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Scott
I remember you recently renewed your license. my is up this month and I don’t remember the exact process since they change so much
do you need a doctors exam
blood exam
how does this work
thanks
David
[quote=”maravilla”]yes, you need both of those things.[/quote]
Can you renew at the bank and if so does one have to make an appointment?no, you cannot renew at the bank. that is only for nationals. you will either have to go to LaUruca or your local MOPT office, but that is only if the passport number that is attached to your DL hasn’t changed. If it has then you have to go to Paso Ancho and get the number changed in the system and THEN go to one of the other two places. if you have your blood test from the first time, you can use that, but actually i don’t think they asked for it when i renewed, but the physical is a definite.
[quote=”colleen.1″]Can you renew at the bank and if so does one have to make an appointment?[/quote]
Yes, armed with your new physical exam, your blood typing result (if you haven’t had that recorded on your license previously), and prepared to pay the fee, you can renew your driver’s license at many (but not all) Banco de Costa Rica offices.
You must first call a “900” number (that I dont’ know) and make an appointment. What I’ve heard is that, if you “Press 2 for English”, the wait can be very long and you’re being billed for the connection time. So it’s best to make the appointment in Spanish or have someone do it for you. When you make the appointment, have your current driver’s license available and verify what the fee will be.
Not everyone’s phone has the “900” feature enabled, so you’ll need to verify that, too.
have you actually renewed your license at the bank, david? and if you don’t make the 900 call in spanish, you could easily eat up one or more pre-paid phone cards being on hold. when i went to renew my cedula i asked about renewing my license at the bank and was told it couldn’t be done.
Welp, maravilla, you’ve got me there. No, we have not renewed our driver’s licenses at BCR and we won’t this month either.
Our licenses have our old cedula numbers (5 digits) on them. They need to be updated to our permanent 12 digit numbers. Last time, we renewed at the driver’s license office in San Ramon and they changed the numbers from our passport numbers to those old cedula numbers. That made a trip to COSEVI somewhere in the bowels of San Jose unnecessary. We’re hoping they’ll do it again.
i really don’t think you can renew at the bank. or i would’ve done it.
what kind of cedula did you get with only 5 numbers? i’ve had my cedula for more than 7 years and it has always had the 12 digit number on it.
Our original cedulas, issued in November of 2005, were typewritten tan cards onto which a copy of the picture we submitted with our application was glued. Immigration’s plastic lamination device was on the fritz thatvday sonwevhad to have them laminated ourselves.
Okay so here is the absolute current ( as at todays date) the true and tried renewal of drivers license system.
Our original licenses were obtained using our passports as I.D’s. But, of course, in the last 2 years we renewed our passports and were issued with new passport numbers. So one now has to change the I.D’s in the “main system.
1. We caught a taxi from San Jose central to the MOPT office in Paso Ancho. It is far easier and less stressful than trying to drive there yourself.As you go through the main security gate turn right and go to the very end office and to windows 1 to 4. Produce your current drivers license and new I.D. ( in our case our cedulas). Within 10 minutes we signed for and received a “certificate” showing the change had been done in the main system.
2 Caught a taxi to Cosevi, La Uruca, went for a medical exam ( did not have to have our blood work done as our blood type was already on our old drivers license). Paid 15,000.00 colones each.
3. Went to Banco National ( right next door to Cosevi)and paid for our drivers license renewals – 10,000.00 colones each.
4. Went to the renewal office, produced our old licenses, the receipt from Banco National and the certificate from MOPT showing our ID change and waited 10 minutes max to have our new pictures taken, finger prints and sign on the dotted line. Sat and waited not even 4 minutes and was issued with my new license.
An absolute breeze and total time from leaving Grecia, to finale – 3 hours.
2 very important points to take note of though:-
1. Do not get into a non metered taxi and get ripped off. Our problem entirely.
2. A great pity that the staff at Cosevi are not given a lesson on how to take good photographs. I have to live with mine for the next 6 years. Not good. Perhaps you can ask to see your before they make it final.!
I hope this helps anyone out there who was unsure what to do.There are also driver’s licenses in La Uruca, Alajuela and San Ramon. We renewed ours in San Ramon last week. While there, we had them change our driver’s license numbers to be the same as our cedula numbers. Itvall went perfectly smoothly.
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]There are also driver’s licenses in La Uruca, Alajuela and San Ramon. We renewed ours in San Ramon last week. While there, we had them change our driver’s license numbers to be the same as our cedula numbers. Itvall went perfectly smoothly.[/quote]
David
why did you NOT tell me that I could do this before I renewed 🙂
it still went well. I gave the guy 10000 colones and he took care of the renewal without exam and blood work.
took 15 min
[quote=”davidd”]
Davidit still went well. I gave the guy 10000 colones and he took care of the renewal without exam and blood work.
took 15 mi[/quote]
For the cost of a medical exam and blood typing you bribed a government official? Is that what you’re saying? Were it mine to do, I sure wouldn’t admit to that in public.
sorry
I forgot how little corruption there is in this country 🙂
[quote=”DavidCMurray”][quote=”davidd”]
Davidwhy did you NOT tell me that I could do this before I renewed 🙂
it still went well. I gave the guy 10000 colones and he took care of the renewal without exam and blood work.
took 15 min[/quote]
For the cost of a medical exam and blood typing you bribed a government official? Is that what you’re saying? Were it mine to do, I sure wouldn’t admit to that in public.[/quote]
[quote=”davidd”]sorry
I forgot how little corruption there is in this country 🙂
[/quote]
davidd, you’re welcome to be cynical about the corruption you perceive in Costa Rica. Maybe you’re right, but adding to it will, at best, make matters worse.
The more pressing issue is that the sort of bribery that you have apparently participated in exposes you to criminal prosecution. You might be just the guy some government investigator is looking for to make an example of. Break the law if you must, but don’t brag about it. Exercise a little discretion.
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