You must bring two documents with you !

If you would like to bring a vehicle to Costa Rica, either by ground, at the border of Panama or Nicaragua, or by boat you must bring two documents with you.

1. Vehicle title, showing ownership and the VIN

2. Smog test

The latter document is a vehicle emissions test, which shows the level of exhaust emissions. This must be authenticated by the Costa Rican consul in the country where the vehicle is registered. If you do not know how to obtain this document, ask the company doing the shipping for you for assistance. Normally they charge around $100 for the test and the authentication.

Depending on the instructions you give your shipper the vehicle will be sent to either Port Limon, Port Caldera or directly to San Jose. In order to discourage older and less fuel-efficient vehicles the Costa Rican government has established higher taxes on older vehicles. Newer vehicles pay lesser amounts of taxes.

Once the vehicle enters Costa Rica you must look for a customs broker to assist you in getting the vehicle out of customs and in paying the taxes. The shipper from your country can tell you who they work with in Costa Rica. Taxes are determined by a list of vehicles the government has created. Factors include make, model, VIN and other vehicle characteristics such as extras.

If you send the VIN number to us ahead of time we can give you an idea of the approximate amount of taxes on the vehicle.

Once the vehicle is out of customs and the taxes are paid, the vehicle will have to be registered in the vehicles section of the“Public Registry”. The services of a lawyer are required for this and you will need two documents as well.

1. Documentation showing the taxes have been paid which you should get from your customs broker.

2. A vehicle safety check, known as “revision tecnico”. This test is done in in Alajuela. It checks to make sure the vehicle you are registering matches the characteristics of the vehicle - color, VIN, motor number, etc. The test also checks for basic safety such as working lights and horn, brakes, ignition and so on.

he registration fee depends once again on the value of vehicle according to the government’s books. In addition, a “right to circulate” must be paid to the Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS). The “right to circulate” fee includes the minimum obligatory liability insurance required of all vehicles in Costa Rica.

The Registry will issue a temporary license plate allowing the vehicle to be legally driven in Costa Rica until the permanent license plate is issued. The permanent plate currently takes from 1-3 months to be made.

Keep in mind you can register the vehicle under a corporation (S.A.). The main reason to do this is to protect yourself in case of accidents since the vehicle is the only property of the S.A

If you have 2 or more vehicles it is recommended to have each vehicle under a different S.A.

Registering a vehicle under a S.A. has several advantages besides limiting your personal liability in case of an accident. The taxes are the same and in case you wish to sell, or purchase a vehicle, you do not need to re-register the vehicle/s or pay additional registration fees. Only the transfer fee of the S.A. is needed.

If you are thinking of bringing a vehicle it is best if you form the S.A. ahead of time. One can be created at a later date but is more time consuming to place the vehicle into the S.A.

If you would like more information, please feel free to contact us at the ARCR office. We can also assist you with advice on customs agencies, tax amounts, registration fees, forming a S.A. and others.