• About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe
Live and Invest Overseas
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Panama
      • Portugal
      • Belize
      • Dominican Republic
      • Mexico
      • Colombia
      • Italy
      • Montenegro
      • Northern Cyprus
      • France
      • Spain
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Gun Laws In The World
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Safest Places For Retirement
      • Best Places In Latin America
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
Live and Invest Overseas
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Panama
      • Portugal
      • Belize
      • Dominican Republic
      • Mexico
      • Colombia
      • Italy
      • Montenegro
      • Northern Cyprus
      • France
      • Spain
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Gun Laws In The World
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Safest Places For Retirement
      • Best Places In Latin America
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
No Result
View All Result
Home In Focus: Panama

How To Drive Your Car Across The Border In Latin America

Crossing The Panama-Costa Rica Border In Your Car

Robin Post by Robin Post
Jul 09, 2020
in In Focus: Panama
0 0
0
car on the road evening time

Image Source: iStock/Rostislav_Sedlacek

421
SHARES
6k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Is it possible to cross borders by car in Latin America?… This is a question I get asked a lot by current and prospective expats. My husband and I took up the challenge of finding out for ourselves.

Our border of choice? The Panama-Costa Rica border at Paso Canoas.

In short, the procedure is convoluted, but it’s better than the alternatives. Having your own car means you can bring whatever you want; no need to worry about airline bag restrictions or limited bus space.

It saves money on bus tickets and taxis. It also saves time: you’re free to make your own schedule rather than work around someone else’s. Want to make a pit stop or bathroom break? Go ahead.

Driving your own car allows for spontaneity, a key ingredient in any good adventure.

How To Go About This…

The first order of business when crossing the Panama-Costa Rica border is the paperwork. Be sure to have your car registration, last mandatory and yearly car inspection (revisado), last proof of license plates (placa), and yourcédulaor e-card at hand. Have at least four copies of each of these as well as your passport.

Next up is the exit stamp. Go to the government office in David (if you’re starting in Panama) called Dirección General de Ingresos (DGI). This is downtown in the building of the Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas. (If you own a business, this is the same building where you pay your sales taxes.)

Bring all the aforementioned paperwork with you. Tell them you need a stamp forsalida tramito. You’ll need a DV number for your car. The attendant at DGI peruses the originals of your paperwork and issues you a DV number from the computer.

Drive to theaduanas(customs) area near the airport. Tell the agent there that you want to drive to Costa Rica and need clearance papers. After checking your registration andplacathey’ll issue you a form entitled “Ingresos Varios,” which will cost you US$5.

You’ll then receive a Certificación De Pago Impuestos de Importación describing the car’s vehicle identification number, plate type, and model. You’ll know you have been issued the proper form if the last line reads “Certificación para salida del país,” which in English means “certification to exit the country.”

This is good for three months. You’re now ready to head for the border, but I strongly suggest that you make several copies of this paperwork first…

Our border crossing was at Paso Canoas. Upon arrival at the gate adjacent to the Panama exit border control, park your car and lock it. You’ll be accompanied to an office where you’ll be asked for three copies of your registration,placa, passport, andcédula.

This is followed by a 10- to 15-minute stop at the Panama side window for additional papers, which allow you to get out of Panama. This costs another US$5.

Remove your luggage from your car and take it to the x-ray area. Following this, take all pertinent paperwork towards the Costa Rica side to theirmigración. Here they’ll take photos and fingerprints, then stamp your passport.

After driving your car through the insecticide wash, you can park on the Costa Rica side and finish the last few things. Almost there…

Across from themigraciónwindow is the insurance office. It’s mandatory to purchase three months of insurance, which costs US$47. Even though you’re now on the Costa Rican side, they’ll accept U.S. funds. Make sure everyone who’ll be driving your car is on this list. This is very important.

You’re now on your way. As an added bonus, you won’t need proof of onward travel (as you would if you were flying or taking the bus) because you’re driving.

Return Journey

The return journey to Panama follows largely the same steps, only in reverse. There are two routes available for crossing the border between Costa Rica and Panama from the Costa Rican side: Paso Canoas or the Caribbean side.

This is more of an adventure, as you go from Sixaola, Costa Rica, to Changuinola, Panama, over a long, single-lane, two-way bridge… Not for the faint of heart, as this bridge carries huge trucks, pedestrians, bicycles, wheelchair-bound people, as well as normal-sized passenger cars.

Park the car just before the border. Again, an attendant will be there to help you. Go inside and pay the Costa Rica exit tax, which was US$18 cash for my husband and I last time.

Next stop is the migration lineup to get the passports stamped to leave Costa Rica. The lineup is sometimes long, but beingpensionados(or retirees), we were escorted to the front.

In an adjacent office you’ll need to fill out a form to exit the country. Thankfully it’s in Spanish and English. Provide a copy of your registration, and you’ll be given a form signed by the authorities that allows you to take your car back to Costa Rica within the following three months if you want.

You’re on your way once more. Again, there’s the insecticide car wash… a stop ataduanabuilding to get your passport stamped, photo, fingerprints, etc. Helpful hint: check your passports to make sure they were stamped with the correct date and time.

Crossing the border by car sounds tedious but it goes quickly. It’ll take about an hour and a half each way, assuming your paperwork is in order. As with every procedure in Latin America, you’ll need patience and a good sense of humor.

Robin Post

Share169Tweet105
Robin Post

Robin Post

Robin Post is a writer who divides her time between Panama and Canada. She loves traveling, writing, reading, painting, and extolling the virtues of retiring overseas, with many published articles on Panama and Costa Rica. Along with her husband, Robin has explored every corner of Panama and loves every inch of the isthmus. When in Canada, she enjoys spending quality time with family and friends.

Related Posts

Surfers Paradise Venao Beach In Panama
In Focus: Panama

Why We Chose Panama: Life In Los Islotes

by Live And Invest Overseas
September 14, 2023
0

Retiring to an overseas haven has become a reality for many in the current day, including Peg, a retired teacher,...

Read more
View of Panama City's skyline framed by a tropical rainforest.

Go Offshore: Panama Is The Perfect Place To Start

August 31, 2023
Panoramic view of skyline of Panama City downtown and financial center.

From Canada To Panama: Our Expat Story

August 17, 2023
Walking Path Along Avenida Balboa In Panama City, Panama

Panama’s Premier Investment Hotspots

August 3, 2023
The beach El Rompio on Azuero Peninsula, Panama.

Reason Why We Chose Panama

June 11, 2023
Diablicos dancing in the street in a Corpus Christi celebration. Panama

Why We Love Panama’s Folklore And Culture

May 12, 2023
Beautiful scenery of the waves of the ocean moving towards the shore in Santa Catalina, Panama

The Best Unspoiled Beaches In Panama Compared

March 22, 2023

Start Your New Life Today, Overseas ...

A world full of fun, adventure, and profit awaits! Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we'll send you a FREE report on the 10 Best Places To Retire In Style Overseas Today.

Get Your Free Panama Report Today!

​​Simply enter your email address below and we'll send you our FREE REPORT - Live And Invest In Panama: The #1 Retirement Haven In The Americas.
 

LIOS Resources


  • New To LIOS
  • Ask An Expert
  • Media Center
  • Contact Us
  • FAQs

Quick Links


  • Best Places To Live
  • Best Places To Retire
  • Finding A Job Overseas
  • Real Estate

Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and get your FREE report: The 10 Best Places To Retire Overseas In 2023

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe

© 2008-2023 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Countries
  • Budgets
  • Archives
  • News
  • Events
  • Bookstore
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Members Area
  • Contact Us

© 2008-2023 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Download your FREE report on

The Best Places To Retire In 2023

FREE: 

Find Your Paradise Overseas

Sign up for FREE and learn how to live the good life on a modest budget, find bargain property, and more. Plus, check out our free report on the 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE.

RETIRE OVERSEAS AND LIVE LIKE ROYALTY