‘Tis the season – to pay your vehicle circulation permit

The National Insurance Institute (INS) begins collecting payments today for 2018 mandatory vehicle circulation permits, or marchamos. The payment varies according to the year, make and use of a vehicle. It includes Mandatory Automobile Insurance (SOA), property tax, sales tax and other taxes, as well as unpaid traffic fines.

The deadline to pay is Dec. 31;  starting Jan. 1, drivers without the 2018 marchamo sticker displayed on their vehicles will be fined and have their license plates removed.

Paying after the deadline also entails a daily fine of a certain percentage of every tax that is part of the marchamo, plus a monthly fine of a percentage of the value of all insurance charges.

Vehicle owners can find out exactly what they owe on the INS website (although this function did not appear to be working at the time this article was posted). You can also send a text with the word MARCHAMO followed by your license plate number to 1467, or call, toll free, 800-MARCHAMO (800-6272-4266).

Vehicle owners can pay their marchamo at 2,283 authorized collection points, including INS branches, banks and many businesses.  Payment locations can be found here.

More than 1.5 million vehicles are expected to pay the marchamo this year. According to the daily La Nación, the INS expects to collect approximately  ₡225 billion ($395 million).