auto registration (marbete) in puerto rico

Every time I drove past the big yellow and red “MARBETES” sign I felt it, even if left unsaid:  “I probably SHOULD figure out how to renew our vehicle registration sticker….”  Well, our sticker or “marbete” expires at the end of this month so I could procrastinate no longer.  The following is the result of my wait-till-the-last-minute on-the-ground and online research.

In Texas, vehicle inspection and registration are two separate processes requiring two separate stickers.  Here in Puerto Rico, they are combined along with the enforcement of mandatory liability auto insurance. Therefore, a bit more coordination is required.  In the end, I think it’s kind of nice to only have one date to worry about.

Getting your renewal form

Around 45 days before your marbete is to expire, you are supposed to receive your renewal form in the mail.  If you don’t receive them, which isn’t uncommon, you can wait in line at the regional CESCO (think DMV) to obtain one OR you could register on the DTOP website and print them out at home.  You can guess what approach we chose. 😉

(Update 7/13/2021) This worked for a few years, but it looks like the site we used is gone now.  Further, since we changed our address there was no longer a chance that we would receive them by mail.  Not to worry though, they now have an app called Cesco Digital that is actually quite an improvement! Just select your vehicle and download the “Vehicle License” form.

Inspection

So with papers in hand, I headed for the closest Centro de Inspeccion in Aguada.  Unlike the inspections in Texas which are more thorough, the inspections here are extremely quick because the only thing they seem to check is your emissions.  It costs $11, and like many places here, they ONLY accept cash.

Auto Insurance (and roadside assistance)

Like in Texas, auto liability coverage is mandatory here.  Unlike Texas, however, they conveniently sell you a barebones policy when you register your vehicle if you don’t have your own. The policy costs $99 and covers up to $4,000 in damages. 

A few months back, some friends of ours mentioned that they opted to purchase their own auto insurance policy for a couple of hundred dollars.  Having the basic coverage, I didn’t give it much thought at the time.  However, in researching this post, I spoke to them again to get the exact numbers.

The insurance they have through Universal costs about $200 a year for something like $300,000 in liability coverage!  Holly and I met with an insurance agent in Rincón who was able to get us a quote of $180 a year with Integrand.  Paying another $80 to $100 for an additional $296,000 dollars in coverage strikes me as a pretty good investment.  Also, since we only have one car, we decided to add roadside assistance for an additional $40 annually.

(Update 8/5/20: It became more and more of a hassle to renew so we are back to just using the minimum liability coverage.)

Auto Registration

Now you should have everything you need.  The last step is to gather your renewal form and, if you decided to purchase your own policy, proof of insurance then pay the vehicle registration fee. Conveniently, this can be done at a number of places, including Treasury Department collection centers (colecturías), the inspection centers, and most local bank branches.  Oh and bring cash; $100 if you have your own insurance, $200 if you don’t. I always try to pay with a credit card, but rarely am able to… good luck!