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I am visiting CR from the US for 90 days Jun-Aug. (tourist visa) I am shipping my Jeep there and back to the US, keeping my NY registration and plates.
I have twice been assured by Geico, my insurance company here, that they can write me a policy for Costa Rica. I’m not so sure it will be OK, and I don’t know who to ask.
Where do I go to get a definitive answer?
Fred
You will not be allowed to register your car in Costa Rica unless you can show that it has Costa Rica insurance – Period! They don’t know/care who GEICO is and even though GEICO may cover you here – which I really doubt – Costa Rica will pay no attention to it.
The insurance monopoly will be broken eventually (I think in 2011) but that’s a few years away
I do not plan on registering my Jeep in Costa Rica. My question is: Will I be allowed to bring it into CR? I will have it there for 90 days under a tourist certificate. It will still have NY/USA plates, NY Registration and NY Insurance through Geico. I would think it would be the same as if I drove to CR and then left before the 90 day limit. My question is do I need to get CR gov’t sponsored insurance or can Geico write the policy?
You will be required to purchase a liability policy from INS when you bring it in. It is not expensive and there is no way around it. You need to show proof of it before they will release your vehicle from customs.
You need to remember that the 90 days begins when you arrive in the country, not when your car gets there. Try to send the car ahead so it will already be there when you get there. Not too far ahead because the thieves at the port will remove anything loose they can find. My vehicle was there one day and they even stole the headrests off the seats.
Alberto
Thanks for the answers. My question now is do I buy the INS insurance in advance or when I go to pick up my Jeep?
Fred
I brought mine in through Limon and there was an INS office in town to handle it. The insurance papers took no more than one hour to fill out. There was TWO pages! Que sera sera!
There is a window there at Aduanas for the tourist vehicle process. The will help you through it. My whole time was no more than six hours. They stopped in the middle and went for lunch!
Relax and enjoy it, the whole process is quite humorous or frustrating depending on your perspective.
Alberto
Edited on Apr 26, 2008 15:19
As a drive on. I delivered it to Crowley Lines, Port Lauderdale, and hopped a plane from the Fort Lauderdale airport about two miles away. I think with brokerage it was about $600. Crowley has a boat that delivers cars to all the Carribean islands on a regular basis.
I never found anyone who would do the container thing for less than $2000 dollars.
Alberto
Hi Fred,
You’ll buy the INS policy just before you go pick up your Jeep. Costa Rica will allow you to drive it with your NY plates, but be sure to carry your proof of INS insurance, the tourist visa for the Jeep, your driver’s license and your passport with you at all times. I have done this several times and always carry a copy of my title with me, too, but the Policia have never asked to see that, and I’ve been stopped several times just because I have foreign plates.
It’s hard to time things just right, but it is good advice to try to get the vehicle to arrive here just before you do. You don’t want to be waiting around for it, nor do you want the risk of having it exposed at Limon. If I were you, I would contact Barry at ShipCostaRica.com and have him bring it to San Jose from Limon. That way it will be secured in a warehouse until you arrive, and far more accessible. I don’t think it will cost too much, and it sure would make your arrival more convenient.
Hi, and thanks for your input TXGringoTico.
Actually, just last night, I decided to not bring my Jeep, because it was too much of a hassle and too vulnerable to theft. Even though it’s all dented and beat up, it has about $20K worth of modifications. Heck, if I were a thief with any knowledge of cars, I’d steal and strip the whole thing. To see a list go to: http://www.4x4fred.com/jeepinfo.html#Jeep%20Info .
Anyway, I’ve decided to rent a GEO Tracker 4X4 for 3 months. It’s not my Jeep, but it’ll get me around.
Fred
Alberto, just curious because this is new to me (I don’t doubt you though). Does the INS policy apply as well when someone drives across the border into Costa Rica, as a tourist that is? Surely it’s just if you are shipping it? What about someone with Tico plates driving to Panama for a few days, do they need Panama insurance or are their laws different? Just wondering, might consider doing it sometime.
Thanks,
JonWow! OK Fredo… After reading that list I think you better lock that Jeep up tight in the USA while you’re down here enjoying yourself. That thing is a thief magnet wherever you take it. I certainly think you made the right decision not to bring it here for a vacation. It might be different if you lived here and had a really safe place to lock it up every night, but even then it would be risky. It would NEVER survive a vacation here.
The bad thing about renting a Tracker is that it’s not your Jeep. The good thing about renting a Tracker is that it’s not your Jeep! Hope you have a great time here.
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