In CR, your currently valid US license is good for the length of your valid CR visa, tourismo, employment, education, I forget the others. I think unde ther new law, for those long time perpetuals on tourist visas, you're going to have to go home every 4 years or so to renew your DL.
It does get complicated even in the US where states like mine have passed statutes in contradiction of internanional treaties. COSTA RICA IS ONE OF THE FEW THAT HAS NOT RATIFIED THE TREATY ON DRIVING.
With exceptions, pursuant to the Vienna Convention 1968 (Amended 2011), a son of the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, in almost all countries, if you have a valid DL from your country, it is good in the country you are in as long as you are legally there for up to three years or until you become one of their legal residents. A few also require an accompanying Int'l DL which really is only a translation of your home DL into various languages. The Vienna Convention has been ratified by 70 countries. Examples of countries that have not ratified the Convention include Chile, China, COSTA RICA, Ecuador, Ghana, the Holy See, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, and Venezuela. So, there's that.
My parochial home state judges and prosecutors don't have a clue or care about Int'l Conventions and will convict a guy from, let's say Poland, for invalid DL, even though he's legal via the Convention. My state statute says 3 months and then they need a state DL and that's all the judges want to hear, in direct conta of the convention we signed. Forces an appeal, alot of $$, but he'll win. All premised on the guy is here legally, whether it be a tourist visa (usually 6 months by US), work visa (indef-renewable here with proof), medical treatment visa (renewable, same), or student visa (renewable, same) and not here more than 3 years. Not so in CR--they ain't in on the pact.
I'd say as long as you were legal in CR and your US DL was valid, it wouldn't be an issue. I've never had a problem renting a car a hundred times, or the few times I've stopped by a transito. I recently got a CR license more so for ID and to cut the bullshit in certain situations as opposed to needing it to drive. I am back and forth to the states, 3 weeks apart in our winter, and rarely go during CR winter.
I think that under their new statute, it'll hurt those who are out of immigration status, or can't rectify their status, or can't get home to get a new DL and still be eligible to come back to CR.
It's complicated.
|
Duplicate post. 
Just how does a factual statement suddenly became "untrue" if a person decides the original factual statement was personal. 
