Importing A Car Into Costa Rica: A Couple’s Struggle
Monday, July 7th, 2008
Ben and Vicki’s Car Importation Story
When we first arrived at the Costa Rica border, we were told to buy basic insurance for the vehicle, which would be good for 90 days. Seventeen dollars and about one hour later we were off and running. Now to this day I really don’t know what that “insurance” paper covered, if anything, but we had to have that paper in the car at all times. Now don’t get me wrong — I know that the vast majority of people who want to import a car to Costa Rica don’t actually DRIVE from the states to do so like we did. But we were ready for a road trip adventure, and most people aren’t. They simply hire a shipping company and the car or truck leaves from a port near you to a port in Costa Rica. But I’m pretty sure that most of what happens after the vehicle arrives is roughly the same.
You see, when you don’t really know the game and you are just kind of going by what you’ve heard, or tips from the internet, things can get a bit confusing. Don’t forget the whole language barrier thing too. A lot of people hire a “professional car importer” in the hopes of one-stop shopping — a guy who can handle it ALL for you. Whatever that is, we didn’t know one, and the 90 days are always ticking. So here is what happened to us, and how we managed to import our little car, which, I might add, is now sitting safe and happy and quite legal in our garage as I write this.
Domestic workers are pushing hard for a reduction in their work day and better working conditions, like reducing work hours to 8 hours per day to a maximum of 48 hours per week, down from the current 72, which many feel is an abuse by their employers.
