International Driving Permit in Costa Rica

🗓 Facts checked against Costa Rica's road-traffic law and official sources. Research last updated: 29 July 2026. You may copy this information only if you provide a link back to this page.

⚠ This page is general information about driving rules, not legal advice. Rules change, and each authority applies its own — confirm your case with the relevant authority before you drive.

ℹ We are a private company. We are not a government body, a licensing or issuing authority, or a treaty organisation, and we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for any of them. The International Driver's Document we sell is a translation of your national driving licence: it is not a driving licence, and it is not a government-issued document.

• Driving in Costa Rica: key facts
• Do you need an International Driving Permit in Costa Rica?
• What side of the road does Costa Rica drive on?
• How long can you drive in Costa Rica with a foreign licence?
• Is Costa Rica a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?
• Why acceptance of your licence varies from place to place
• Can you drive in Costa Rica with your country's licence?
• Where to get an International Driving Permit
• Moving to Costa Rica? Rules for new residents
• Driving rules in Costa Rica tourists get fined for
• Read more about driving in Costa Rica
• Sources

Driving in Costa Rica: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Costa Rica?

No International Driving Permit is required or has statutory force in Costa Rica: the country is a party to neither the 1949 Geneva nor the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (it signed the 1968 text in November 1968 but never ratified it). Article 91(a) of Traffic Law 9078, as reformed by Law 10591, authorises any holder of a foreign driving licence who is in the country under any immigration-stay subcategory of Law 8764, or in transit, to drive the same vehicle their licence permits, for a period identical to their authorised legal stay. The same paragraph also bars officials from demanding the licence in physical form when the holder shows it digitally because that is how the issuing country issues it. An IDP or an official Spanish translation is therefore optional — but it is genuinely useful if your licence is old-style paper or is not written in the Latin alphabet (UK government advice, for example, tells holders of the old UK paper licence they may need a photocard licence or an IDP).

• Tourists and short-term visitors: carry your national licence together with the document named in the row for your country of issue, in the table below — for most origin licences that document is not an IDP, so read your own answer rather than assuming one.
• Car renters: Carry the original foreign licence — or the digital licence if that is how your country issues it — plus your passport and evidence of the latest authorised entry period, and the rental agreement and insurance papers. Since Law 10591 an officer may not fine you purely for not having the licence physically on you where the entitlement can be verified another way, but do not rely on that at a rental counter.

No specific penalty for driving without the required document was verified from an authoritative source. Official source.

What side of the road does Costa Rica drive on?

Costa Rica drives on the right-hand side of the road, and overtaking is done on the left. Cars in Costa Rica are left-hand drive.

How long can you drive in Costa Rica with a foreign licence?

Exactly the period authorised by Costa Rican immigration. Article 91(a) grants a driving period 'idéntico al autorizado para su permanencia legal en el territorio nacional' — it names no fixed number of days. Immigration now commonly grants tourists up to 180 days, and UK government advice confirms a foreign licence can be used 'for up to 180 days, depending on the length of stay you have been granted as a Tourist'. A shorter entry authorisation means a correspondingly shorter driving period, and the foreign licence must itself remain valid throughout. (Traffic Law 9078 article 91(a) as reformed by Law 10591 (5 November 2024, in force on publication 2 December 2024). The 180-day maximum comes from the DGME entry authorisation, not from article 91 itself.)

Planning to move to Costa Rica? Different rules apply once you become a resident — see the residents section below.

Is Costa Rica a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?

Costa Rica is party to neither the 1949 Geneva Convention nor the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. An official convention IDP cannot be issued in Costa Rica, and convention rules do not bind it — licence acceptance is governed purely by local law and bilateral arrangements.

Why acceptance of your licence varies from place to place

Whether a foreign country accepts your driving licence hangs on a tangle of variables: three different road-traffic conventions signed decades apart (1926, 1949, 1968) — the oldest predates the United Nations itself, and only the latter two were concluded under it — countries at different stages of joining each (signed vs. accepted vs. ratified), licences printed in alphabets local police can't read, vehicle-category systems that don't line up between countries, document generations that may not meet a convention's format even when the country is a member, bilateral deals between individual states, and local laws that are looser in one place and stricter in the next. The same licence can be fine at one border and rejected at the next — even at the next rental desk. The International Driving Permit exists to cut through most of it: a standardized, multilingual presentation of your existing licence, with harmonized category symbols, that most officials can read at a glance. It doesn't replace your national licence or grant new rights — you carry both — and it doesn't guarantee acceptance: a handful of destinations still require a local permit alongside or instead of it, but for most it meaningfully improves your odds.

Can you drive in Costa Rica with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Costa Rica as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. Costa Rica lets you drive on any valid foreign licence for exactly as long as your entry stamp allows — commonly up to 180 days for tourists. No International Driving Permit is required, since Costa Rica belongs to neither road-traffic convention, and since Law 10591 an officer may not fine you merely for not carrying the licence physically where your country issues it digitally. A Spanish translation or IDP is useful for non-Latin-script licences but is not a legal requirement. Once you move onto a residence status, you must homologate to a Costa Rican licence — and the practical test and road-safety course are waived. Rules change — confirm with official sources before you travel. Last verified: July 2026.

Legend: "1949" — Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (IDP valid up to 1 year); "1968" — Vienna Convention (IDP valid up to 3 years).

What the Status column means on this page:

• National licence OK — the destination lets a visitor drive on the national licence itself. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, gives the basis, and any period or condition that qualifies it.
• National licence OK — IDP advised — the destination does not require an IDP for this licence, but carrying one is advised. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, gives the reason and any conditions attached.
• IDP or translation — your national licence needs a supporting document alongside it. Which ones the destination accepts, and whether an official IDP can be issued for your licence at all, are in the row for your country of issue, in the table below.
• Not established — the record does not settle whether you may drive here on this licence; confirm with the destination's licensing authority before you rely on it. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, says what could not be confirmed.
• National licence OK — IDD/translation advised — the destination does not require an IDP for this licence, and no official convention IDP can be issued for it; carry an IDD or a certified translation instead. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, gives the reason and any conditions attached.

Sources and notes for the table above

[1] Traffic Law 9078 article 91(a), as reformed by Law 10591, published in Alcance 194 to La Gaceta, 2 December 2024

[2] No translation clause exists in Ley 9078 art. 91 as reformed by Ley 10591 (per the official gazette text); this entry records practical advice only

[a] Licence categories do not follow the convention A–E scheme — rental staff may ask for an IDP to map them.

[b] IDD = International Driver's Document, a standardized translation of your national driving licence. You can apply here: https://idaoffice.org/apply-now/.

Where to get an International Driving Permit

An International Driving Permit must be obtained before you travel, and only certain countries may issue one to you — you cannot buy an official IDP from an unrelated country. Under the 1968 Vienna Convention it may be issued only by the Contracting Party where you normally reside and which issued or recognizes your licence — by that Party's competent authority or by an association it has duly empowered. Under the 1949 Geneva Convention it is issued by the competent authority of a Contracting State, or by an association that authority has duly empowered. Which body that is varies by country: a government agency in some, an authorized motoring club in others.

• Travelling from Costa Rica? Costa Rica's IDPs are issued by Automovil Club de Costa Rica (ACCR) — applications are accepted online. Official site. Costa Rica is party to neither road-traffic convention, so the permit is issued outside the UN convention framework and is not an official convention IDP — check that your destination accepts it.
• Travelling from another country? Ask that country's driving-licence authority which body it authorizes to issue IDPs — a government agency in some countries, an authorized motoring club in others.

Separately, IDA offers a digital International Driver's Document — a translation of your national licence that you carry alongside it. It is not an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 or 1968 conventions by the body your country authorizes for that purpose, and it is not a certified, sworn or otherwise official translation: no authority certifies it, and where a country requires an official or certified translation by law, our document does not satisfy that requirement. It is a private translation meant to make your national licence readable at rental desks and roadside checks.

Moving to Costa Rica? Rules for new residents

Anyone with an approved Costa Rican immigration status — or who has merely filed an application for one — together with accredited foreign diplomatic and consular officials and staff of international organisations, must obtain a Costa Rican licence by homologating the foreign one. Law 10591's headline change is that the old requirement of a minimum uninterrupted period of stay in the country (the 91-day rule) before you could apply was abolished. Official source.

Driving rules in Costa Rica tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Check seat belts, child restraints, tyres, lights, spare wheel and warning equipment, and that the registration (marchamo/RTV) and insurance documents are in the vehicle. Never attempt to cross a flooded road or river ford.
• Drink-driving: Plan for zero alcohol. Costa Rica applies separate administrative and criminal blood-alcohol thresholds, with lower limits for professional and novice drivers. The exact current figures could not be re-verified for this dossier, so do not drive after drinking at all. Alcohol offences fall in the highest fine category and can bring vehicle detention, licence points or suspension, and criminal proceedings at higher readings.
• Speed limits: Obey the posted km/h limits. San José operates a weekday restriction on private cars entering the capital, allocated by the last digit of the number plate — ask the rental company whether your vehicle or route is affected on the day.
• Carry the original foreign licence — or the digital licence if that is how your country issues it — plus your passport and evidence of the latest authorised entry period, and the rental agreement and insurance papers. Since Law 10591 an officer may not fine you purely for not having the licence physically on you where the entitlement can be verified another way, but do not rely on that at a rental counter.
• Two-wheeler bonus: if your foreign licence is equivalent to Costa Rican type B-1 or higher, article 91(a) additionally lets you ride, on non-primary roads only, mopeds and combustion motorcycles up to 125 cc (or electric/hybrid up to 11 kW), and trike- and quad-type motorcycles up to 500 cc.
• Right-hand-drive vehicles are illegal in Costa Rica and do not qualify for local insurance; border authorities may refuse them entry. This matters if you plan to drive your own vehicle in from elsewhere.
• Mandatory basic insurance attaches to the vehicle and is limited in scope. Read the collision-damage, liability, tyre, glass, underbody and off-road exclusions before declining the rental company's extra cover.
• Do not leave documents or valuables in a parked vehicle. Avoid unfamiliar rural roads after dark and expect potholes, landslides and flooding in the rainy season, one-lane bridges, pedestrians and animals. If you are in a collision involving injury, or the other driver does not accept blame, do not move the vehicle until the traffic police arrive.

Read more about driving in Costa Rica

• 10 Interesting Facts About Costa Rica
• Best Places to Visit in Costa Rica

Watch what driving in Costa Rica looks like

A few minutes of real POV footage is the fastest way to feel confident before your first drive in Costa Rica:

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. PGR/SCIJ consolidated text of Traffic Law 9078 — note: now 302-redirects to sinalevi.go.cr, which did not serve the consolidated text on the date checked, so it could not be read directly.
3. UK FCDO Costa Rica advice — foreign licence usable 'for up to 180 days, depending on the length of stay you have been granted as a Tourist'; paper-licence/IDP note; right-hand-drive vehicles illegal; San José plate-number restriction.
4. UK FCDO Costa Rica — emergency number: 'Telephone: 911 (ambulance, fire, police)'.
5. US State Department Costa Rica travel advisory — page was not serving content during verification; content and issue date not confirmed.
6. Automovil Club de Costa Rica (ACCR) — authorized IDP issuer in Costa Rica
7. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
8. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic