The Registro Nacional (property registry) has delayed the commencement of the license plate changeover that was to have started this month. The delay is due to technical problems with the internet website that will take in the request from vehicle owners.
According to Kathia Salazar, directora de Servicios Registrales, system testing is ongoing to avoid problems and/or the collapose of the website.
Salazar hinted that April could be the new start date, the date when owners of vehicles with the old plates must start to make the switch, which can include requesting one of the new alpha-numeric plates.
Once the system is working, a vehicle owner has to only make the request online and the visit the nearest Registro National office to pick up the plates.
The changeover is expected to chronological. For example, all plates ending in 1 will be first, which owners will then have three months to obtain the new plates.
The Registro is not providing many details at this time other than new plates will cost ¢15.000 colones for a pair for automobiles and ¢8.000 for motorcycles. Vanity plates – a combination of three letters and three numbers – will cost an additional ¢20.000.
The new plates include security measures to avoid copying or twinning and a sticker that is to be placed on the front windshield. Once the vehicle has the new plates there will be a total of three stickers on the windshield: Marchamo, Riteve and Plate.
