What Happened
The Autoridad del Tránsito y Transporte Terrestre (ATTT) said the procurement issues that delayed the issuance of the new quinquennial vehicle plates have been resolved and the project is in its final stage, pending the refrendo (approval) of the Contraloría General de la República. Once the contract—estimated at about $600,000—is endorsed, the Escuela Vocacional de Chapala will begin producing plates for the 2026–2030 period.
Details and Background
Under Law 214 of May 4, 2021, the new metallic plates must have a redesigned appearance and will be valid for five years; the previous set, issued in 2021, were valid through December 2025. The ATTT director, Nicolás Brea, explained that the ATTT issued a resolution establishing technical characteristics, design and security features and sent it to the Escuela Vocacional de Chapala, which will run the tender for the materials and oversee production, including troquelado (die-cutting) and numbering.
Brea acknowledged that the procurement timeline was affected by complaints between competing companies over the bidding documents, which required the institution to follow all legal stages of the public contracting process. He said those legal procedures have delayed delivery but are necessary to guarantee transparency.
Supply Shortfall and Temporary Permits
The ATTT reported a current deficit of plates under the new five-year system, resulting in many vehicles circulating with temporary permits. In Panama district alone, some 65,000 salvoconductos (temporary permits) were issued monthly in January and February—roughly 130,000 for the two-month period—reflecting the scale of the shortage.
The authority has opted not to run sanctioning operations while the supply is normalized, giving drivers time to obtain plates once they become available. Brea said the ATTT will provide a grace period before applying sanctions and is seeking partial deliveries from the awarded supplier that would prioritize first-time vehicle registrations.
Scale and Implications
Panama’s capital has about 1.4 million vehicles in circulation, and the country’s registered fleet is estimated at 1.8 million vehicles. The ATTT estimates roughly 5,000 new vehicles enter the national fleet each month. The director noted the logistical challenge of supplying plates at that pace and warned of security concerns when newly purchased cars circulate without metal plates.
The ATTT expects the Contraloría’s refrendo could be issued in April, after which Chapala would start production and municipalities would buy plates according to demand. Until then, temporary permits remain the primary interim solution.