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Vehicles & CESCO

How to replace a lost, stolen or damaged licence plate in Puerto Rico

Last reviewed: August 12, 2026 — VerifiedCESCO

In short

CESCO calls this "Reemplazo de tablilla"; the appointment system lists it as "Duplicado de Tablilla Privada". If the plate was lost or stolen, the registered owner presents a sworn statement before a notary explaining what happened, with a sentence CESCO requires word for word. It is $11 in a code 2010 voucher plus $2 in a code 0842 voucher. If instead you want to change it for security or another reason, you hand in the plate you have rather than making the statement. And if it is merely deteriorated, CESCO uses a simpler transaction with no sworn statement and no charges listed. If you also lost the marbete, that is a separate transaction.

External link

Go to the official site

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www.cesco.pr.gov

What is it?

The tablilla is the vehicle’s metal plate. It is not the marbete — the annual sticker on the windscreen — nor the Permiso para Vehículo de Motor, the paper many people call "the car's licence". All three are separate documents and CESCO replaces each through a separate transaction, with different charges and codes. This one covers the ordinary plate: private, and also motorcycle, private cargo and trailer, which is how the appointment system groups them. If your plate is personalized, radio-amateur, special or heavy-vehicle, CESCO uses separate procedures with their own forms and prices.

Who can do it?

CESCO places this with the registered owner, and it is worth knowing which of three situations you are in before preparing anything, because they differ a great deal. If the plate was lost or stolen, it takes a notarized sworn statement. If you want to change it for security or some other reason, there is no statement: you hand in the plate you hold. And if the problem is that it is deteriorated, that is a different transaction — CESCO calls it "Cambio de tablilla por deterioro" — which asks only for the deteriorated plate and the vehicle permit, with no sworn statement, no notary and no fee listed at all. If the plate is public or tourist, all three routes additionally require an authorization.

Requirements

  • Being the vehicle’s registered owner: CESCO states they are the one who presents the sworn statement or hands in the plate.Verified against the official source
  • In cases of loss or theft, a sworn statement requesting the plate replacement before a notary, stating what happened to the plate.Verified against the official source
  • That the sworn statement include the wording CESCO requires: “Relevamos a DTOP de toda responsabilidad en esta transacción.”Verified against the official source
  • If it is a trailer or motorcycle plate with a valid marbete, that the statement also include a request to replace the marbete.Verified against the official source
  • If what you want is to change the plate for security or some other reason, handing in the plate you hold.Verified against the official source
  • If the plate is public or tourist, bringing authorization from the Negociado de Transporte y otros Servicios Públicos or from the Compañía de Turismo.Verified against the official source
  • If the plate is merely deteriorated and you still have it, this transaction does not apply — “Cambio de tablilla por deterioro” does: bringing the deteriorated plate and the vehicle permit is enough.Verified against the official source
  • An appointment: the official system offers the service as “Duplicado de Tablilla Privada (Privada, Motora, Carga Privada y Arrastre)”.Verified against the official source
  • Being able to prove your identity. CESCO publishes no identification list for this transaction, although it requires one for others.
This list describes what is usually requested. It has not yet been confirmed with the official agency.

Documents you need

This list describes what is usually requested. It has not yet been confirmed with the official agency.

Cost

If the plate is deteriorated and you still have it, start here: CESCO treats that as "Cambio de tablilla por deterioro" and that block lists no charge at all. What follows applies to loss, theft and the voluntary change. Replacing the plate is $11 in an Internal Revenue voucher under code 2010 plus $2 in a code 0842 voucher. If you also request the marbete replacement, CESCO adds a code 5120 stamp for $3. The same list shows a second code 0842 voucher for $2 without the "only if" qualifier, but that $3 and $2 match exactly the charges for the standalone marbete duplicate, so they read as part of that add-on; confirm at the counter if you are only replacing the plate. Personalized, radio-amateur and heavy-vehicle plates have separate procedures and prices.

Verified against the official source · August 12, 2026

Step by step

  1. Step 1: Confirm that what you lost is the plate

    The tablilla is the metal plate; the marbete is the annual windscreen sticker; the Permiso para Vehículo de Motor is the paper. CESCO replaces each through a separate transaction with different charges, so booking the wrong one means coming back another day. If the only thing you lost was the marbete, this is not your transaction. And if your plate is personalized, radio-amateur or heavy-vehicle, those go their own way too.

  2. Step 2: Identify your situation: loss or theft, or a voluntary change

    There are three paths and they ask for very different things. If the plate was lost or stolen, it goes with a notarized sworn statement and the charges below. If you want to change it for security or some other reason, there is no statement: you hand in the plate you hold. And if it is deteriorated, CESCO treats that as a different transaction — "Cambio de tablilla por deterioro" — which asks only for the deteriorated plate and the vehicle permit, with no sworn statement, no notary and no charges listed; that block sits elsewhere on the same page, among the "Cambio de" transactions. One important detail for theft: CESCO mentions no police report in this transaction, although it expressly requires one for others such as the licence duplicate or the vehicle-permit duplicate. Do not assume you need one.

  3. Step 3: Prepare the sworn statement with the exact wording

    There is no form to fill in: it is a sworn statement by the registered owner, executed before a notary, in which you explain what happened to the plate. It has to include this sentence as it stands: “Relevamos a DTOP de toda responsabilidad en esta transacción.” If yours is a trailer or motorcycle with a valid marbete, CESCO asks that the same statement also request the marbete replacement. Note: this is the plate’s statement, and its wording is shorter than the one for the title replacement, which additionally requires certifying that the document was not seized by the Police nor suspended by a court. Do not mix them up.

  4. Step 4: Gather the vehicle permit and buy the vouchers

    You need the original Permiso para Vehículo de Motor o Arrastres if it is valid; if it is not legible, the Certificación de Marbete replaces it. The charges are $11 in a code 2010 voucher and $2 in a code 0842 voucher. Only if you are also replacing the marbete does the $3 code 5120 stamp come in. They are bought at a Hacienda collection office, and several CESCOs have one in the same building.

  5. Step 5: Book as “Duplicado de Tablilla Privada”

    In the official appointment system CESCO links from its homepage, the service is not named as it is on the requirements page: it appears as “Duplicado de Tablilla Privada (Privada, Motora, Carga Privada y Arrastre)”. It is the same transaction. There you will also see that personalized, radio-amateur and heavy-vehicle plates have separate services, which confirms they are different processes. Not every CESCO offers every service, so confirm availability when you book.

  6. Step 6: Ask how and when the plate is handed over

    CESCO does not publish how long this takes, nor whether the plate is handed over on the spot or collected later, nor whether you keep the same number or are assigned a new one. We are not going to assume it from the fact that the transaction is in person. Ask at the appointment, and if you are given a different number, check that it is recorded correctly on the vehicle permit before you leave.

Where to do it

At a CESCO, with an appointment booked in the official system CESCO links from its homepage, where the service is called “Duplicado de Tablilla Privada (Privada, Motora, Carga Privada y Arrastre)”. We did not find this transaction among what CESCO Digital documents: its FAQ covers settings, authentication, payment, digital licence renewal, transfers and Vacu ID, and the only mentions of the plate are about using its number to log in. Vouchers are bought at a Hacienda collection office; several CESCOs have one in the same building.

How long it takes

Check the current processing time with the official agency.

What to do if something goes wrong

If your plate was stolen, the commonest question is whether a police report is needed. CESCO does not mention one for this transaction, not even for theft, although it expressly requires one for others such as the licence duplicate or the vehicle-permit duplicate. If you already filed a report, bring it anyway; what we will not tell you is that it is a requirement, because the official source does not say so. If your plate is deteriorated but you still have it, do not ask for the replacement: CESCO has a "Cambio de tablilla por deterioro" for that, which asks only that you bring the deteriorated plate and the vehicle permit, with no sworn statement and no notary, and lists no fee at all. Asking for the wrong transaction there costs you $13 and a notary you did not need. If what you lost was the marbete rather than the plate, this is not your transaction and the charges are different. If the vehicle permit is not legible, you do not need to replace it first: CESCO accepts the Certificación de Marbete instead. If the plate turns up after you have been given a new one, CESCO publishes nothing about what to do with the old one; ask at the same CESCO. And if your plate is personalized, radio-amateur, special or heavy-vehicle, those are separate procedures with their own forms and prices. On driving while the plate is missing, CESCO publishes no guidance at all, and we would rather tell you that than offer reassurance we cannot back.

Common mistakes

  • Confusing the plate with the marbete or the Permiso para Vehículo de Motor: three documents, three transactions, different charges.
  • Assuming a theft requires a police report: CESCO does not mention one for this transaction, though it asks for one elsewhere.
  • Using the sworn-statement wording from the title replacement, which is longer and certifies things not asked for here.
  • Buying the $3 code 5120 stamp without needing it: that charge applies only if you also request the marbete replacement.
  • Searching the appointment system for "reemplazo de tablilla", where the service is listed as “Duplicado de Tablilla Privada”.
  • Asking for the replacement when the plate is merely deteriorated and still in your hands: CESCO uses "Cambio de tablilla por deterioro" for that, with no sworn statement, no notary and no charges listed.

Frequently asked questions

I lost my car’s plate. What do I do?

You go to a CESCO with a sworn statement of your own, as registered owner, executed before a notary, explaining what happened to the plate and including the sentence “Relevamos a DTOP de toda responsabilidad en esta transacción.” You also bring the original Permiso para Vehículo de Motor o Arrastres if valid, plus $11 in a code 2010 voucher and $2 in a code 0842 voucher. The appointment is booked as “Duplicado de Tablilla Privada”.

Do I need a notary?

For loss or theft, yes. CESCO expressly writes that the sworn statement is presented “ante un Notario Público”. If instead you are changing the plate for security or another reason, CESCO asks for no sworn statement: you hand in the plate you hold, so no notary is involved.

My plate was stolen. Do I need to file a police report?

CESCO does not mention one for this transaction, and we would rather say so plainly than assume. On its page a police report does appear as an express requirement elsewhere — the driver’s licence duplicate, the vehicle-permit duplicate, and scrapping when the plate is not returned — but not in the plate replacement. If you already have one, bring it; if not, confirm at the CESCO before assuming you will be turned away.

My plate is deteriorated but I still have it. Does this transaction apply?

No, and it is worth knowing because it works out cheaper. CESCO has a separate transaction, "Cambio de tablilla por deterioro", which asks for only three things: bringing the deteriorated plate, the original Permiso para Vehículo de Motor o Arrastres — or the Certificación de Marbete if it is not legible — and, if the plate is public or tourist, the corresponding authorization. It asks for no sworn statement, mentions no notary and lists no charge. On CESCO’s page that block sits far from the replacement one, among the "Cambio de" transactions, which is exactly why it goes unnoticed.

How much does replacing the plate cost?

$11 in an Internal Revenue voucher under code 2010 plus $2 in a code 0842 voucher. If you also request the marbete replacement, CESCO adds a code 5120 stamp for $3. That $3 does not apply to someone replacing only the plate. Personalized plates are priced by model and are a separate transaction.

I also lost the marbete. Does it all go together?

Only in one specific case. CESCO states that if the plate is a trailer or motorcycle plate with a valid marbete, the same sworn statement must include a request to replace the marbete, and that is where the extra $3 stamp appears. Outside that case, the marbete duplicate is a separate transaction with its own sworn statement and its own charges, different from the plate’s.

Can I do it through CESCO Digital?

We did not find it documented. CESCO Digital’s FAQ groups its services into settings, authentication, payment, digital licence renewal, transfers and Vacu ID, and plate replacement appears in none of them. The only times the plate is mentioned there is to use its number as a way of logging in. We would rather tell you we did not see it published than assure you it does not exist.

My plate is personalized. Does this guide apply?

No. CESCO uses a different procedure for personalized plates, with its own form and a cost that depends on the model you choose. The same goes for radio-amateur and heavy-vehicle plates, which have separate services in the appointment system. This guide covers the ordinary plate: private, motorcycle, private cargo and trailer.

How long does it take, and do I keep the same number?

We do not know, and we are not going to guess. CESCO publishes no processing time for this transaction, nor does it say whether the plate is handed over on the spot or collected later, nor whether you keep the same number or are assigned a new one. An in-person transaction does not mean it comes out on the spot. Ask when you book the appointment.

Official sources

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

Last verified

August 12, 2026

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