Category: Driving in Costa Rica

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How to obtain your Costa Rican drivers license

Estimated Driving Time: 6 Minutes Did you know that you need a Costa Rican drivers license when you have been in the country for more than 3 months? Nearly all obstacles to our residency in Costa Rica are in the rear-view mirror except for the matter of getting our Costa Rican drivers license. If you…

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Can you legally drive on a pending residency

Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes How can you legally drive when you have just moved to Costa Rica? Can you legally drive on a pending residency? Have you decided to settle down and start living in Costa Rica? Maybe giving it an extended tryout? Then you’re going to have to leave the country every 90…

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When you have a car accident in Costa Rica – time consuming

A car accident is never fun nor is it ever convenient.  One Saturday a couple of months ago my husband was driving through Barrio Mexico, going to a Little Theatre Group rehearsal. He stopped at a stop sign as required and was thinking about whether he should go straight or turn right (he wasn’t familiar…

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Changing color of my car and Riteve

Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Carole and Don from Atenas bought a cheap car that needed a paint job. Instead of painting it the same color, which was identical to the gardener’s car, they changed it to red. They had no idea what an adventure it would be getting the legal transfer in order until…

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I Bought A Turquoise Car So I Had To Paint It Red

Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes I had to paint my car red. That’s the color of the taxis in Costa Rica. But there was a reason. The business was dead. Picturesque Capitola, a seaside village in California, my hometown for twenty years, was abuzz with summer tourists. My seafoam green XJ8 Jaguar was parked outside…

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The behavior of trucks and buses in Costa Rica

Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Expats and visiting tourists should know about the behavior of trucks and buses on the Costa Rican roads. Most Costa Rican roads originated as oxcart paths in the valleys and on the winding hillsides. When these roads got converted to asphalt, they weren’t widened much. Buses in Costa Rica are…

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Driving in Costa Rica is a new experience

Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes How difficult is driving in Costa Rica? I am now assuming for a minute that you have a valid drivers’ license. The kickback style of Costa Rica’s citizens is reflected in the posted speed limits throughout the country. Remember, I said “posted” speed limits. Sometimes, even I find it hard…

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Take the car to Costa Rica or sell it

Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Everyone who moves to Costa Rica asks if they should take the car with them to Costa Rica or sell it. So how to plan to get your possessions moved to Costa Rica? First, you need to focus on moving yourself and your loved ones south. But what about and…

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Drivers in Costa Rica must provide email address now

by Ivo Henfling If you have a Costarican driver’s license, no matter if you have legal residency or not, you should read the following information. In the past, when the Costarican transit police would write out a ticket, it would go to the tag of the car. In December, when you’d pay your road taxes,…

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