By Laura Gutierrez of Immigration Help Costa Rica

In my March 14th article about the validity of foreign drivers’ licenses used by tourists, I also mentioned that it was pending an official resolution. At long last, we finally have that resolution, and it will be published in the official newspaper La Gaceta in the next few days, according to the MOPT website.

The resolution covers two categories of foreigners:

1) Tourists who entered Costa Rica AFTER December 17, 2019.
2) Those of you awaiting approval on submitted residency applications.

1) Until June 1, 2021.

A grace period is granted to drivers with a current foreign drivers’ license (or one that expired since March 20, 2020) who are in Costa Rica as tourists who entered the country after December 17, 2019, and meet the conditions of the visa extension to June 1, 2021. You must have COVID insurance to cover this period to June 1, 2021, or beyond and have sent proof of that travel insurance to the electronic address [email protected].

For clarity on COVID insurance, please visit: https://micrositios.ins-cr.com/seguroviajero/ – OR – https://tiendasagicor.com/en/

2) Until September 30, 2021.

Foreigners who have submitted a residency application and are awaiting approvals. The foreign license validity has been extended to September 1, 2021, even if that license has expired in your country of origin since March 20, 2020. You must also have COVID insurance, as outlined in the previous paragraph.

These band-aid policies continue to beg the question as to why you continue to be restricted (and made miserable) with these brief timelines, given all the COVID impacted work slowdowns at the DGME (Immigration.) IE: If the DGME (Immigration) takes much longer to process approvals on submitted applications for residency than drivers’ license validity times, then it would stand to reason that foreign drivers’ licenses remain valid up until those submitted applications for residency are approved, and the applicant is eligible to apply for a Costa Rican drivers’ license. Pretty basic math.

We will continue to nudge the Costa Rican government through communications with the ITC (Ministry of Tourism) towards more applicant-friendly policies and report their responses (or non-responses.)