Costa Rica Law Requires New License Plates for All Vehicles
The law in Costa Rica requires all registered vehicles to obtain new license plates. The process started in July of 2013 and will take place through January of 2016. As such the following schedule has been posted by the National Registry and the current license plates indicated in the schedule below will only be able to exchange their plates in the months provided.
License Plate Exchange Schedule
Plates ending in 1: July to August – September – October 2013
Plates ending in 2: November-December 2013 and January 2014
Plates ending in 3: February – March – April 2014
Plates ending in 4: May – June – July 2014
Plates ending in 5: August – September – October 2014
Plates ending in 6: November-December 2014 and January 2015
Plates ending in 7: February – March – April 2015
Plates ending in 8: May – June – July 2015
Plates ending in 9: August – September – October 2015
Plates ending in O: November-December 2015 and January 2016
This license plate exchange requirement is mandatory for all vehicle types: individuals, motorcycles, government, light and heavy load, taxis and buses.
What are the Requirements to Change the License Plate ?
The vehicle owner must turn in the old plates and complete the request for new plates which is provided in the information desk at the National Registry. There is also an electronic version but it requires the owner to be pre-registerd. (See www.rnpdigital.com)
The cost to change the plates is ¢ 15 000 for vehicles and ¢ 8000 for motorcycles
The agency in charge of this is the National Registry. The main branch is in San Jose in Zapote with a branch office in Paseo Colon San Jose. The other regional offices are in Limon, Perez Zeledon, Puntarenas, Liberia, Alajuela, San Carlos.
The Electronic Online Option.
Those that are technology inclined can apply for the change online at www.rnpdigital.com. The Owner of the vehicle creates an online account. Applies for the new plates online. The system will then issue an appointment for picking up the new license plates.
Customizing the License Plates
The new law allows you to request customized letters and numbers for the license plate. The cost for custom requests in 20,000 Colones.
The Registro Nacional has activated two numbers for those that have questions about the process : 2221-0845 and 2202-0777
