New license plates in Costa Rica?

license-plate1There are many rumors concerning the new law about the mandatory replacement of license plates in all vehicles. Hardly, anything published in English on the Internet, is even close to accurate. Of course, the first question that comes to mind is; what is the need for new license plates in the first place? The initial answer could be that Costa Rica, with its only six-digit license plate format, is running out of numbers. A second reason might be the need of the government to raise funds since in order to be eligible for the new plates; one must show the evidence of the paid Marchamos. The last reason, may have something to do with physical obsolescence since the license plate often stays with the vehicle over its serviceable life, some of them are already faded, or badly damaged.

Here is the actual firsthand implementation process of the new law. This process could be accomplished in any branch of the Registry by following the few easy steps. First, you will receive the form from the Registry service representative; you will be expected to fill that form out. You will be required to pay, either 10,000 colones if you have an automobile or 8,000 colones if you have a motorcycle, or ATV. Once you fill out the form (all the info you need is on either the title to the vehicle or its Marchamos); you should submit it along with the paid receipt. The clerk will verify you do not have outstanding tickets on file. At the end of the process, you will receive a receipt that you must return along with the old plates, when you pick up the new ones a few days later. When is the actual deadline to complete the brandnew process supposed to be? Nobody can say for sure, but why not do it now, and get it off of your mind, instead of waiting to whatever turns out to be the last minute deadline. Please, don’t forget, the new sticker duplicating the vehicle’s information must be visibly displayed.

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