The current system of patents in Chile it is reaching its limit. Given the exhaustion of alphanumeric combinations, the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications announced a complete renewal of the format that has been in force since 1984. The measure arises from Supreme Decree No. 53, which regulates the characteristics of the Unique Patent Plates (PPU) and now incorporates modifications that will ensure the continuity of the system for several more decades, in addition to reinforcing the traceability of the vehicles.
Find out when the new plates come into force
The Minister of Transportation, Juan Carlos Muñoz, explained that the growth of the Chilean automotive fleet makes it necessary to expand the combinations of the patents current. The new model will allow the quantity available to almost double, guaranteeing that cars and motorcycles can continue to be identified without interruptions. According to the decree, cars will have five letters and a number, while motorcycles and tricycles will use four letters and a number. With this change, it is expected to go from 20 million to more than 40 million possible combinations for cars, and from 850 thousand to 1.75 million for motorcycles.
Once the update of Supreme Decree No. 53 is published in the Official Gazette, the country will have 180 days to begin delivering the new ones. patents. The Civil Registry assured that it has sufficient stock of current license plates until 2029 in Chili for cars and until 2027 for motorcycles, so the transition process will be carried out without interruptions. The first projected combinations will be the “BBBBB-0” series for automobiles and “BBBB-0” for motorcycles. This redesign will be implemented gradually, without affecting the validity of existing plates.
The renewal of the patents contemplates several technical and visual aspects that will accompany the modernization of the vehicle fleet:
- Cars: they will go from four letters and two numbers to five letters and one number.
- Motorcycles and tricycles: they will use four letters and a number.
- New series of combinations will double the identification capacity.
- The “green patent” is introduced for electric cars and plug-in hybrids.
- The traditional format of black on a white background is maintained, except in the green version.
One of the main innovations is the creation of the “patent green”, designed especially for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. This new patent seeks to facilitate identification and rescue in emergency cases, following recommendations from Firefighters and the automotive industry.
