Authorities Crack Down
On Cars Without Permits
By Amanda Roberson
Tico Times Staff
aroberson@ticotimes.net

Vehicle owners who have put off renewing their circulation permits, or marchamos, are paying the price this week as Traffic Police fine owners and remove out-of-date plates.

From Monday through Wednesday afternoon, officers removed 798 plates, Traffic Police Director of Operations Juan Rodriguez told The Tico Times.

To recuperate confiscated plates, vehicle owners must pay an inicial fine of ¢13,000, which increases each day until the marchamo is paid, in addition to proving vehicle inspection and soliciting an order for a judge to prove all fees have been paid, Rodriguez said.

Francisco Soto of the National Insurance Institute (INS) told the daily Al Día approximately 116,000 of the country's nearly 800,000 vehicles did not have an updated permit as of Monday, for a total of ¢9 billion ($18 million) in unpaid fees. By the same date last year, 143,000 vehicles' owners were delinquent in their payments. However, he said the collection of permit fees showed improvement over the year before. A total of ¢40 billion ($80 million) had been collected as of Monday.

Still, long lines at Riteve stations, the company in charge of vehicle inspection, shows many owners have waited until the last minute to take care of the inspection necessary for obtaining a current permit.

Each vehicle is assigned a month for inspection, explained Riteve corporate relations manager Vilma Ibarra. Though the company called owners to remind them of their scheduled inspections throughout the year, many failed to appear until their permits were almost expired, she said.

As of Wednesday, an estimated10,000-15,000 vehicles still awaited inspection, Ibarra said.

The cost of the circulation permit for each vehicle depends on the make and age of the car, and other factors. The outdated marchamo fee, including all accumulated fines, can be paid at banks, as well as many supermarkets and other locations. To find out the amount of your marchamo and fines, and view a complete list of the locations authorized for marchamo payment, visit the INS Web site at www.ins.go.cr.

Vehicle inspection can be done at any of the five Riteve inspection centers in the San José metropolitan area in Cartago, Heredia, Alajuela, San Miguel de Santo Domingo and Alajuelita, as well as 11 other centers throughout the country.