QCOSTARICA – Did you pay your 2023 Marchamo on time, that is on or before December 31? If not, read on.
According to the Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS), the state insurer responsible for the collection of the annual circulation permit, more than 300,000 Marchamos were not paid on time and are exposed to fines and surcharges.
The first line of the cost of not having the 2023 sticker on your windshield (even if the Marchamo is paid) is a traffic ticket that is north of ¢55,000 colones with all costs in, followed (if the Marchamo is not paid) with mostly likely the seizure of the vehicle’s license plates and/or vehicle.
The latter can exceed the cost of the traffic ticket, in that it requires your time to visit the nearest Cosevi office (or Policia de Transito depot in the case of the vehicle seized) to where the infraction occurred, to retrieve your plates and/or vehicle. In the case of seized plates, Cosevi will transfer to the nearest office of your convenience, but that takes time.
In addition, starting on Sunday, January 1, the accumulation of late fees and fines begins, which is 10% of the Marchamo, per month, plus interest.
In addition, to retrieve the license plates and/or vehicle, ALL outstanding fines MUST be paid first.
And, only the registered owner or legal representative can retrieve the plates and/or vehicle. That is, if you own a vehicle that never had the “traspaso” (transfer to title), you will need to seek out the person who sold you the vehicle, or the registered owner. It happens.
To ensure compliance, the Policia de Transito (Traffic Police) have begun carrying out ‘operations’, that include checkpoints, roadblocks, or simply an open eye for the missing sticker.
The operation is also a great opportunity for Transito to check other things, ie expired (or no) driver’s license, state of the vehicle (ie smoking tailpipe), not wearing seatbelts (driver and all passengers), and more, each with a separate and accumulating ticket (fine).
Best is to keep the vehicle parked, visit asap the nearest bank or INS office, pay the Marchamo, and apply the sticker. If you paid online and have yet to receive the sticker, don’t drive without it.
This is big money for the state, given that the largest percentage of the ¢297,000,000,000 (billion) colones (almost US$500 million dollars) of the collective Marchamo is the property tax on the vehicle.
