Home › Forums › Costa Rica Living Forum › Question about drivers licenses process
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November 16, 2010 at 12:00 am #164595ticorealtorMember
My question is how many people have used a lawyer for the process? I am taking a quick survey to see how much people have spent and who they used.
In the family biz there is about 3 to 4 gringos a day that come to get the physicals and process done. It is interesting to see the prices people have been charged with lawyers. We have seen up to 200 dollars.
November 16, 2010 at 1:28 am #164596waggoner41Member[quote=”ticorealtor”]My question is how many people have used a lawyer for the process? I am taking a quick survey to see how much people have spent and who they used.
In the family biz there is about 3 to 4 gringos a day that come to get the physicals and process done. It is interesting to see the prices people have been charged with lawyers. We have seen up to 200 dollars.[/quote]
For a driver’s license? You have to be kidding!
12,000 colones for the blood test at any lab.
10,000 colones for the driver’s license at COSEVI in Uruca.Total cost: 22,000 colones
Sshh, a little secret…they speak English at labs and COSEVI
November 16, 2010 at 1:43 am #164597alexander69Member[quote=”waggoner41″][quote=”ticorealtor”]My question is how many people have used a lawyer for the process? I am taking a quick survey to see how much people have spent and who they used.
In the family biz there is about 3 to 4 gringos a day that come to get the physicals and process done. It is interesting to see the prices people have been charged with lawyers. We have seen up to 200 dollars.[/quote]
For a driver’s license? You have to be kidding!
12,000 colones for the blood test at any lab.
10,000 colones for the driver’s license at COSEVI in Uruca.Total cost: 22,000 colones
Sshh, a little secret…they speak English at labs and COSEVI[/quote]
A blood test? For?????
November 16, 2010 at 2:06 am #164598waggoner41Member[quote=”alexander69″]
A blood test? For?????[/quote]Blood typing.
If you get in an accident your blood type is printed on your drivers lisence.Mine is RHA negative.
You don’t know what’s involved in the lisencing process?
November 16, 2010 at 2:10 am #164599maravillaMemberi paid nothing but the fees for the physical and bloodwork and then the license. why would someone need a lawyer? this is a no-brainer, although i do know people who have used the services of ARCR and they charge $35 a person. seems silly to me.
November 16, 2010 at 2:21 am #164600alexander69Member[quote=”maravilla”]i paid nothing but the fees for the physical and bloodwork and then the license. why would someone need a lawyer? this is a no-brainer, although i do know people who have used the services of ARCR and they charge $35 a person. seems silly to me.[/quote]
I knew you had to have a physical but I did not know about the blood typing. It is a good idea. I have read about the licensing process but have not gone through it yet. Will be in the next two or three months, hopefully.
November 16, 2010 at 3:04 am #164601grb1063MemberNeeding a lawyer seems to be the typical knee-jerk reaction for something that is not researched on your own or simply understood. Why a lawyer for something so simple ticorealtor?
Will a blood test screening at a US lab count or is it necessary to get the blood work done in Costa Rica?November 16, 2010 at 3:53 am #164602ticorealtorMember[quote=”grb1063″]
Will a blood test screening at a US lab count or is it necessary to get the blood work done in Costa Rica?[/quote]Nope you have to have it done by a certified Costa Rica lab.
It is interesting, my wifes family owns the only doctor and lab that is certified to take in the money for the government and is only a half a block away from the MOPT. Last week I was hanging around there and noticed some gringos come in. They came in with a runner from their lawyer. He left them in the care of us and was going to come back after they had their medical. I asked how much they were paying their lawyer and they said 150. Of course I didn’t say anything but after words I asked my brother in-law what was the percentage of gringos that came in. Then he told me the stats and I was a little shocked.
November 16, 2010 at 4:38 am #164603dboyMemberThe blood work requirement is bogus. Hospitals will not give you the blood type based on what’s on your drivers license. They will need to check your blood type themselves, otherwise they could be a bad situation.
That said, I went to a doctor, and I think all told including him ‘certifying’ my blood type was under 10,000 colones.
November 16, 2010 at 1:04 pm #164604DavidCMurrayParticipantBoy! You’re right about that, dboy. No physician I’d want touching me would rely on something written on my driver’s license to decide which blood type to give me. This is an interesting idea that pops up in the public sector from time to time, both here and elsewhere, but it’s pure drama, nothing more.
That said, I think my wife’s American Red Cross donor ID card satisfied the MOPT the last time we renewed our licenses. Maybe they understand the value of this too.
November 16, 2010 at 5:06 pm #164605sueandchrisMemberWe paid our lawyer’s “runner” $20 each to take us (for the first time) to get our license. We paid separately for the doctor’s report. We still don’t know our way around the San Jose area and found this service to be a bargain. He drove us, pointed us to the right line and hung out until we had our shiny new licenses in our hot little hands. Of course for renewal in three years will head back alone.
This was one of those times when a small fee made our lives easy peasy!
November 16, 2010 at 7:20 pm #164606DavidCMurrayParticipant“. . . easy peasy.”?
November 16, 2010 at 11:14 pm #164607pethargMember[quote=”ticorealtor”]My question is how many people have used a lawyer for the process? I am taking a quick survey to see how much people have spent and who they used.
…a related question is, “How long can you drive in C.R. on your U.S. license?” – 90 days?
November 17, 2010 at 12:36 pm #164608alexander69Member[quote=”DavidCMurray”]Boy! You’re right about that, dboy. No physician I’d want touching me would rely on something written on my driver’s license to decide which blood type to give me. This is an interesting idea that pops up in the public sector from time to time, both here and elsewhere, but it’s pure drama, nothing more.
That said, I think my wife’s American Red Cross donor ID card satisfied the MOPT the last time we renewed our licenses. Maybe they understand the value of this too.[/quote]
Happy to know about the blood donor card as I have one and donate often. Twenty dollars seems reasonable to be driven around and waited on. Anything over that is absurd. I think the problem is that when a tico sees a gringo all he sees is dollar bills. That is because we have set it up that way. The “blue eyed” price. We need to be diligent in not just paying whatever is asked of us. Bargain, don’t pay more than two or three dollars an hour for unskilled services. I’ve been taken advantage of three times since my introduction to CR. Once by two gringos and twice by ticos. It was very costly and I won’t be taken advantage of again. Any thoughts on this. Stories? Good and Bad?
November 17, 2010 at 1:39 pm #164609Jim S.Member[quote=”petharg”][quote=”ticorealtor”]My question is how many people have used a lawyer for the process? I am taking a quick survey to see how much people have spent and who they used.
…a related question is, “How long can you drive in C.R. on your U.S. license?” – 90 days?[/quote]
As a tourist, you can drive on your home country’s license so long as you are in valid tourist status. For visitors from the US, that is 90 days. If you overstay, your US license is no long valid in Costa Rica and that can mean big problems if you are in an accident or are stopped by the police.
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