Costa Rica is one of the harder places in the Americas to own an interesting car, and one of the more rewarding. The tax system is punishing, the roads will find every weak weld, and the humidity is patient. What you get in return is a small, tight community, roads that are genuinely worth driving, and a legal category for old cars that most people never discover.
Start here: Costa Rica applies heavy import taxes to vehicles, and the rate is tied to the age of the car. Newer cars carry the highest bracket, with the burden shifting as vehicles age. Vehicles over 30 years old are treated separately, and a car can additionally be declared of historic interest through MOPT — a status with real consequences.
The historic vehicle declaration
This is the piece that changes the maths for collectors, and it is genuinely obscure.
Under the national traffic law and its accompanying regulation on vehicles of historic interest, an owner can apply to have a car formally declared historic. What makes it workable is that the Automóvil Club de Costa Rica is authorised to issue the certification attesting to the authenticity and originality of the vehicle's parts and components. The club certifies; the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT) then reviews the file and issues the final declaration.
In practice this means the club is your first stop, not the ministry. The application goes to both — a signed and authenticated request to MOPT, and a parallel one to the club — and the certification of originality is what the whole process turns on. Cars that have been heavily modified, restomodded, or fitted with modern drivetrains will struggle here, because originality is the test.
Import reality, without the wishful thinking
A great deal of confusing information circulates about importing vehicles to Costa Rica duty-free. Here is the sober version.
Standard imports attract a combination of import duty, the Selective Consumption Tax, and VAT, which together produce the figure most shippers quote for a modern car. The exact rate depends on the vehicle's age band and customs valuation, not on what you paid for it — Costa Rican customs values vehicles from its own tables, which regularly surprises people who bought well.
On exemptions: Law 9996, the digital nomad law, does not create a general vehicle import exemption. Import taxes on passenger vehicles continue to apply under the standard customs framework unless a specific, separate exemption applies. Certain resident categories have at times been able to apply for exemptions through the Hacienda EXONET system, a document-heavy process requiring your DIMEX card, Caja compliance certificates, tax clearance, and sworn statements — with the ministry taking up to 60 days to decide and weighing your declared income against the value of what you are importing.
The honest planning assumption: budget as though you will pay the tax, and treat any exemption as upside. Get written advice from a customs broker on your specific vehicle and residency category before you book shipping.
The things that actually damage cars here
Collectors moving from dry climates consistently underestimate this.
- Humidity. The Central Valley is mild but damp; the coasts are worse. Without climate control and air circulation, you will find corrosion in places that never rusted in Arizona or Texas, plus mould in interiors and mildew on leather.
- Salt air. Beachfront storage is hard on chrome, brightwork and brake components. Many owners with coastal houses keep the collection inland for exactly this reason.
- Roads. Potholes, unpaved sections, aggressive speed bumps, and steep grades. Low-slung cars have a difficult time outside the main highways.
- Parts. Nothing is on a shelf locally. Every part is an import order with shipping, duty and delay. Owners of common classics — air-cooled Volkswagens, older Toyota Land Cruisers, Datsuns — have a far easier time than owners of anything rare or European.
- Technical inspection. Registered vehicles go through periodic roadworthiness inspection to stay road legal, which is worth understanding before you import something with unusual equipment.
The scene itself
Costa Rican car culture is real but modest, built around weekend meets, club runs into the mountains, and appearances at town festivals. The Automóvil Club de Costa Rica sits at the centre of it, and because it holds the historic-vehicle certification authority, it is also the practical entry point for anyone serious about old cars here.
What you will see is different from a North American show field. Fewer American muscle cars, more Japanese and European survivors, a strong showing of air-cooled Volkswagens, old Land Cruisers and Land Rovers that actually work for a living, and the occasional very special car quietly owned by a family that has had it for decades.
The driving is the real draw. The road over Cerro de la Muerte, the routes around Arenal and Monteverde, the Guanacaste back roads, the climb out of the valley toward Orosi — these are proper driving roads with almost no traffic on a weekday.
Insurance, plates and the paperwork nobody mentions
Two practical items catch importers late. The first is insurance: agreed-value cover for a collector vehicle is not a standard product here the way it is in the United States or United Kingdom, and the mainstream policies are written for ordinary cars. Ask specifically about valuation basis before you assume your car is properly covered.
The second is the mandatory annual vehicle circulation charge, known locally as the marchamo, which every registered vehicle pays and which is calculated from the fiscal value the tax authority assigns to the car. Owners of several vehicles feel this cumulatively, and it is worth modelling across a collection rather than per car.
Common questions
Is it cheaper to buy a classic locally than to import one?
Frequently, yes — because the tax has already been paid and is embedded in the local price. The trade-off is a much smaller selection and the need to inspect carefully for humidity damage.
Can I bring a car in temporarily without paying duty?
Visitors can bring a vehicle in on a temporary import permit tied to their stay, typically 90 days, after which the car must leave the country or be formally imported and registered.
Does a historic declaration reduce my taxes?
The declaration is a status under the traffic law affecting how the vehicle is treated, not an automatic customs exemption. Treat the tax question and the historic-status question as two separate conversations with two different advisors.
Where should I store a collection?
Inland, in the Central Valley, in a dehumidified and ventilated space. Owners who keep cars at the beach spend their money on corrosion instead of on driving.
Can I register a left-hand drive import?
Left-hand drive is standard in Costa Rica. Registration goes through the Registro Nacional after customs clearance and technical inspection, and most people use a notary to handle it.
Before you ship anything
The cars usually arrive after the house does. If a garage, workshop space, or climate-controlled storage matters to you, it belongs in the property brief from the start — retrofitting it is expensive and often constrained by what you bought.
Book a consultation and tell us what you drive. We can factor storage and access into the search, and connect you with customs counsel before you commit to shipping.
General information only — not legal, tax, or customs advice. Import rules and rates change; verify current requirements with a licensed Costa Rican customs broker and counsel.