MOPT and COSEVI – Institutional Profile

The Ministry of Public Works and Transport (Ministerio de Obras Publicas y Transportes, MOPT) is the government ministry responsible for planning, building, maintaining and regulating Costa Rica’s public infrastructure (roads, highways, bridges, ports, river works and public buildings), as well as regulating and overseeing the country’s land, maritime and air transportation services. It also collaborates with municipalities on the maintenance of cantonal roads.

The Road Safety Council (Consejo de Seguridad Vial, COSEVI) is an organ attached to MOPT, specifically in charge of road safety: driver education, issuance of driver’s licenses, management of the traffic‑violation register and accumulated driver points, collection of traffic fines, and prevention campaigns aimed at companies, schools and municipalities.

Main services of COSEVI (each with its own procedure sheet):

• Driver’s licenses: medical, theoretical and practical exams, issuance and renewal (see separate sheet “Getting or renewing a driver’s license”).
• Inquiry and payment of traffic fines, and the points system of the license (see separate sheet “Traffic Law” for details on the categories of fines).
• Certifications of violations and driver record.

Other vehicle‑related procedures that are NOT under COSEVI:

• The vehicle registration tax (marchamo) and technical inspection involve also the INS (mandatory insurance) and the current technical inspection operator (see separate sheet “Vehicle registration tax and technical inspection”).
• Paid public transport (buses, taxis) is regulated by the Public Transport Council (Consejo de Transporte Publico, CTP), another organ attached to MOPT but distinct from COSEVI.

Contact MOPT: central phone 2523-2000, Central Campus on the south side of the Liceo de Costa Rica, San José, office hours Monday to Friday. Official website: www.mopt.go.cr.

Contact COSEVI: official website www.csv.go.cr (the name “COSEVI” is also used colloquially and in some sources as a domain, but the verified current site is csv.go.cr). The phone number for assistance and appointment scheduling may vary depending on the procedure (medical, theoretical or practical exams) — it is recommended to confirm the exact number and appointment channel directly on csv.go.cr before handling any procedure.