Police Checkpoints in Costa Rica: What Tourists Must Carry

If you drive a rental car in Costa Rica for more than a few days, there’s a good chance a police officer in a reflective vest will wave you to the shoulder at some point. Don’t panic. Most checkpoints are routine document checks that take two to five minutes, and tourists with their papers in order are usually sent on their way with a nod and a “pura vida.”

The whole thing goes smoothly if you have four things within reach: your passport with the entry stamp, your valid home driver’s license, the rental contract, and a car with current marchamo and RTV stickers. This guide covers what a checkpoint looks like, who’s stopping you, what officers can and can’t do, and exactly what to say.

What does a police checkpoint in Costa Rica look like?

A typical checkpoint (locals call it a retén or operativo) is a few marked patrol cars or motorcycles parked on the shoulder, orange cones narrowing the lane, and two to six uniformed officers in reflective vests. One officer stands in the road and points at the cars he wants to check. If he points at you, signal, pull over where he indicates, and stop.

You’ll find them in predictable places:

• Main highways: Route 1 (Interamericana Norte) through Guanacaste, Route 27 toward the Pacific, Route 32 toward Limón and Route 34 (Costanera) along the coast between Jacó, Quepos and Uvita.
• Near the borders: Route 1 north of Liberia toward Peñas Blancas (Nicaragua) and Route 2 in the Southern Zone toward Paso Canoas (Panama). These often include immigration checks, and buses get boarded too.
• Town entrances and exits, especially on Friday and Saturday nights and during holidays (Semana Santa, mid-August, Christmas and New Year), when the focus is drunk driving.
• Speed enforcement spots on long straight stretches, usually an officer with a radar gun and a colleague waving cars over a few hundred meters later.

Many times you’ll just be waved through. Rental cars are easy to spot (rental company stickers, newer models, tourists looking slightly terrified), and officers often let them pass or check them quickly.

Who is stopping you? Tránsito vs Fuerza Pública vs others

Costa Rica has several police forces, and it helps to know which one is in front of you. They all wear uniforms with a name tag and badge and drive marked vehicles.

You may hear that regular Fuerza Pública officers can now write traffic tickets too. We haven’t been able to confirm this with MOPT, so treat it as unverified. In practice it doesn’t change what you do: be polite and show your documents to any uniformed officer at a marked checkpoint.

What documents does a tourist need at a checkpoint?

Keep these together in one place, ideally a zip pouch in the glove box (for the car papers) and on your person (for the passport and license).

1. Your original passport with the Costa Rica entry stamp

The stamp is what proves you’re in the country legally and, crucially, how long you’re allowed to drive on your foreign license. Canada’s official travel advice tells visitors to carry their passport, including the Costa Rican entry stamp, on their person.

Can you carry a photocopy instead? Sources disagree. Blogs and rental agencies often say a copy of the photo page plus the stamp page is fine, and some officers accept it. But nothing official settles it, and the officer at the roadside is the one deciding. Our advice: carry the original while driving and keep a phone photo of both pages as backup. Leave the original in the hotel safe only when you’re on foot at the beach.

2. Your valid home driver’s license

Tourists can drive with a valid license from their home country; both the US Embassy and Canada’s travel advice confirm this. You don’t need an International Driving Permit in practice, though it doesn’t hurt if you already have one (it’s a translation, not a license on its own).

The important change: according to reporting on Ley 10591, Costa Rica aligned its traffic law with immigration rules so that you can drive on your foreign license for your entire authorized stay, up to 180 days. Canada’s travel advice now says the same. Many older websites still say 90 days. The catch is that “authorized stay” means the number of days written on your entry stamp, not an automatic 180. If immigration gave you 90 days, you get 90 days. Check the number on your stamp when you land. More detail in our foreign license guide.

3. The rental contract

The officer may ask whose car this is. The contract proves you’re the authorized driver. If your partner is driving and isn’t on the contract, that’s a problem with the rental company (insurance) and potentially with the officer. Add every driver at the counter.

4. The car’s registration, marchamo and RTV

These are the rental company’s responsibility, but you’re the one sitting in the car when the officer checks them. Before you leave the lot, look for:

• Registration papers: usually a copy of the vehicle’s ownership/registration document in the glove box.
• Marchamo: the annual circulation fee that also includes the mandatory basic insurance (SOA). There’s a sticker on the windshield showing the year, plus a receipt in the glove box. The marchamo renews every year by December 31, so if you’re renting in late December or early January, make sure the car has the new year’s sticker.
• RTV (Riteve) sticker: the technical and emissions inspection. The windshield sticker shows when the next inspection is due. Make sure that date hasn’t passed.

We couldn’t verify 2026 marchamo amounts or current Riteve rules for this article, and you don’t need them: you just need the stickers to be current. If something is expired, ask for another car. Our SJO pickup guide and Liberia Airport rental guide have a full lot checklist.

What can police do at a checkpoint?

Under the traffic law (Ley de Tránsito por Vías Públicas Terrestres y Seguridad Vial, No. 9078) and general police powers, officers at a checkpoint can legitimately:

• Ask for your license, passport and the vehicle documents.
• Check the car’s equipment and condition: lights, tires, stickers, seatbelts, child seats (see our car seat law guide).
• Ask you to take a breathalyzer test.
• Write you a ticket (boleta) for any violation they find.
• In certain cases, remove license plates or retain the vehicle. Tránsito has been doing this for illegal parking, among other things.
• Ask you to wait while they verify your documents or immigration status by radio.

What police cannot (or should not) do

• Collect cash fines at the roadside. Real traffic fines are written on an official ticket with your details and the infraction, and you pay them through the banking system, not to the officer. We couldn’t pull the official text confirming this for 2026, but it’s how the system works in practice, and any request for cash should set off alarms.
• Refuse to identify themselves. Officers wear name tags and badges. You can politely ask for their name and ID number.
• Keep your passport “until you pay.” There’s no legitimate fine process that involves holding a tourist’s passport as a deposit.

What to do if you’re stopped: step by step

1. Signal, slow down and pull over where the officer points. Fully onto the shoulder if possible.
2. Turn off the engine, lower your window, turn on the interior light at night and keep your hands on the wheel. Take off your sunglasses.
3. Stay in the car unless asked to get out. Don’t walk toward the officer.
4. Greet first. “Buenas tardes, oficial.” It sets the tone more than anything else you’ll say.
5. Hand over what’s asked: license, passport, and say the papers are in the glove box before you reach for it.
6. Answer simply. Where are you going, where are you staying. Don’t argue, don’t joke about the speed you were going.
7. If there’s a ticket, ask what the infraction is, read it, and take your copy. Signing usually acknowledges receipt, not guilt.
8. If something feels wrong, stay calm, don’t hand over money, note the name, badge number, location and time, and take a photo of the patrol vehicle’s number if you can do so without being confrontational.
9. Call your rental company afterward if you got a ticket or if plates were removed. They deal with this constantly.

Spanish phrases for a police stop

Many officers speak some English, especially on tourist routes, but a few words of Spanish go a long way.

• Buenos días / buenas tardes / buenas noches, oficial. Good morning / afternoon / evening, officer.
• Soy turista. Aquí está mi pasaporte y mi licencia. I’m a tourist. Here’s my passport and license.
• El carro es alquilado. Los papeles están en la guantera. It’s a rental car. The papers are in the glove box.
• Hablo poco español. ¿Puede hablar más despacio, por favor? I speak little Spanish. Can you speak slower, please?
• ¿Cuál es la infracción? What is the violation?
• ¿Me puede dar la boleta, por favor? Can you give me the ticket, please?
• Prefiero pagar en el banco. I prefer to pay at the bank.
• ¿Me puede decir su nombre y número de identificación? Can you tell me your name and ID number?
• Voy para La Fortuna / Tamarindo / Manuel Antonio. I’m heading to La Fortuna / Tamarindo / Manuel Antonio.

How much are traffic fines in 2026?

Fines under Ley 9078 are grouped into categories (A to E, with A the most serious). Article 148 of the law updates the amounts every year based on inflation measured by INEC. For 2026, the amounts actually dropped slightly, by 0.22%, under Circular 220-2025 of the Consejo Superior del Poder Judicial, effective January 1, 2026.

• Category A, as of 2026: ₡362,839 (roughly US$700–730, depending on the exchange rate). This covers the big ones: driving above 120 km/h, driving under the influence of alcohol, driving on a suspended license and U-turns where prohibited.
• Categories B to E are lower; we haven’t verified the 2026 amounts for this article. Check the full table in our Costa Rica traffic fines guide or on COSEVI’s official site.
• Early payment discount: fines in categories B, C, D and E have historically qualified for an extra 15% discount if paid within 10 business days. Ask when you get the ticket.

We’re deliberately not quoting a blood-alcohol limit here because we couldn’t verify the current thresholds. The practical rule is simpler anyway: if you’ve had a drink, don’t drive. Holiday checkpoints are specifically looking for you, and the consequences go well beyond a fine.

What happens if you get a ticket in a rental car?

The ticket is tied to you and the vehicle. You can pay it yourself at a bank before you leave the country (keep the receipt), or the rental company may charge it to your card later, often with an administrative fee. Read the fine-handling clause in your contract. If Tránsito removed the plates, call the rental company immediately; you can’t legally keep driving without them, and the company will need to recover them.

Tickets for things like parking violations are common in towns like Tamarindo, Jacó and Quepos. Park where locals park, never on yellow curbs, and never blocking a driveway.

How to report a suspicious stop

If an officer asks for cash or something feels off:

• Call 911; it’s the national emergency number and can connect you with police.
• If you’re in San José, the tourist police center that opened in September 2025 on the south side of the Central Park is a good in-person option.
• Tell your rental company; they know how to file complaints with MOPT or the Ministerio de Seguridad Pública.
• Write down everything while it’s fresh: name, badge number, vehicle number, location (the nearest kilometer marker or landmark), time.

How to avoid trouble in the first place

• Drive the posted limit, especially on Route 27, Route 1 and Route 34, where radar is common. Limits drop suddenly near schools and towns.
• Seatbelts for everyone, including the back seat, and proper child seats.
• No phone in hand. Mount it for Waze.
• Check your entry stamp and know your last legal driving day.
• Inspect the stickers at pickup and photograph them.
• Avoid driving at night on rural roads; that’s when drunk-driving checkpoints and actual drunk drivers both appear.

For the bigger picture on rules of the road, see our complete guide to driving in Costa Rica, and if a stop turns into something worse, like a collision, follow our car accident steps.

Bottom line

Police checkpoints in Costa Rica are normal, quick and mostly painless for tourists. Carry your original passport with the entry stamp and your home license on you, keep the rental contract and car papers in the glove box, and confirm the marchamo and RTV stickers are current before you leave the rental lot. Be polite, greet the officer first, and if there’s a fine, take the written ticket and pay through the bank or your rental company, never in cash at the roadside. For the law text itself, the official source is SCIJ on pgrweb.go.cr.