In short
Transferring a vehicle, or traspaso, means changing the owner’s name in CESCO’s registry. There is no transfer form to fill in: the attestation goes on the back of the Certificado de Título, signed by seller and buyer. It costs $17 in stamps, plus whatever your case adds. If you use a sworn statement instead of the back of the title, it gets considerably more expensive and the vehicle has to be inspected. Until the transfer is filed, the registry still says the vehicle belongs to the seller, with everything that implies.
What is it?
A traspaso is the transaction that updates CESCO’s records to show who owns a motor vehicle. Handing over the keys, signing a paper between the parties and shaking hands is not enough: until the change is recorded, the government’s system still ties that vehicle to the seller, and that is where the fines, tolls and liability land. Plenty of people go looking for "the transfer form" and never find it, because there isn’t one: for a private sale, what CESCO asks for is the attestation on the back of the Certificado de Título itself, or a sworn statement in its place.
Who can do it?
This applies whenever a vehicle registered in Puerto Rico changes owner: sale, gift, inheritance or any other transfer. The seller, or whoever has the right to dispose of the vehicle, and the buyer both take part. If the vehicle carries a lien, for example an active loan or lease, the creditor must be released before the registry will accept the change. Inheritance cases and vehicles registered to a corporation have additional requirements; confirm those with CESCO.
Requirements
- The original Permiso para Vehículo de Motor o Arrastres, if valid. If it is not legible or not recorded in the DAVID+ system, the Certificación de Marbete is presented instead.Verified against the official source
- The vehicle’s Certificado de Título.Verified against the official source
- The transfer’s sworn attestation, which goes on the back of the Certificado de Título or, failing that, in a sworn statement signed by seller and buyer.Verified against the official source
- If you use the sworn statement instead of the back of the title, the vehicle must also be brought to the CESCO for inspection, and the statement must request the duplicate title as well and include “Relevamos a DTOP de toda responsabilidad en esta transacción”.Verified against the official source
- If the vehicle carries a conditional-sale lien, the creditor’s payoff letter.Verified against the official source
- If the vehicle was registered before 11 July 1987, presenting the vehicle licence and requesting the Título de Propiedad, since it has no Certificado de Título to transfer.Verified against the official source
- To do it through CESCO Digital: the vehicle must have no liens and no toll fines and must be paid off, must have been registered after 11 July 1987, both parties must be 21 or older and US citizens, and both must have the app.Verified against the official source
- For CESCO Digital, the seller must hold the original Certificado del Título: a copy is not accepted.Verified against the official source
Documents you need
Cost
An owner-to-owner transfer is $17: $15 in an Internal Revenue stamp under code 5120 plus $2 in a code 0842 voucher. On top of that comes whatever applies to your case. If the vehicle carries a conditional-sale lien, a code 1696 voucher for $5, which is not charged if the lien was recorded after 13 January 2013. If the attestation is made by sworn statement instead of on the back of the title, add $6 in a code 5120 stamp, $2 in a code 0842 voucher and $30 in a code 2031 voucher for the vehicle inspection. And if the vehicle was registered before 11 July 1987, the Título de Propiedad must be requested: $11 in a code 5120 stamp plus $2 in a code 0842 voucher.
Verified against the official source · August 12, 2026
Step by step
Step 1: Check the vehicle’s status before closing the deal
Before money or keys change hands, confirm the vehicle carries no fines, debts or unreleased lien, and that the marbete is current. A vehicle with pending charges may not be transferable that day, and the person left holding the problem is usually the buyer.
Step 2: Download the official forms
The DTOP transfer forms are on CESCO’s applications and forms page. Get them from there rather than from a copy someone forwarded you, because outdated versions get rejected.
Step 3: Complete the forms and authenticate the signatures
Seller and buyer fill in the form with the vehicle’s and each party’s information, and sign as the agency requires for that document. Never sign a blank form or leave spaces for the other party to fill in later: that is what later shows up with a price or a date you never agreed to.
Step 4: File the transfer at CESCO
Take the complete packet to CESCO, with an appointment if the center requires one for this service. Confirm beforehand that the center you picked handles transfers, since not every center offers every service.
Step 5: Confirm the change was actually recorded
Do not treat the transaction as finished until you see the vehicle in the buyer’s name in the government’s records. This is the most commonly skipped step and the one that keeps fines and tolls for a car the seller no longer drives from continuing to arrive. Keep a copy of everything you filed.
Step 6: Each party adjusts their insurance
The buyer makes sure the vehicle is covered in their name and the seller handles what is appropriate with their insurer. Confirm with your insurer what evidence of the transfer it needs.
Where to do it
At a CESCO, bringing the Certificado de Título with the attestation on the back, the vehicle permit and the stamps. It can also be done entirely through CESCO Digital, but only if the vehicle qualifies: no liens, no toll fines, paid off, registered after 11 July 1987, and both parties over 21, US citizens and with the app installed. If any of that fails, it has to be in person. Check in the appointment system whether the center near you handles transfers.
How long it takes
What to do if something goes wrong
If the transfer doesn’t go through, it is typically one of three things: an outstanding fine or debt tied to the vehicle, a lien that was never released, or a form filled in incorrectly or signed in a way that doesn’t meet the agency’s requirements. Ask them to specify which one, because each is resolved somewhere different: fines through the fines system, the lien with the creditor, the form by redoing it. If you are the seller and you discover the buyer never filed the transfer, contact CESCO as soon as possible rather than waiting; in the meantime the vehicle still shows up in your name.
Common mistakes
- Handing over the vehicle and trusting the other party to file the transfer afterward. Until it is filed, the registry says the seller is the owner.
- Signing the form blank or with spaces left unfilled.
- Not checking whether the vehicle has fines, debts or an unreleased lien before paying.
- Using an outdated version of the form instead of downloading it from CESCO’s official page.
- Not confirming afterward that the change of owner actually appears in the government’s records.
Frequently asked questions
Do the buyer and seller have to go to CESCO together?
What the agency requires is a complete form with signatures authenticated as applicable; who physically files it can vary by case. Confirm with CESCO what applies to yours before coordinating the trip.
How much does a transfer cost?
The fees depend on the vehicle type and the particulars of the case, and there may be additional charges if something is pending. PRFácil does not publish figures it has not verified with the agency. Confirm the cost that applies to your transfer directly with CESCO.
How long do I have to file the transfer after the sale?
The agency sets a window for filing, and letting it lapse can carry charges. PRFácil does not publish deadlines it has not verified, so confirm the current window with CESCO. In practice, the sensible move is to file immediately: the risk sits with the seller for as long as the registry stays in their name.
I sold the car and fines keep coming to me. What do I do?
That almost always means the transfer was never filed and the vehicle is still registered in your name. Contact CESCO with whatever evidence of the sale you have and ask how to correct the record. Until the registry changes, the system will keep identifying you as the owner.
Can I transfer a vehicle that still has a loan on it?
Not while the lien is active. The creditor has to release the lien and that evidence is presented with the transfer. Start with your financial institution, because that process runs outside CESCO and takes its own time.
Official sources
These are the government pages this guide is based on.
- Directoría de Servicios al Conductor (CESCO)
CESCO
www.cesco.pr.gov
- CESCO — official site
CESCO
www.cesco.pr.gov
- CESCO appointment system
CESCO
cesco.turnospr.com
- CESCO Digital — online transactions
CESCO
web.cescodigital.pr.gov
Last verified
August 12, 2026
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