How to replace a lost, stolen or destroyed marbete in Puerto Rico

The marbete is the annual sticker showing you paid the vehicle’s fees. This transaction replaces the one you had when it was lost, stolen or destroyed. It is not the same as renewing it: renewal is the annual payment due when it expires, and that goes another way. Nor is it the same as replacing the tablilla, the metal plate, which has its own transaction, different charges and — this matters — a sworn statement CESCO does require before a notary. Here, in the marbete block, CESCO mentions no notary.

CESCO places this with the registered owner: they are the one who makes the sworn statement. The page publishes no procedure for someone else to handle it for you in this transaction, so if you cannot go yourself, ask CESCO what they accept before preparing paperwork; we are not going to invent a representation rule the source does not carry. The three scenarios CESCO names — loss, theft and destruction — share the same requirements, with a single exception: when the marbete was destroyed and you can hand it in broken with all the pieces, the sworn statement is replaced by the Certificación de Marbete.

• Being the vehicle’s registered owner: CESCO states they are the one who makes the sworn statement.Verified against the official source
• A sworn statement requesting the marbete replacement and stating what happened, whether it was lost, stolen or destroyed.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 the case is destruction and you hand in the marbete deteriorated, broken, with all its pieces: the sworn statement is not required, but the Certificación de Marbete is.Verified against the official source
• The original Permiso para Vehículo de Motor o Arrastres. If it is not legible, the Certificación de Marbete is presented instead.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.

• The registered owner’s sworn statement, with the DTOP release wording, unless you are in the destruction case handing in all the pieces.
• The original Permiso para Vehículo de Motor o Arrastres, or the Certificación de Marbete if the permit is not legible.
• An Internal Revenue stamp, code 5120, for $3.
• An Internal Revenue voucher, code 0842, for $2.
• If the marbete was destroyed: the pieces — CESCO says “partido (todos los pedazos)” — plus the Certificación de Marbete, which you obtain where you bought the marbete.
• Current photo identification, although CESCO does not list it for this particular transaction.

1. 1

   Step 1: Confirm that what you lost is the marbete

   The marbete is the windscreen sticker; the tablilla is the metal plate; the Permiso para Vehículo de Motor is the paper. CESCO replaces each one separately, with different charges and — in the plate’s case — a sworn statement that does have to be before a notary. And if what you owe is the annual payment because the marbete expired, that is renewal, an entirely different process.

2. 2

   Step 2: Check whether you can hand in the pieces

   This is the decision that changes the most about what you have to do. If the marbete was destroyed and you still have it in pieces, CESCO says that handing it in with all the pieces means you do not present the sworn statement; instead you bring the Certificación de Marbete. If it was lost or stolen, there are no pieces to hand in and the sworn statement applies. CESCO does not explain how complete the marbete has to be beyond that phrase, so if pieces are missing, ask before deciding which route to take.

3. 3

   Step 3: Prepare the sworn statement, or the Certificación de Marbete

   There is no form: the sworn statement is made by the registered owner, explains what happened to the marbete and has to include this sentence as it stands: “Relevamos a DTOP de toda responsabilidad en esta transacción.” One detail worth knowing before you spend: in this block CESCO writes only “Declaración Jurada”, without adding “ante un Notario Público” as it does for the plate replacement. We are not telling you a notary is unnecessary, because CESCO does not say that either; we are telling you it is not required in writing here and that it is worth confirming. If you are taking the pieces route, what you need instead is the Certificación de Marbete, and CESCO states you obtain it where you bought the marbete.

4. 4

   Step 4: Gather the vehicle permit and buy the stamps

   You need the original Permiso para Vehículo de Motor o Arrastres; if it is not legible, the Certificación de Marbete replaces it — the same document the pieces route asks for. The charges are $3 in a code 5120 stamp and $2 in a code 0842 voucher. They are bought at a Hacienda collection office, and several CESCOs have one in the same building.

5. 5

   Step 5: Book the appointment as “Duplicado de Marbete”

   The official appointment system CESCO links from its homepage offers the service under that exact name, so here nothing needs translating between the requirements page and the booking system. CESCO does not publish that an appointment is mandatory for this transaction; what is published is that the service exists and can be booked. Not every CESCO offers every service, so confirm availability when you book.

6. 6

   Step 6: Ask how and when it is handed over

   CESCO does not publish how long this takes, nor whether the marbete is handed over on the spot or collected later. We are not going to assume it because the transaction is in person. Ask at the appointment, and keep the transaction receipt until the marbete is on the windscreen.

At a CESCO. The official appointment system CESCO links from its homepage offers the service as “Duplicado de Marbete”. This transaction does not appear among the services CESCO Digital currently publishes: its FAQ is grouped into settings, authentication, payment, digital licence renewal, transfers and Vacu ID, and the marbete mentions there are about something else. Stamps and vouchers are bought at a Hacienda collection office; several CESCOs have one in the same building. The Certificación de Marbete, when needed, is obtained where you bought the marbete.

• Confusing the duplicate with the renewal: renewing is the annual payment when the marbete expires, and it goes another way.
• Throwing away the broken marbete: handing it in with all its pieces is exactly what saves you the sworn statement.
• Using the plate replacement’s sworn statement, which CESCO does require before a notary, and assuming the same applies here.
• Budgeting the plate’s charges: the marbete is $3 under code 5120 plus $2 under code 0842, not the $11 under code 2010.
• Assuming a theft requires a police report: CESCO does not mention one for this transaction, though it asks for one elsewhere.

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

• Directoría de Servicios al Conductor (CESCO)

  CESCO

  www.cesco.pr.gov

• CESCO — applications and forms (“Duplicado de marbete” block)

  CESCO

  www.cesco.pr.gov

• CESCO appointment system — “Duplicado de Marbete” service

  CESCO

  cesco.turnospr.com

• CESCO Digital frequently asked questions

  CESCO

  www.cesco.pr.gov