Can Anyone Beat This CR "Feature"?

I didn't come down here to renew my driver's license but I noticed it expires on the 23rd. So, I figured it was a good time to renew it. You used to have to go to the MOPT office in San Jose, San Ramon or Puteranus. The good news is that you can now renew it at many offices of the Bank of Costa Rica including Alajuela (where I am) and San Ramon. We decided to pick San Ramon and get in a nice trip to Sarchi in the process.

After eating lunch in San Ramon (nice little soda with great and relatively inexpensive food) I asked this crazy guy directing traffic where the renewal place was. He asked if I had had my physical yet. (You have to get a doctor ok to get or renew a license. No big deal—the usual questions, blood pressure, eye test and listen to your heart.) I hadn't. He pointed me to this little office just across the street. Yes, his job was to pimp for them.

I go in, a guy fills out the form and I see the doctor. All is fine and I pay the 7000 colones (about $13). We head off to BCR a few blocks away. One other person in like for the teller and a total of a 3 minute wait. I had the teller my old license and tell him I need to do the tramites for a renewal.

He types stuff into the computer. Then he tells me I can't renew my license yet because it isn't expired. I point out that it expires in 2 work days. He tells me the system won't let you renew an unexpired license and the soonest I could renew it is the 24th. I explain I will not be in Costa Rica on the 24th. He says I can do it after that.

So, besides the system I got to deal with at the border bringing my car in, we have a second new software system making it close to impossible to do what you need to do. As I remember, you used to be able to renew your license up to 30 days before it expired. I assume this new "feature" will get removed in the next few months but it is pretty amazing. I can't think of anything in Nicaragua that tops this.