Countries
Driving in Costa Rica with a US license
Costa Rica asks for a passport and a license. The roads, and what happens after an accident, deserve more attention than the permit.
Do you need an International Driving Permit there?
Driving in Costa Rica on a US license
US license accepted for visitors
| US license counts | no limit stated for visitors |
| IDP | Not required by the rule we read, but rental desks and insurers may still ask for one. |
| Conventions | Party to neither convention |
| Rule | State Department Drivers need a valid passport and a US license or an international driving permit. |
Source: U.S. Department of State, Costa Rica country information (updated August 11, 2025). Not legal advice; the country's own authorities decide.
Driving in Costa Rica: the full rulesTo drive in Costa Rica you need a valid passport and either a US driver's license or an international driving permit, according to the State Department's Costa Rica page. The permit is an alternative, not an addition. Costa Rica is not a party to the 1949 convention and signed the 1968 one without ratifying it. The page's practical advice is about what follows an accident: do not move the vehicle until both the traffic police and an insurance investigator have made their reports, and know your rental company's policy, since companies may fine drivers who fail to file a report. Travelers have told the Embassy that rental companies charge their credit cards for unpaid tickets, and that the Embassy cannot intervene. Roads to beaches and rural areas are often unpaved, potholed or reachable only with four-wheel drive, and crossing even shallow moving water can make a car unstable.
Which road traffic convention has this country joined?
Costa Rica
Neither
| 1949 Geneva | not a party |
| 1968 Vienna | not a party |
| Our reading of the rule | US license accepted for visitors |
Party to neither convention. The United States is a party to the 1949 convention only; a country's own law can still ask for more, or less.
Rules read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
The passport is part of the license
Because the passport is listed with the license, keep it on you when driving rather than in the hotel safe, or at least carry the pages with your entry stamp. The State Department's wording is quoted on this page as published. A tourist stay has its own limit set by immigration rules; we found no separate driving limit in the texts we read.
Renting for the back roads
Many itineraries need a four-wheel drive. Check whether the rental insurance covers river crossings and unpaved roads, which contracts often exclude. The rental guide sets out the insurance questions, and the trip planner combines Costa Rica with other stops.
Costa Rica at a glance
| What a US license holder needs | US license accepted for visitors |
| How long the US license counts | no limit stated for visitors |
| Side of the road | right, as in the United States |
| 1949 Geneva convention | not a party |
| 1968 Vienna convention | not a party |
| Rule read in | U.S. Department of State, Costa Rica country information (updated August 11, 2025) |
What the State Department page says
| Passage on driver's licenses, as published |
|---|
| You must have a valid passport and a U.S. driver's license or an international driving permit. |