Points system and license suspension (Ley de Tránsito)

In addition to fines by category (see the separate entry on fine amounts), the Ley de Tránsito por Vías Públicas Terrestres y Seguridad Vial (Ley N.º 9078) includes a Permanent Driver Assessment System (Artículo 134): a point tracking system for infractions that can result in license suspension, not just paying a fine.

Maximum points based on license validity (Artículo 135): when the license is issued, the driver is informed of how many points they can accumulate before losing it.

• License valid for 6 years: maximum 12 points.
• License valid for 4 years: maximum 8 points.
• License valid for 3 years: maximum 6 points.

How many points each infraction adds (Artículo 136):

• 12 points: a final conviction for certain traffic offenses under the Código Penal (Artículos 117, 128, and 254 bis — for example, vehicular manslaughter or severe negligent bodily harm while driving). Minor injuries (Artículo 125 of the Código Penal) do not add points on their own.
• 6 points: committing a Category A infraction (the most severe — see the fines entry).
• 4 points: committing a Category B infraction.

Points are automatically accumulated on the driver's record only when the penalty becomes final (through administrative or judicial channels), and are only counted during the validity period of that license — upon renewal, the point count resets to zero (Artículo 92, inciso b.iv).

How to reduce points before reaching the maximum (Artículo 138): the driver can reduce half of the points from each infraction by completing community service hours and a driver awareness and re-education course (COSEVI regulates the details).

What happens if you reach the maximum points — suspension (Artículo 139): ALL licenses held by the driver lose their validity, regardless of category or type.

• First time: 12 months without being eligible to re-qualify. This period is reduced to 6 months if the driver proves to COSEVI, through appropriate means, that they rely on driving for their livelihood (for example, paid transport).
• Second time: 24 months.
• Third time or more: 36 months.

To re-qualify after a suspension (Artículo 140), a driver must complete a road safety awareness and re-education course, and — depending on the case — an addiction treatment or violent behavior control program, as defined by COSEVI based on the infraction. There is also an alternative measure (Artículo 141): a non-repeat offender driver can recover their license before the suspension period expires by completing community service hours.

Effect of points on renewal even if the maximum is not reached (Artículo 92): when renewing the license, the number of points accumulated during the previous period determines the new validity period and cost.

• 4 points or fewer: renewed for 6 years, paying only 50% of the renewal cost.
• Between 5 and 8 points: renewed for 4 years, and the road safety awareness and re-education course must be taken.
• Between 9 and 11 points: renewed for 3 years, with the same mandatory course.

Note: this law is amended fairly frequently (there were changes in 2024 to articles related to point accumulation) — the mechanisms and timeframes in this guide have been verified against the official text from MOPT, but it is advisable to check cosevi.go.cr for any more recent reforms before making important decisions based on your point balance.