How to replace a vehicle title in Puerto Rico

The Certificado de Título is the document proving who owns the vehicle. It is not the marbete, and not the Permiso para Vehículo de Motor — what people call "the car's licence" — and each of those is replaced through a different transaction with different stamps. This one replaces the title when it was lost, stolen, destroyed or is deteriorated. Before anything else it is worth knowing whether your vehicle has a title at all: CESCO states across several transactions that the Certificado de Título only applies to vehicles registered after 11 July 1987. If yours predates that, there is no title to replace; instead you present the vehicle licence and request the Título de Propiedad, which is a different transaction at a different fee.

CESCO puts this in the hands of the registered owner: they are the one who must make the sworn statement requesting the replacement. The page publishes no procedure for someone else to do it for you in this particular transaction — it does publish one for others, such as the permit-renewal notification, where you may authorize someone in writing — so if you cannot go yourself, ask CESCO what they accept before preparing paperwork. Two situations look like this transaction but are not. If the registered owner has died, the right process is Traspaso de persona fallecida, which requires a will or declaration of heirs, an estate certification and a sworn statement before a notary. And if you have paid off the loan but the lien still shows, that is a Cancelación de Venta Condicional, inside which the duplicate title is requested.

• Being the vehicle’s registered owner: CESCO states they are the one who must make the sworn statement requesting the replacement.Verified against the official source
• That the vehicle was registered after 11 July 1987. CESCO states the Certificado de Título only applies from that date; if it predates it, what you request is the Título de Propiedad.Verified against the official source
• A sworn statement requesting the replacement and stating what happened to the Certificado de Título, in cases of loss, theft or destruction.Verified against the official source
• That the sworn statement include the wording CESCO requires: “Relevamos a DTOP de toda responsabilidad en esta transacción y que el Certificado de Título no ha sido retenido por la Policía de Puerto Rico, ni suspendido por el Tribunal.”Verified against the official source
• If the replacement is due to deterioration, handing in the deteriorated title: CESCO treats that case separately and says the transaction then has no cost.Verified against the official source
• If the vehicle carries a Gravamen Mobiliario, a payoff letter (carta de saldo), on top of the additional voucher.Verified against the official source
• An appointment, if you are going in person. The official appointment system offers the service under the name “Duplicado de Título”.Verified against the official source
• Being able to prove your identity. CESCO does not publish an identification list specific to this transaction, although it does require one for others.

• The registered owner’s sworn statement requesting the replacement, explaining what happened to the title and including the release wording CESCO requires.
• An Internal Revenue stamp, code 5120, for $6.
• An Internal Revenue voucher, code 0842, for $2.
• If there is a lien: the payoff letter and an Internal Revenue voucher, code 1696, for $5.
• If it is due to deterioration: the deteriorated title itself, to hand in.
• If you have paid off the loan and the lien remains: the lender’s conditional-sale cancellation letter, with which the duplicate title is requested.
• Current photo identification, although CESCO does not list it for this particular transaction.

1. 1

   Step 1: Confirm that what you lost is the title

   The title, the marbete and the Permiso para Vehículo de Motor are three different documents, replaced through different transactions with different stamps and codes. The title says who owns the vehicle; the permit is the paper people call "the car's licence". If what you lost was the permit, that is the "Reemplazo de permiso para vehículo de motor o arrastres", not this one. And if your vehicle was registered before 11 July 1987, it has no title: you request the Título de Propiedad instead.

2. 2

   Step 2: Find out whether the vehicle has a lien before spending anything

   If the vehicle carries a lien, CESCO also asks for a payoff letter from the lender and a $5 voucher. And if you have finished paying but the lien is still recorded, yours is not this transaction but the Cancelación de Venta Condicional: you present the bank or credit union’s cancellation letter and request the duplicate title right there. Getting that letter out of the lender is usually the slowest part, so start there.

3. 3

   Step 3: Prepare the sworn statement with the exact wording

   There is no form to fill in: what CESCO asks for is a sworn statement by the registered owner requesting the replacement and explaining what happened to the title, in cases of loss, theft or destruction. It has to include this sentence: “Relevamos a DTOP de toda responsabilidad en esta transacción y que el Certificado de Título no ha sido retenido por la Policía de Puerto Rico, ni suspendido por el Tribunal.” Copy it as it stands. One detail worth noting: for the licence-plate replacement CESCO does write “ante un Notario Público”, and here it does not. Since a sworn statement is normally executed before a notary, confirm with your CESCO how they want it before paying for one.

4. 4

   Step 4: Buy the stamps that apply to your case

   For loss, theft or destruction: $6 in a code 5120 stamp and $2 in a code 0842 voucher. If there is a lien, add the $5 code 1696 voucher. If your case is deterioration and you are handing in the damaged title, CESCO says the transaction has no cost, so do not buy stamps until you have confirmed it at the counter. Stamps 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 Título”

   The transaction is in person. In the official appointment system CESCO links from its homepage, the service appears as “Duplicado de Título”, not under the name the requirements page uses, which is “Reemplazo del certificado de título”. They are the same transaction. Not every CESCO offers every service, so confirm availability when you book.

6. 6

   Step 6: Ask how and when the new title is handed over

   CESCO does not publish how long this takes, nor whether the title is printed the same day or collected later, and we are not going to assume it from the fact that the transaction is in person. Ask at the appointment and keep the transaction receipt until the document is in your hands. When you receive it, check the name, the serial number and the plate before leaving: fixing a detail on the spot is far easier than opening another transaction later.

At a CESCO, with an appointment booked in the official system CESCO links from its homepage, where the service is called “Duplicado de Título”. We did not find title replacement among the services CESCO Digital documents: its FAQ covers settings, authentication, payment, digital licence renewal, transfers and Vacu ID, and the only point where the title comes in is inside a transfer, to collect the updated title. Stamps and vouchers are bought at a Hacienda collection office; several CESCOs have one in the same building.

• Confusing the title with the Permiso para Vehículo de Motor — "the car's licence" — or with the marbete: three documents, three separate transactions.
• Requesting the duplicate on its own when the loan is paid off and the lien is still recorded: that is resolved in the Cancelación de Venta Condicional.
• Turning up with a sworn statement that omits the DTOP release wording and the certification that the title was not seized by the Police nor suspended by a court.
• Buying stamps before confirming the case: if it is deterioration and you hand in the title, CESCO says there is no cost.
• Assuming the vehicle has a title when it was registered before 11 July 1987, in which case what you request is the Título de Propiedad.

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 (“Reemplazo del certificado de título” block)

  CESCO

  www.cesco.pr.gov

• CESCO appointment system

  CESCO

  cesco.turnospr.com

• DTOP-770 — motor vehicle financing statement

  DTOP

  docs.pr.gov

• CESCO Digital frequently asked questions

  CESCO

  www.cesco.pr.gov