Ordering License Plates Online Before Month's End

Obtaining a license plate in Costa Rica is now only a click away, as the Registro Nacional (National Registry) readies to deploy its new system before the end of this month.



The system allows users to order their license plates online and then pick them up three days later. The online order system is operations seven days a week.

The change will eliminate the need to visit a Registro office and stand in line to order the plates. With the new system the only line up is to retrieve the plates.

According to Rafael Espinoza, jefe del Departamento de Placas, the new system will be operational in less than two weeks time.

The introduction of the system is ahead of the massive plate change that will surely cause longer than usual line ups at the Registro.

The Registro Nacional began the use of new plates earlier this year and will begin a forced change of all license plates within the next three years.

Currently, anyone who wants one of the new plates can have one, but within the next three years all plates must be changed over the new.

The new plates are more secure in that they have several counterfeit measures incorporated, including the use of a sticker that must be applied to the windshield.

The changeover will not change the license plate number of the vehicle, a number that stays with the life of the vehicle from the day of registration.

New vehicle registrations are now assigned a alpha-numeric plate, the first three characters made up of three letters (no vowels permitted) and the last three of numbers.