Costa Rica
- Who issues it
- Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT), División Marítimo Portuaria, Dirección de Navegación y Seguridad Acuática [Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Maritime and Port Division, Directorate of Navigation and Water Safety].
- Buoyage
- IALA region B
- Collision rules
- Reglamento Internacional para Prevenir Abordajes en la Mar
Do you need a licence?
Hired crew on Costa Rican sea, river and lake boats need a Certificado de Zafarrancho for emergency safety. Private owner-skipper licensing, exemptions and any power, length, speed or age thresholds could not be confirmed.
Certificado de Zafarrancho · Emergency safety certificate
- What it lets you do
- Emergency-safety certificate for hired crew on Costa Rican boats, including leisure boats; skipper privileges are unconfirmed.
- How you get it
- Renewal requires Refrescamiento Básico de Embarque, with an individual in-person assessment. Initial exam format unconfirmed.
- Where to study
- Study it in Academy
Professional deck titles
Oficial de Cubierta
- What it lets you do
- MOPT-issued deck-officer title; UCR confirms graduates received it for work on foreign merchant ships.
- Where to study
- Study it in Academy
Radio certificates
Operador restringido del sistema mundial de socorro y seguridad marítima
ROC- What it lets you do
- INA offers IMO course 1.26; separate radio-licence requirements are unconfirmed.
- Where to study
- Study it in Academy
Ready to study for it?
The Academy is free with an account: lessons for every topic, timed mocks marked like the real exam, and your progress saved.
Official sources: MOPT / Imprenta Nacional — Decreto Ejecutivo 37343-MOPT: reforma al Reglamento para la Emisión de los Certificados de Zafarrancho · Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje — Núcleo Náutico Pesquero: programmes and courses · Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes — Gente de Mar · MIVAH / Imprenta Nacional — Decreto Ejecutivo 44398-MOPT: safety-certificate renewal and individual in-person assessment · IALA — R1001: Sistema de Balizamiento Marítimo IALA, edition 2.0, June 2023, figure 15 · Procuraduría General de la República, SCIJ — Ley 9977, article 5: foreign-flag yachts and charter licensing · Universidad de Costa Rica — La UCR ya es oficialmente un Centro de Formación de Gente de Mar · Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes — Reglamento para titulación de la Gente de Mar: public consultation announced 5 October 2026