BCR To Issue Drivers Licenses
A Driver's License in 15 minutes? Impossible? An agreement reached between the Banco de Costa Rica (BCR) and the Ministerio de Obras Pública y Transportes (MOPT) that goes into effect next month will reduce the waiting time for obtaining a drivers license to minutes instead of the hours it can take now.

Beginning in June, the BCR will issue driver's licenses at 30 of its branches around the country. If the program is a success the plan issue licenses at all BCR branches.

The two state entities came to an agreement after months of discussion and rooting from the problems of the long lines at the licensing offices. Reducing the lines means faster service.

How the plan works is that drivers need to call the selected BCR branch one day ahead and make an appointment. The bank promises that the total time from the moment the customer enters the bank to the time he or she has a driver license in their hands, is 15 minutes.

However, the service is only available to Costa Rican nationals. Foreigners wanting to obtain or renew their drivers licenses must still visit a MOPT office and wait in line, which hopefully, with the number of people taking advantage of the BCR service, the lines will be shorter.

The alliance is a natural. The BCR, a state bank, has been collecting fees and fines for the MOPT with a branch within the MOPT installations. The BCR has been linked to the MOPT database and the extension of the service to other branches is a natural progression.