This used to be genuinely confusing, because two government departments had rules that contradicted each other. As of a 2024 reform it is straightforward. Here is where it landed.
The short version: your valid foreign licence is good for as long as your passport stamp says you can be here, up to 180 days. Carry both. Once you have residency, convert to a Costa Rican licence.
What changed, and why the old advice is wrong
For years the position was a mess. Immigration would stamp visitors in for up to 180 days, but the traffic law recognised a foreign licence for only 90. People with a perfectly valid stamp were driving on a licence the Tránsito considered expired, and nobody could give a straight answer.
A 2024 reform to the traffic law fixed it by tying the two together: a foreign licence is valid for the same period as the holder’s authorised stay. The reform also scrapped the old rule that made residents prove 91 consecutive days in the country before they could convert their licence.
If you find older articles saying 90 days, including the earlier version of this one, they predate that change.
As a tourist
- Your home country licence is what is recognised. It must be valid, not expired.
- It is good for the period stamped in your passport, which for US and Canadian citizens can be up to 180 days. The officer decides the number, so check what they actually wrote. More on that in the 180 day tourist visa post.
- Carry your passport with you when you drive. This trips people up constantly. The licence alone does not prove anything: the stamp is what shows the licence is still recognised. A photo on your phone is not the same as the document.
- You do not need an international driving permit.
While your residency is in process
You are in the country on tourist stamps, so the same rule applies: your foreign licence is good for the period of your current stamp. Each time you re-enter and get a new stamp, the clock resets with it.
Keep your paperwork accessible. If your residency application is filed, carry evidence of it alongside your passport.
Once you have residency
Your foreign licence stops being the basis on which you drive. You convert it to a Costa Rican licence, which for most people is a paperwork exercise rather than a driving test: a medical check, your documents, and a visit to the licensing office.
The 2024 reform removed the 91 consecutive day requirement that used to make this awkward for anyone who travelled, which was most people.
What to have in the car
- Your valid home licence
- Your passport, with the entry stamp
- The vehicle registration and proof of the mandatory insurance, which for a rental lives in the glovebox
- If it is a rental, the rental agreement
Police checkpoints are routine and normally uneventful. Be polite, hand over the documents, and you will be waved on. What the roads themselves are actually like is a separate question.
Leaving the passport in the safe at the condo. It is completely understandable, and it is also the single most common reason an otherwise legal driver has a problem at a checkpoint. Take it with you, or accept that you are relying on the officer being relaxed about it.
The mandatory insurance
Every vehicle in Costa Rica carries a compulsory liability policy. It is included with a rental, though not always in the headline price you saw online, which is why a cheap looking rental quote is rarely the real number. Ask for the all in price in writing before you book.
That insurance covers third party injury. It does not cover damage to the vehicle you are driving, which is a separate product and worth understanding before you sign.
What about buying a car?
If you are here long term, you will want your own vehicle. Two things to know before you start:
Cars cost far more here than in the US. Import duty is heavy, and used vehicles hold their value in a way that feels wrong to Americans. Budget accordingly.
Ownership is registered. Vehicles, like property, sit on the public register at the Registro Nacional, so ownership and any encumbrance can be checked. Do check, and use a lawyer or a notary for the transfer.
Where you end up living changes this a lot, and the area guides cover which towns are walkable and which assume a car. Whether you actually need a 4x4 depends entirely on where you live and what the roads to your house do in October. That is covered properly in the roads of Costa Rica.
Getting from the airport, legally and easily
If your first drive here is out of Liberia, the airport to Coco guide covers rental versus shuttle and what the road is actually like. The short version is that the coastal towns near Liberia airport are all reached on paved road and need nothing special.
Where to check before you travel
Rules change, and this post will go stale eventually. For anything about your entry stamp and how long you are authorised to stay, the immigration authority is the source. Your stamp governs your licence, so that is the thing to get right.
If you are planning the move rather than a visit, the full moving guide puts the licence question in order with everything else, and what to know before moving covers the expectations side.
