The Road Safety Council (Cosevi), announced that its offices in the country will be closed due to holiday vacations from April 3 to 10.

This year the eight-day Catholic holiday begins with Palm Sunday on April 2, which commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem to Sunday, April 9, which commemorates Jesus’ resurrection celebrated as Easter Sunday.

Additionally, Monday, April 10, marks the Juan Santamaría National Hero Holiday celebration.

Anyone who needs to make any claim or procedure related to a vehicle, license, plates or fines during the vacation break, must wait until the institution opens again on Tuesday, April 11. 

Drivers who are sanctioned during the Cosevi closure, for example, will be without a vehicle, a license or plates until April 11.

The Traffic Law states that when a vehicle is confiscated, the driver must pay about $90 fine plus the cost of custody of the vehicle. This means the driver must pay a fine for each day that the car is impounded. The daily fine costs about $8.

For example, a person whose vehicle is seized on Saturday, April 1, would have to pay the custody fine until Tuesday, April 11, which is 10 days of custody. This is equal to an extra payment of about $80 just for custody expenses.

Costa Rica has a rule that fines will not expire for seven years so, a driver who has been sanctioned for breaking the law must pay the fine, the impound and any old fines that have not yet expired, plus the corresponding interest.

After Holy Week, drivers must request an appointment to visit Cosevi facilities to recover the vehicle or its plates. This appointment must be requested on the Cosevi website, enabled in Spanish language only.

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Should the Council open offices during holidays?  We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments news@amcostarica.com