Import Chinese Cars to Costa Rica

Ports of entry and shipping from China

Puerto Caldera on the Pacific coast is Costa Rica’s main gateway for imports from Asia, including vehicles. Cargo from Asia is often transshipped in Mexico or Panama before it reaches Caldera, because the terminal cannot receive the largest vessels^[4]. On the Caribbean side, the Moín Container Terminal operated by APM Terminals also lists new and used vehicles among its imports^[4].

From China, vehicles travel either on RoRo vessels or inside containers. Which option and which Costa Rican port make sense depends on the quantity, the vehicle size and the vessel schedules at the time of booking. We confirm the port of loading, route and estimated timeline in your written quote rather than publishing fixed transit times.

Chinese-market vehicles are left-hand drive and electric models use the GB/T charging standard; check charging equipment and adapters for your market.

Import rules to check

• Steering side: Costa Rica’s traffic law prohibits importing right-hand-drive vehicles for registration and does not accept steering conversions; customs checks the steering position before releasing the vehicle^[1]. Chinese-market vehicles are factory left-hand drive.
• Vehicles registered abroad: for a first-entry vehicle that was registered in another country, the importer provides the title and a notarised sworn declaration, including the mileage, during nationalisation; vehicles declared a total loss cannot be registered^[1].
• Electric vehicles: under Ley 9518 as reformed by Ley 10209, new EVs and used EVs up to five years old receive a partial exemption from VAT, selective consumption tax and the customs-value tax that decreases every year; the vehicle property-tax exemption is 20% for 2026 and ends from 2027^[2].
• Pending change: in September 2026 the government submitted bill 25.797, which would repeal the EV exemptions of Ley 9518 before the current schedule ends in 2034^[3]. Check the status of the bill before you price an EV order.
• Hybrids and petrol vehicles: duties and taxes depend on the tariff classification and the customs value. Your customs broker (agente aduanero) can calculate the total before you order.

info Rules and tax rates change. Buyers should confirm the current rules with their customs broker before ordering. Import clearance, duties and registration are handled by the buyer or the buyer’s broker.