Q COSTARICA — Collection for the 2026 Marchamo or annual circulation permit began this Monday morning.
Click here for the link to the INS portal for the 2026 Marchamo. Once the page opens, enter the vehicle type and your license plate to check your vehicle registration. The response is the amount to be paid and the option to pay online via the INS portal.
In addition to the annual property tax that makes up the single largest portion of the Marchamo in most cases, it includes the Seguro Obligatorio Autos (SOA) — Mandatory Auto Insurance — which provides coverage in the event of a traffic accident, up to ¢6 million colones per person per event. The SOA covers all individuals involved in a traffic accident, providing medical care, compensation, prosthetics, transportation, and other benefits at critical moments.
Other items include road taxes and contributions to road maintenance funding, among others.
Every vehicle owner in Costa Rica must pay this marchamo each year, typically by the end of December, to legally drive their car in the coming year. The marchamo displays the year and the vehicle’s details, and must be displayed on the windshield.
The fines for failing to pay the marchamo are levied on the vehicle owner.
What are the consequences of not paying the Marchamo?
- Accumulation of Interest: Surcharges and daily interest will accrue on the outstanding amount from the first day of delay. This means that regardless of whether the vehicle is driven or not, it’s the registered owner’s responsibility to ensure the marchamo is paid on time.
- Traffic Fines: If a traffic officer stops you without a current vehicle registration fee, you will be fined and could lose your license plates.
- Vehicle Impoundment: In extreme cases or for repeated violations, the authorities may impound your vehicle.
- Impairment of Other Procedures: You will be unable to carry out other important vehicle-related procedures, such as the vehicle inspection, transferring vehicle ownership, or renewing other documents.
Back in the day, vehicle owners usually got a few extra days in early January to pay without penalties, mostly because long lines at the INS and approved payment centers slowed things down. These days, with so many payment options—banks, payment centers, and the INS itself—there’s no longer a grace period.
If my vehicle isn’t road-ready, do I still have to pay the Marchamo?
If your vehicle isn’t road-legal yet—for example, if it hasn’t passed inspection—you can still pay the Marchamo at any INS office to avoid late fees and interest. Just keep in mind, you won’t get the sticker until all the necessary requirements are fulfilled.
What happens if I’m driving a vehicle that isn’t mine and it doesn’t have the Marchamo?
If a vehicle is driven without a Marchamo, both the driver and the registered owner can be fined, although the primary fine is for the driver
- Penalty for the driver: A driver caught driving without a current vehicle registration sticker will be fined and risk having their license plates removed.
- Penalty for the owner: The vehicle owner is also responsible for the violation, which entails paying late fees and daily interest on the outstanding Marchamo.
- Only the registered owner of the vehicle can retrieve an impounded vehicle or license plate.
- In summary, the driver receives the immediate penalty on the road, but the responsibility and accumulated costs fall on the vehicle owner.