Before you start

DIMEX residence card
Your foreign licence, valid and in good condition
A medical examination (dictamen médico) from an authorised provider
Proof of address in the landmark-based Costa Rican format

Step-by-step

1
Get the medical examination first
A dictamen médico from an authorised clinic covers sight, hearing and general fitness. It is quick and inexpensive and is required for both exchange and first issue. It has a limited validity, so do not obtain it months early.
In personWho: You
2
Exchange the foreign licence at COSEVI
Residents with a valid foreign licence can generally exchange it without a driving test, presenting the DIMEX, the original licence and the medical certificate. Requirements differ by country of issue — check before booking.
In personWho: You
3
Understand the plate-based restriction in central San José
Vehicles are barred from the central area inside the Circunvalación on one weekday each week according to the last digit of the plate, during daytime hours. Schemes have been varied over the years — confirm the current rule with the Municipalidad before relying on it, because the fine is not trivial.
OnlineWho: You
4
Budget for the marchamo in December
The marchamo bundles the circulation tax, compulsory injury insurance and other charges into one annual payment due in December, calculated on the fiscal value of the vehicle. On a newer car it is a substantial sum and it lands at the same time as everything else in December.
OnlineWho: YouDecember each year
5
Book the RTV inspection when your plate is due
Vehicles undergo a periodic roadworthiness inspection on a schedule keyed to the plate number. Failing it means a re-test, and driving on an expired inspection is an offence.
OnlineWho: You
6
Learn to give your address as directions
The vehicle registry, the insurer, the courier and the workshop will all ask where you live, and none of them wants a street name. Compose a landmark-based description — so many metres in a compass direction from a named point — and reuse it everywhere.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

DIMEX
Foreign driving licence
Dictamen médico from an authorised provider
Marchamo receipt and RTV certificate, once you own a vehicle

Things most newcomers don’t know

The marchamo is why Costa Rican car ownership costs more than the purchase price suggests.

It is not a simple road tax: it bundles the circulation charge, the compulsory personal-injury insurance and other levies into a single annual payment calculated on the Ministerio de Hacienda's fiscal valuation of the vehicle, and it falls due in December alongside Christmas and the aguinaldo. On a recent model it can run to a meaningful fraction of the car's value each year, which is a strong argument for buying older and simpler than you would at home.

Source: Ministerio de Hacienda; INS

Buying a car here costs far more than the same car abroad, and that is deliberate.

Costa Rica applies substantial import duties and taxes on vehicles, so a used car that would be cheap in North America carries a price here that startles new arrivals. Combined with the marchamo, this is the reason many residents in Escazú and Santa Ana keep an older vehicle rather than importing a newer one — and the reason the Ley 9996 vehicle-import concession, where it is still available, is worth real money.

Source: Ministerio de Hacienda

Addresses do not exist, and this affects far more than navigation.

Costa Rica has no functioning street-address system. Utilities, banks, couriers and government forms all ask for a landmark-based description in hundred-metre blocks. Some reference landmarks — the antiguo higuerón in San Pedro is the famous example — were removed decades ago and are still used. Newcomers who try to give a street name and number get blank looks; the fix is to write your own description once and reuse it verbatim.

Source: community-reported

Green-season afternoons reshape when you drive, not whether you drive.

From May to November the Central Valley gets clear mornings and a hard downpour most afternoons, which turns a twenty-minute drive into an hour and makes the mountain roads out of the valley genuinely hazardous. Costa Ricans schedule around it — meetings and errands before two, travel out of the valley in the morning. It is the single most useful piece of local scheduling knowledge here.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Getting the medical certificate too early and finding it has expired before the appointment.
Ignoring the plate-based restriction in the central area and collecting a fine.
Buying a newer car without modelling the annual marchamo on its fiscal value.
Giving a street address to a courier or a utility and never receiving anything.
Driving the mountain roads out of the valley on a green-season afternoon.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.