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Dodged a Bullet Thanks to a Kind Transit Official
April 28th, 2009
Car owners every year must have their cars inspected. This is done by a private company, Reteve. Information here. There are locations all over Costa Rica and you must call first to make an appointment. The month of expiration is equal to the last digit on your license plate. Mine expired two months ago but when I went for the exam, I had a minor issue that needed to be fixed. Sadly, I let this go. Dumb.
So I was at the airport last week and sure enough, I get flagged down by a transit cop. I am thinking that a ticket is a forgone conclusion but, as I have made a new appointment for another inspection, I thought I had a slim chance of getting by. I DID, but the really important thing is that when handing me back my documents, he pointed out that my drivers license would expire tomorrow. He saved me just a world of hurt. While you do have some leeway in renewing it, if you let it go too far, you must start with driving school and then re-take the written and practical exams (in Spanish). While I do speak the language, the time lost would have been a disaster. So off I went yesterday to get my license renewed. If this topic interests you, read on!
For years, in order to renew your drivers license, you had to go to the MOPT facility in San Jose. The lines were long often taking 2-4 hours to get or renew a Costa Rica Drivers License (more details on that here). Not only was the process slow, just finding the stupid MOPT building was a problem. I have lived here for years and I still get lost trying to find that place! Well no more. New and renewal licenses are now issued from behind the Consevi building on the main drag through Uruca about 250M from the split at the Shell gas station. Easy to find, but very little parking. If you go, there is a little soda (small walk-up restaurant) right next to Consevi where you an park and eat if you wish.
In the USA and maybe elsewhere, your drivers license often expires on your birthday. Here no! It is the date you got it. This is why I failed to notice or think about it. Further, my license was good for seven years. 2002 is a long time ago and I just failed to check.
Renewing or obtaining a new license (presuming you have a valid unexpired license) is a three step process.
- Pay for the license in advance at any Banco de Costa Rica office. There is one near Consevi.
- Get a physical exam and blood typing (see below)
- Take your payment receipt, your medical exam paperwork, and other documents to the licensing offices behind Consevi.
The first step is to pay 10,000 colones for the license. This is done at any Banco de Costa Rica. They give you a receipt and you must have this when you go to get your license or renewal.
The second step for either renewal or getting a new license is getting the physical exam. When the MOPT was the place to go, there were at least 10-15 medical offices within one block. Now there is just one that I could find, located maybe 150M from Consevi on the same road. Ask anyone. Easy walk. They just test your eyes, blood pressure and ask some standard questions. If you have medical proof of your blood type, the cost is 10,000 colones. If you do not, add 5,000 colones for the blood typing. I did not, so renewal for me was 25,000 colones, about $45.00. Ugh! Further, renewals are no longer for seven years. Now you must return in five years.
After you have the medical exam paperwork, signed and ready, you return to Consevi, enter the property, then walk perhaps 300M to the back of the lot where the licensing facilities are located. You must have your Costa Rica license (or an unexpired license from your home country, your passport (or cedula if you are a resident), and your receipt from the bank.
Once inside, there are two line. The first is to get your data entered into the system. The second is to get a new photo. My total time inside was about an hour. Add thirty minutes for medical and I was done on about 90 minutes.
I underatnd that renewals can also be done at Banco Nacional, but the last time I heard, only Costa Rica citizens could do this because there was an issue with residency cedulas having too many digits in the ID. If anyone has done this, add that info in the comments below!
Filed under Costa Rica, Drivers License Costa Rica, Life in Costa Rica, Living in Costa Rica | Comments (9)9 Responses to “Dodged a Bullet Thanks to a Kind Transit Official”
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Always a wealth of info…thank you!
This blog took me to therealcostarica.com which answered a multitude of questions that that concerns me. Good to know my license is good for at least the length of my stay on my visa.
I was considering doing a home-stay and language school in Chile, (I know the Spanish they speak there is different than Latin America) but am leaning toward Costa Rica again. I’m planning to stay at least three months, but that could easily be extended depending on how things go. The Central Valley outside of SJ is looking good. I have some loose ends here that have to be taken care of first.
I love reading your blog. You always have SO much info. One question…Is anything EVER easy there? It seems like everything is multiple steps and takes a lot of time!
Wow! THAT may one of the best questions I have ever been asked. After a bit of thought, the general answer is…. no. In fact it is that alone that causes many A-Types to either seek therapy or simply leave the country. The simple act of renewing residency makes the driver’s license thing a walk in the park. Last year, I am sure I spent 8-10 hours on that process. It should have taken about 2 hours max. Things often are just so much harder than they should be.
If you live here, you just either learn to adapt or you leave. My first year here was pretty tough as I was the consummate A-Type. Now, I take my iPod when I know the lines will be long and I make do. I also learned Spanish and THAT allows me to chat and make friends while I am waiting. Now… I just do not even think about it much any more. The DL thing is MUCH better than when it was in the old location… so changes are being made. You mellow out.
Miguel… Chilean Spanish is quite understandable. There is no issue. Now, if you want ISSUES, take a trip to Argentina!
“The REAL Costa Rica” blog scores again! Thanks so much for that. The recent effort to streamline getting a driver’s license seems greatly minimized and a mere whisp of other “tramites” required to live in Costa Rica. I say this in comparison to personal experiences with issues like opening a bank account (corporate and personal), buying a car, dealing with RACSA, ICE, Cable Tica and on and on. Very often I get tired of ex-pats ranting about “the culture” or, “It’s their country!” neither of which apply. “Bureaucracy” and make-work jobs often performed by non-caring folks comes to mind. This is not just Pura Vida. It happens to be all over the world and Costa Rica is just one little country of many trying to survive in a sinking world economy. Methinks living in Italy, France, Germany or Spain, or Houston, Texas can be a real chore. And, on and on!
Cy Bolinger
Last week (7/2/09), I did this procedure to have my foreign license ‘turned’ into a costa rican one. It worked out well. One important thing: they ONLY attend foreign licenses before 12pm! Make sure you get there in time, because they’ll just send you away with the traditional ‘mañana’.
Tim,
A new procedure (imagine that!) seems to be in place for first time driver’s licenses that may interest your readers.
My and my wife had come to La Uruca to finish the photos and signatures for the last step in the residency process. That had gone better than expected so we though we would try the licensing run.
We had forearmed ourselves with multiple copies of passports and stateside drivers licenses. Found a small office (with parking) about 50M before the CONSEVI entrance for the required medical cert and blood typing. No line! My wife had her Red Cross donor card so she skipped the blood work (and it’s fee). A little Spanglish and a little Englais and that was all done lickety-split – so went on to a BCR just inside the CONSEVI entrance to make payment but was told that a new issuance required us to visit CONSEVI first to get a voucher as we were not in the system. This turned out to be correct – read on.
Walked on down 200m or so to the licensing office and arrived at around 10AM. Found a nice long line – but there are always lines in Costa Rica, right?
So shuffle and stand… about 10:50 a nice gentleman in uniform appeared and made some sort of mumbley announcement which my on-board (and not too stellar) Spanish translator caught only the word “internacionale”…. I should have asked “Repite? Por favor” but did not and so proceeded to shuffle some more. When we got the head of the line, attendant informed us that the time for extrajeranos had ended at 11:00 AND that we hadn’t need to wait in line at all – just come to the front – like they announced just before 11:00. Turns out they have a special crew upstairs that does nothing but “internacionale” first-time licenses but they shut down at 11:00. So come back manana. Side note – a group of the folks we had been on line with for the last two hours and trying to practice our Spanish on were VERY upset that we were being turned away. We had to really be insistent that it was OK for us to come back. Cool. I really am building a big “bueno” bank against the day when the inevitable “mal dia” happens.
So we did. Went back to the head of the line, was sent upstairs where four other were waiting their turn. In due time got our required paperwork and bank voucher – so back to the BCR just in time to see the one window close (it was about 11:30) – waited around until they reopened about 12:45 and 10 minutes later we were headed back to the liscencio with our receipts. Again – went to the front of the line as we had been instructed upstairs and were sent to an area just inside where photos were being taken – 15 minutes later we were both leaving with our new licenses in hand.
Had we known the right procedures and arrived at a optimum time (9:00AM should be about right) we could have done this in less than two hours.
Everyone (official and otherwise) was nice – especially after the first few minutes of contact – while I think they were waiting to see if we were examplos of the “Ugly Americano” – once they saw us struggling to do the right thing and speak some halting Spanish – they were suddenly more than helpful. I do not consider it time wasted at all.
PS: If you have a motorcycle endorsement on a US license and want the Costa Rican equivalent, it is a separate card and requires a second payment.
Also, Costa Rica issues four “classes” of moto license. Almost anything that will keep up in US traffic will be a class four. Just ask for “maximum” – they will not bat a eyelash. Otherwise you will find yourself riding a 200cc flyweight.
All new issues are good for three years.
Of course, any of this is subject to change at any time.
Thanks! Very helpful.
Christie- I’m going off the assumption that you live in the U.S. right? Well if that’s the case I can’t conceive why you would complain about the 90 minute venture to renew a drivers license. I myself have spent upwards of 3 hours in a DMV here for the same process. Chill.