Costa Rica News – Many people try to avoid paying large amount of import taxes by shipping an older vehicle to Costa Rica.
You can find an inexpensive car or SUV to buy in the USA or Canada, pay about the same amount as you paid in taxes on Costa Rica, and for a reasonable amount you have your mode of transportation in the land of “Pura Vida”.
This is about to change, we do not know exactly when but it is coming.
Importation of used vehicles has always been laden with rules, restrictions and fees and soon there will be even more.
As of now the average age of vehicles in Costa Rica is 16 years old, but not for long.
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Sebastian Urbina, the Vice Minister of Transport, announced that an agreement was made by the Ministry of Public Transport, Automotive Chamber and Ministry of Finance to ban the import of vehicles over 14 years old.
Starting in January vehicles older than 2002 models will officially not be allowed, but it is unclear how long it will take to actually start enforcing the rule.
Additionally, the vehicles imported will have to meet both European and US standards regarding their environmental impact.
The idea behind this is to lower the air pollution in Costa Rica, where 80 percent of the air pollution comes from cars.
If you are planning on getting in before the change, you might need to start the shipping process right away.
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