Published on Thursday, September 18, 2025
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

DEKRA, the German company contracted to handle vehicle inspections in Costa Rica, has opened a new southern mobile station site in the Sabalito district, Coto Brus canton, Puntarenas Province.

The mobile unit will operate Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., serving drivers in a key part of the country’s southern region. Appointments can be scheduled online on the company website.

Currently, inspections are required for vehicles with license plates ending in 9, which are due in September. However, under current regulations, drivers with plates ending in 0 may also complete the process a month early, even though their official inspection month is October.

With this addition, DEKRA now operates four mobile stations nationwide,  in San Marcos de Tarrazú (San José), Grecia (Alajuela), and Sabalito de Coto Brus (Puntarenas), along with 13 permanent inspection centers. A full list of sites is available on the company’s website.

Inspection fees range from $6.50 to $17, depending on the type of vehicle.


The Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT) awarded DEKRA the contract for Costa Rica’s technical vehicle inspections in 2022.


All vehicles must undergo inspection once a year, scheduled by the last digit of their license plate: January,  plates ending in 1, February  plates ending in 2, March ending in 3, May ending in 5, June ending in 6, July plates ending in 7, August  plates ending in 8, September  plates ending in 9 and October plates ending in 0.


Vehicles that pass receive the RTV (Revisión Técnica Vehicular) sticker, allowing them to remain on the road legally through the rest of the year and until the next inspection cycle in 2026.


Drivers who skip the inspection face fines of about $60, according to authorities.

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