Each New Day
May 8th, 2008 by Don Ray
If you have lived in Panama for a while, you know that each new day will probably bring some new challenges to over come. Today was one of those days. I have a short trip scheduled to go to Costa Rica. What were the odds that today the regulations changed for driving to Costa Rica.
As of today your documents for the car you are driving must be sent to Panama, authenticated, signed and returned with a signature from the Panama City office. That process took from 9:00 AM this morning until 5:00PB this evening.
I understand the reason for the change is to prevent stolen cars in Panama from being able to be taken into Costa Rica. All I really know is that it is a pain in the A**. If you are planing on driving from Panama into CR, you better give yourself a couple of days to get the paperwork done. Then assume that the day you go, there will be one more thing you weren’t told.
Good lord! Makes you want to take the bus over the border. Good luck. Deep breaths. (Easy for me to say).
Charlotte
A bus is looking better all the time.
Where are you going in CR? I lived in San Jose before we moved to MS. I loved Costa Rica, such beautiful place but I love mi Panama better.
We looked into the documentation required to take our car across the border during one of our occasional trips from PC to David / Boquette / Volcan but gave up the idea once we found out what was involved.
Drive to the border, walk across and hire a cab…
Don,
I cannot believe the heavy-handedness of the Panamanian ‘officials’. Coincidentally, we just crossed from CR to Panama on Thursday without a hitch! The wife obtained the one document we need to allow the car to cross in 45 minutes in San Isidro this Wednesday past. We crossed from CR to Panama Thursday with the car in 1/2 hour! All this talk of ’security’ has to give one pause. Just another excuse to fleece the travelling public? You decide! Unfortunately, travel may become more difficult as time marches onward.. Not only due to ’security’ restrictions but have you checked airfares lately?? Oiga!!
PURA VIDA,
KK
Don it would be great, when time allows, if you could up date your earlier posting on the topic (i.e. what documents need to be sent, who do you send them to, fees, etc.). I can’t imagine the process becoming more streamlined so as many bloody details as possible would be nice for us contemplating a drive to CR.
Thanks for getting the word out!
Later,
J
Hi Kayra, My trip just took me a short ways into CR this time. A few days in Rio Claro and Gulfito.
Mike, KK, Jack. The process wasn’t bad. You just need to plan ahead. The documentation is the same as in the past except for the additional proof that the car is a valid Panamanian car and will return. This new requirement would not have been needed if so many crooks from CR had been coming into Panama, steeling cars and then taking them back to CR with forged papers.
My time in Paso Canoas was mostly spent in the CR side taking care of the normal paperwork and waiting for the CR personnel to get in their offices. If you have all of your paperwork, the Panama side wasn’t bad.
Does this paperwork need to be completed EACH time to go from Panama to Costa Rica or is it sometning you can keep for other times in the future?
Thanks
OLIVIA
The insurance paperwork is for a specific time period. The insurance at the boarder for CR is for 3 months. In general, you are going to have to visit the same offices and do the same thing every time you go.
Olivia,
Unfortunately, YES.
The bureaucracy in Panama is nearing the level of it´s big brother!
PURA VIDA,
KK