Shipping a Vehicle to Costa Rica

Shipping a Vehicle to Costa Rica

Submitted by Jason Mueller, who has lived in Costa Rica for three years and specializes in facilitating the process of shipping vehicles to Costa Rica.

If you have dreamed of living in a beautiful villa in paradise island, then Costa Rica is the place for you. Costa Rica has some of the world’s best surfing waves ,the most beautiful shoreline and a wide array of things to do in-and-around the coast. 

Why Make the Move to Costa Rica?

A popular location for tourists as well as expats looking to find a new tropical home is the town of San Buenaventura, also known as San Buenas, located in the Southern Pacific area (Osa) of Costa Rica. This town is about a mile offshore, but those who like keeping their toes in the hot sand will have easy access to reach the beach in no time at all. You’ll find great views of the mountains and oceans (there are real estate options for both) and plenty of things to do while in town.

Mountain views in villas san buenas
Amazing mountain views from Casa Lapas in Las Villas San Buenas.

For the golf lovers, the San Buenas Golf Resort opens their greens to those that want to have a great round of golf, followed by a cold drink. Golf in Costa Rica is a great way to soak up the sun and spend a day relaxing with friends. 

If you want to take in a bit of nature throughout Costa Rica, the parks and recreational trails offer a glimpse into the fascinating wild life in the area that includes monkeys, birds and many other wildlife species and best of all, the comfortable, warm temperatures welcome everyone to come enjoy everything that Costa Rica life offers.

The beach seems to be what many people come to Costa Rica for. The coast has much to offer, especially for those who like to surf, swim, kayak or otherwise spend time lounging in the sand and enjoying the ocean. Costa Rica is well-known around the world as the best place in the Pacific for surfing, and even if you have never surfed in your life, you can still enjoy watching others as they whip around on the waves. Better yet, in Costa Rica you will be able to find a great surf instructor and find out what it feels like to ride the waves on your own. Enjoy Playa Ventanas, Playa Pinuela or Playa Dominical, where the best surfing can be found.

If you’re planning on making a permanent move to Costa Rica, you’ll find many lavish villas, condos and even small houses where you can spend years to come living in paradise. Whether you want to rent or even buy a home to live in or find a plot of land and have a home built, you will find many options to choose from.

Is Moving to Costa Rica Hard?

Moving to Costa Rica does not have to be difficult, but you may find that gaining permanent residency can take quite a bit of time. If you are a retiree or a person who has a steady income stream monthly, and can prove you have steady income, you may be eligible to get a pension visa, also called a Pensionado Residency. Many people in the country on a tourist visa leave every 90 days and return the same day to be able to stay another 90 days.

Many rental homes are furnished, so before you start packing your home in the U.S. to have everything shipped, you may want to determine where you will live and see what you will need. Many household items may cost more in Costa Rica than what you would pay in the U.S., so take the necessary time to see what you may need to spend to purchase new items as opposed to what you will spend shipping things over. Customs taxes on household goods can range between 10% and 13% of the value of the property. To ship household goods, you need to hire a reputable international moving company.

Shipping a Vehicle to Costa Rica

Shipping a vehicle to Costa Rica can be affordable with rates that generally run between $1000 USD and $3000 USD. You will need some important paperwork including your passport and a

Shipping vehicle costa rica gravel road
Many roads in Costa Rica are gravel, therefore, four-wheel traction vehicles (4×4) is recommended

driver’s license as well as the vehicle registration and title. You will also need to provide customs with the bill of lading and an emissions test certificate. Taxes on vehicle imports can be high and typically range from around 52% up to nearly 80%. The newer the car, the lower the tax requirement for import. A reliable international auto shipping company like A-1 Auto Transport, Inc. will be able to assist with moving your vehicle to Costa Rica. Visit this page for more information on the shipping process as well as how much it will cost.

Whether you plan to be the perpetual tourist and wander from one area to another renting a vacation home for a while before moving on, or you want to plant your roots by purchasing a lot to build a home or by purchasing a beautiful home, condo or villa, you will quickly find there are many great things about Costa Rica that you will fall in love with quickly. With many options for living, your dreams of moving to Costa Rica can come true and soon you will see just how great life can be when you’re living the Pura Vida lifestyle that you can only find in Costa Rica.  

 

Costa Rica, Expat, retirement, Shipping Vehicles

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Un gran lugar para visitar en compañía de un grupo de familiares o amigos

Christian
5star rating
December 22, 2020
“Un gran lugar para visitar en compañía de un grupo de familiares o amigos, excelente vista al mar, atardeceres increíbles, ubicación cercana a gran variedad de playas. Instalaciones muy bien cuidadas, con privacidad.”

This place was astonishing. Beautiful views, AMAZING house both inside…

Nick (review from Airbnb)
5star rating
April 16, 2022
This place was astonishing. Beautiful views, AMAZING house both inside and out! Lots of wildlife around. The private chef was AMAZING as well! The only scary part for me was driving up the hill. But most taxi drivers in the SUVs had no issues at a...

Beautiful house, but need some safety improvements

Guido Saborio
3star rating
September 18, 2020
We spend a weekend in the house and it is a beutiful place, easy access and great views. Rooms are spacious, beds are confortable and you can find all you need in the kitchen. Osa Property Management Staff was very helpfull before and during our...

Loved it

Tim L. (review from Vrbo)
5star rating
February 14, 2023
We loved most everything about this place, it was a great place to just get away and relax. It is very private and beautiful. The kitchen had everything we needed as well as a BBQ. It was also great to be able to wash and dry our clothes. We also ...

Excellent location, next to Ballena Park + beach. Amazing view…

Mauricio (review from Airbnb)
3star rating
July 27, 2022
Excellent location, next to Ballena Park + beach. Amazing view of forest. ...

El Nido was just what we needed. Cute little cabin…

Anita (review from Airbnb)
5star rating
March 6, 2023
El Nido was just what we needed. Cute little cabin nestled in the rainforest where every morning we would wake up to the sounds of the rainforest awaking. We’d enjoy our morning coffee to the sounds of cicadas, birds and howler monkeys. On a few o...

Un lugar bonito para pasar tiempo en familia, llegan los…

Gabriela (review from Airbnb)
4star rating
July 10, 2022
Un lugar bonito para pasar tiempo en familia, llegan los perros de los vecinos todo el tiempo.

La casa es tal y como se ve en las…

Lizeth (review from Airbnb)
5star rating
June 7, 2020
La casa es tal y como se ve en las fotos. A la piscina le hace falta un poco de mantenimiento, tiene azulejos sueltos. Y el rancho para parrilla necesita mantenimiento

It was hard to say goodbye

Joseph
5star rating
June 23, 2021
We really enjoyed our stay at Gema Escondida! The villa lived up to all of our expectations. The views were spectacular as well. The place was clean and stocked with many supplies. The road to get up is challenging but the views are absolutely wor...

La casa está muy bonita, zona verde, picina, en fin…….

Victor (review from Airbnb)
3star rating
January 26, 2021
La casa está muy bonita, zona verde, picina, en fin.... Lo malo fue que para nosotros era importante la lavadora de ropa que decía que tenía la casa, pero no, no tenía, problemas el primer día con la wifi, y no nos ayudaron con ese tema y la ocupa...

Awesome place had a lot of power outages costs us…

Adam (review from Airbnb)
4star rating
April 22, 2022
Awesome place had a lot of power outages costs us a fridge full of food for 5 people other than that absolutely gorgeous place

Incredible

Rebecca S. (review from Vrbo)
5star rating
May 30, 2022
My husband and I stayed at this property for a week in April. The property is beautiful and will not disappoint. The local food options are amazing and Jeremy with Osa Property Management was wonderful. A week was not long enough - planning on a r...

See What Our Guests Are Saying!

Sin duda volveríamos a este magnífico lugar.

Joaquin
5star rating
August 24, 2020
Una casa enorme, comodísima, con todo lo necesario para pasarla muy bien. Gran cantidad de utensilios de cocina y vajilla. Las habitaciones muy cómodas, con camas confortables y baños limpios. Las vistas maravillosas, tanto hacia el mar cómo hacía...

Excelente lugarResponse:Gracias Jose! Nos vemos pronto (otro vez) ojalá! Pura…

Jose (review from Airbnb)
5star rating
December 5, 2022
Excelente lugarResponse:Gracias Jose! Nos vemos pronto (otro vez) ojalá! Pura vida! Osa Property Management | Costa Rica Las Villas

Casa guacamaya

Priscila Prado Brenes
5star rating
July 29, 2020
Nos encantó la casa, excelente atención de parte de los administradores y siempre atentos a nuestras consultas, excelente distribución de la casa y su piscina es perfecta para chicos y adultos. Esperamos volver

High above Beautiful Uvita

Pamela E. (review from Vrbo)
5star rating
February 27, 2023
The house provided everything we needed. The pool with the view was fantastic daily. Kitchen is fully stocked. I would recommend a 4 wheel drive due to it being way up the unpaved hills. Privacy was important to us, and this house fit the bill. We...

Great Place to stay. Amazing views and a very convenient…

Bharat (review from Airbnb)
5star rating
April 16, 2022
Great Place to stay. Amazing views and a very convenient place. About 3 hours from the airport. Coming back to the United States we ran into issues with getting tested. All the hospitals were booked. We went to the Covid testing site near the airp...

Super recommended, we hope to return soon.

Alexander (English)
5star rating
January 8, 2021
Beautiful house, with all the comforts, the attention is excellent and the response is always on time. The spectacular view and the surrounding beaches too. Super recommended, we hope to return soon.

Relaxing. Great location.

Jacqui
5star rating
November 30, 2019
Wonderful location for exploring the southern pacific area. We were close enough to get to our day tours, but far enough away from the hustle of the highway.

Toucan Tango

Brett Moore
5star rating
December 19, 2022
Fantastic place with a beautiful view and great property management!! Will absolutely recommend

La atención de los anfitriones es excelente, eso nos dio…

Maureen (review from Airbnb)
5star rating
November 30, 2020
La atención de los anfitriones es excelente, eso nos dio tranquilidad en los días previos y durante la estadía. La casa es preciosa y super cómoda, nos encantó y estamos seguros de volver!!Response:Estamos felices que hayan disfrutado su estadía e...

Great location! The house was well equipped and very comfortable….

Gabriela (review from Airbnb)
5star rating
July 12, 2021
Great location! The house was well equipped and very comfortable. The manager was prompt to respond to our inquiries.

Fabulous!

Verónica
5star rating
September 16, 2020
La vista desde la villa es fabulosa. The view from the villa is fabulous.

El lugar es justo lo que prometen, en una zona…

Carlos (review from Airbnb)
4star rating
February 6, 2020
El lugar es justo lo que prometen, en una zona con suficiente privacidad y a una distancia justa de las playas de la zona sur y el parque nacional marino ballenas, los último metros a llegar no está pavimentada la casa pero tampoco es problema par...

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