your old car happens to emit more than what is acceptable according to Costa Rican regulations for cars registered after 1995, then you won’t be able to drive it legally.

The country also has strict regulations for noise. If your vehicle is louder than the maximum levels stated according to each type of transportation, you can receive a penalty fine.

What is it like to drive in Costa Rica?

In Costa Rica, traffic signs and symbols are quite similar to those seen in other American countries like the United States. You will see stop signs, crosswalks, yellow double lines, dotted white lines, only (“SOLO”) turn lanes, bicycle lanes, you name it.

Costa Rica uses Kilometers per Hour. If you are used to measuring speed and distances in miles, a good rule of thumb is that 100 KPH is approximately 60 MPH. Here, you will see the maximum speed in the city is 40KPH (24 MPH), on main roads it is 60KPH (37 MPH), and highway speed can range from 80KPH to 100KPH (49 MPH to 62MPH).

You will notice many people prefer to go by in their cars instead of using public transportation. This causes some parts of the Central Valley, the most densely populated area of the country, to experience significant traffic jams before and after work hours. The areas most affected by daily traffic are the main roads from San José to Heredia, Alajuela, and Cartago, La Uruca, Lindora, and Route 27 from Ciudad Colón to La Guácima. Additionally, the main roads to popular touristic places like Jacó, Coco, and Puerto Viejo can get crowded on Friday and Sunday afternoons.

Road conditions in Costa Rica are not exactly the very best. Watch out for potholes, unpainted lanes and speed bumps, and protruding road patches. Locals often complain that there is little coordination between the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT) and the Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA). This causes new and old roads alike to go through constant and sloppy mending.

You will have to be patient while driving in Costa Rica because many people do not obey the speed rules and drive slowly in the fast lanes. Trucks and buses take over these lanes as well. This adds up to road congestion and accidents involving people trying to pass slow drivers. According to the country’s road safety laws, this is illegal, but many do it anyways and even traffic police do ot stop people from hoarding the fast lane.

Additionally, watch out for cyclists, horse riders, ox carts, and even loose cattle on both small and main roads. Costa Rica is still figuring out how and where to offer safe spaces for people to ride bicycles. This causes cyclists to ride on roads that put them close to cars. It is very rare to see cyclists with lights, reflectors or bright-colored clothing at night – making them nearly impossible to see. Therefore, the risk of accidents is increased.

Costa Rica is also home to communities with rural lifestyles, even in the urbanized areas of the Central Valley. Make sure to look out for animals being transported and transporting people from place to place. If you come to Costa Rica and plan on driving, we recommend you drive defensively as these conditions can cause other drivers and road-users to act unpredictably.

Driving-related activities

Off-Roading

Something very popular that both visitors and locals do is off-roading even though it should not be done so freely. Both beauty and thrill drive people to test their driving skills crossing rivers, cliffs, and vegetation. Be it the hills and lows of Cerro Pelado, the heavenly beaches of Guanacaste, volcanic slopes, riversides, plains, peaks. We strongly advise you to protect our natural diversity and make sure it is legal to drive in the areas that you want to visit. Costa Rica has protected lands where people are not allowed to enter. Also, be very careful. During Costa Rica’s rainy season, dirt roads become prone to mudslides, flooding, and you and your vehicle could get swept away and trapped.

Off-roading is so popular and the country offers such a vast selection of tours, chances are you won’t have problems finding the right trail for you.

Racing

 If you are a driving or racing enthusiast then you’ll definitely be interested in visiting Costa Rica’s own racetrack in Parque Viva (formerly known as Autódromo La Guacima), located in Alajuela. There are several events and competitions for spectators and drivers alike.

The circuit holds events like The Costa Rica Touring Car Championship (part of the GT Challenge de las Americas) part of the GT Challenge de las Americas, where drivers from the American Continent compete in a series of races across different race tracks from Central America. You are able to experience this event live at Parque Viva as a spectator.

If you are more of a driver, you will enjoy participating in one of the several events organized at this same track from track days to drag racing and time attacks. Besides the Go Rigo Go Circuit, but on a smaller scale, Los Llanos in San Carlos and La Marina in Guápiles are also places where you’ll find racing events. There are several activities open for people looking for a thrill.

Do you feel ready to take over the Costa Rican roads? We hope you can use this as your guide to drive through this land, make sure to come back soon because we have more tips and tricks to share.

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