Vehicle registration plates of Costa Rica

Current license plate design

The vehicle registration plates of Costa Rica have been issued since at least 1923. The current plate size is the North American standard of 6 in × 12 in (152 mm × 300 mm).

History

The letters "CR" on plates into the early 1940s indicated the country name. The country name has been spelled out since at least 1944. In 1959 the legend "Centro America" [Central America] began appearing on the plates. Annual plates appear to have been issued through at least 1954. For a time the plate's first two characters indicated what city where the vehicle was registered. Multi-year plates began to appear in 1955, but their use was not consistent until the mid-1960s.

Early plates

Image	First issued	Design	Slogan	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
	1961	White numbers on a dark blue background		SJ-12345		SJ is the city code for San José.

2013 series

New plates for all vehicles were issued starting in mid-2013 and was completed in early 2015. The design included additional security features, such as a hologram at the left side, a security strip running across the plate, and additional elements.

Regular series of 2013 license plates

Image	Type	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
	Passenger automobile	123456 ABC-123
	Interprovincial bus	1234 12345
	City and interurban bus	1234 12345
	Commercial vehicle	123456
	Commercial limited light load truck	123456
	Disabled/handicapped driver	D-123 D-1234
	Electric vehicle	ABD-123		First available in 2019. Hybrid vehicles are excluded.
	Motorcycle	123456
	Taxi	1234 12345
	City and interurban taxi	1234 12345
	Historical vehicle	12 123 1234

Special series of 2013 license plates

Image	Type	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
	Consular Corps	1-23
	Diplomatic Corps	1/2 - 123
	International mission	1/2 - 123
	Official vehicle	12-3456
	Power executive	1/2 - 1234