Good news for people with handicap license plates in Costa Rica.

The Costa Rican Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT), through its Directorate General of Traffic Engineering (DGIT), is now granting permits to people with disabilities so they can use their vehicle any day of the week in the downtown San José sector which has restricted access.

The Costa Rican National Council of the Person with Disabilities (Conapdis) petitioned the government agency to make the change.

All vehicles in Costa Rica are restricted from circulating one day during the work-week depending on the last number of their license plate in a radius around downtown San José in an area demarcated by signs. Plates ending in 1 and 2 are limited on Mondays, ands so on through Friday when plates with 9 and 0 are restricted.

The catch is, those with handicap license plates must apply for the exemption to the restriction – it is not automatically granted.

Luckily the application can be sent in by email, but it must be retrieved, once approved, in person, said Ronny Rodriguez, a DGIT engineer.

Permits to allow for unlimited access to the restricted San José area will be granted for a one-year period, and then must be renewed through a similar procedure.

Permit bearers must keep the card given by the MOPT in their car at all times in case they are stopped by traffic police, in order to avoid a potential fine for violating the license plate restriction.

To begin the process, send an email to <[email protected]> with your affiliation with Conapdis, and the license plate number of the vehicle, as well as a telephone number to receive notifications.

The application can also be delivered personally to the headquarters of transit engineering, located 100 meters north and 50 east of the Pequeño Mundo store in San José near the Parque de la Paz.

These permits are only currently granted at this San José office, and the MOPT has five working days to approve and have the permit ready for pick-up.