title: Vehicle registration plates of Costa Rica
text: # Vehicle registration plates of Costa Rica
  
  Costa Rica requires its residents to register their motor vehicles and display vehicle registration plates. The country has issued plates since at least 1923. The letters "CR" on plates into the early 1940s indicated the country name. The country name has been spelled out on the plates since at least 1944. In 1959 the legend "Centro America" [Central America] has appeared on the plates. Annual plates appear to have been issued through at least 1954. There were plates where the first two characters indicated what city the owner lived in. Multi-year base plates began to appear in 1955, but their use was not consistent until the mid-1960s. The current plate size is the North American standard of 6 × 12 inches (152 × 300 mm).
  
  ## Early plates
  
  | Image | First issued | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | 1961 | White numbers on a dark blue background | SJ-12345 | | | SJ is a city code for San José. Note this plate appears to have been poorly repainted. |
  
  ## 2013 Series
  
  New license plates for all vehicle were issued starting in mid 2013 and continuing until completed in early 2015. The design of these plates included additional security features, such as a hologram at the left side, a security strip running across the plate, and additional elements that are now found throughout most countries.
  
  ### Regular series plates
  
  Regular  Series  of  2013  License  Plates :
  
  | Type | Serial format | 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 plates
  
  Special  Series  of  2013  License  Plates :
  
  | Type | Serial format |
  | - | - |
  | Consular Corps | 1-23 |
  | Diplomatic Corps | 1/2 - 123 |
  | International Mission | 1/2 - 123 |
  | Official Vehicle | 12-3456 |
  | Power Executive | 1/2 - 1234 |
  