What to do and how to file a claim in a traffic accident (SOA - INS)

Every vehicle in Costa Rica has the Seguro Obligatorio de Automoviles (SOA) included in the marchamo (see the marchamo and technical inspection sheet), which covers injured people regardless of who was at fault.

Immediate steps in case of an accident: 1. Call 911 to report the traffic accident so they send a traffic officer to prepare the official accident ticket. 2. Call 800-800-8000 to report the accident to the INS. The INS sends an inspector who gathers the necessary information and opens the case.

Documentation to claim SOA coverage: the injured person, the driver, the vehicle owner, or anyone aware of the event must submit, within the 10 business days following the accident, one of these documents:

• Official traffic accident report naming the injured parties.
• Log from the Cruz Roja authorities.
• Certificate from the firefighters or paramedics who attended the case.
• Document issued by the INS inspector.
• News article referring to the injured parties (as a last resort if no other document is available).

SOA coverage: includes medical, surgical, pharmaceutical, and rehabilitation care, with a coverage limit of up to ₡6,000,000 per injured person, in addition to payment for corresponding disability benefits.

Note: available data indicates that many families of people who died in traffic accidents do not claim the compensation to which they are entitled due to lack of knowledge about the process — it is worthwhile for anyone involved in an accident (or their family, in case of death) to know that this claim exists and how to initiate it within the 10-business-day deadline.