Medical exemption to tint your vehicle's windows

It is the permit that exempts a vehicle from the general tint rule — no less than 35% light transmission — when a person needs additional protection from sunlight due to a certified medical condition. You do not need to own the vehicle: the spouse or children of the person with the condition can also request it.

Anyone whose medical history, as certified by a physician, surgeon or optometrist licensed in Puerto Rico, shows they need tint or another material on the vehicle's windows for protection from sunlight. The law expressly names: lupus (systemic, cutaneous or discoid), malignant melanoma, vitiligo, psoriasis in all its forms, albinism, multiple sclerosis, autism spectrum disorder (ASD/TEA), sensory processing disorder (SPD/TPS) and other severe sensory hypersensitivity conditions — without that list excluding other conditions a physician certifies. The affected person's spouse and children may request the exemption even if the vehicle is not registered in their name.

• A certification from a physician, surgeon or optometrist duly authorized to practice in Puerto Rico, stating that, per the applicant's medical history, they require the use of tint or another material on the vehicle's windows as protection from sunlight.Verified against the official source

• The medical certification described above, submitted along with the exemption request before DTOP.

1. 1

   Step 1: Get the exact medical certification the law requires

   It must come from a physician, surgeon or optometrist licensed in Puerto Rico, and must explicitly state that, per your medical history, you need tint or another material on the windows for protection from sunlight.

2. 2

   Step 2: If you are the spouse or child of the person with the condition, you can apply even if not the owner

   The law says it expressly: "the spouse and children affected by a medical condition, even when they are not the vehicle's registered owners, may request such exemption, subject to evaluation of the corresponding application."

3. 3

   Step 3: Check whether your condition is on the no-renewal-required list

   If your certification is for lupus, malignant melanoma, vitiligo, psoriasis, albinism, multiple sclerosis, ASD, SPD or another severe sensory hypersensitivity condition, you will not have to renew the permit every five years while the condition persists or does not prevent you from driving. Any other certified medical condition follows the standard five-year renewal cycle.

4. 4

   Step 4: Carry the authorization with you or in the vehicle

   The authorization must be carried continuously in the vehicle or on the person it was issued to. If the vehicle is transferred, assigned or sold, it is that person's responsibility to remove the authorized tint or material before handing it over.

5. 5

   Step 5: Know the fines

   Driving in violation of Article 10.05 is an administrative offense with a $100 fine. Removing and transferring the light-transmission approval seal to another vehicle, or altering the conditions under which it was granted, is a misdemeanor with a $500 fine.

Before the Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP), who regulates the application, issuance, processing cost and renewal procedure for these certifications and permits. The Secretary may require the Advisory Medical Board to evaluate the application.

• Confusing this exemption with the disability parking placard: they are different procedures, under different articles of the same law.
• Thinking only the registered owner can apply: the spouse and children of the affected person can too.
• Assuming every medical condition is exempt from the five-year renewal: only the specific list the law names (lupus, malignant melanoma, vitiligo, psoriasis, albinism, multiple sclerosis, ASD, SPD and other severe sensory hypersensitivity conditions) has that exception.
• Selling or transferring the vehicle without removing the authorized tint: it is the authorization holder's responsibility.
• Not carrying the physical authorization in the vehicle or with the person.

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

• Departamento de Transportación y Obras Públicas (DTOP)

  DTOP

  bvirtualogp.pr.gov