RICO’s Q — Lately, I’ve been noticing more heavy trucks, pickups, and cargo vans—those marked with “C” and “CL”—sporting blue license plates instead of the usual red ones that used to set work or commercial vehicles apart.
At first, I wondered if the Registro Nacional (National Property Registry) had simply run out of red plates. Given how slow some state agencies can be, it seemed plausible. But when I asked around, not even a friend involved in vehicle imports could explain the change—just that “yeah, now they’re blue.”
Turns out, starting in mid-2025, the Registro Nacional switched to issuing blue plates for C and CL vehicles to help prevent counterfeiting and misuse of the old red plates.
They say the bright blue color makes it easier to spot cargo vehicles like pickups and vans that are meant for work, not personal use.
Funny, I always thought that was the whole point of the red plates.
The Registro Nacional went on to say this change is meant to crack down on counterfeiting or misuse of cargo vehicle license plates.
Really? Looking at my red plate on my van and the blue one on an SUV, other than the color, I don’t really see any new anti-counterfeiting features.
So, do we all have to swap out our plates for new ones, like a few years ago, for “particular” vehicles? Nope. The Registro Nacional says the blue plates are only for new registrations, replacements if plates are lost or damaged, or fresh applications.
Scrolling through social media, I couldn’t help but laugh at some of the comments on the change. My favorite? “We’re a world power now, with blue license plates—what a technological breakthrough.”
Bottom line: don’t be surprised if you start seeing more pickups, vans, and heavy trucks sporting blue CL plates instead of the old red ones.