New Mercosur License Plate Mandatory in Brazil from January 31st

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On January 31st, the use of the Mercosur license plate becomes mandatory throughout Brazil. The deadline was set by the National Traffic Council (CONTRAN) on July 28th last year. The system, which should have come into operation in January 2016, has had six postponements.

Of the 26 Brazilian states, only ten had already adhered to the new vehicle identification plate (PIV): Amazonas, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Paraíba, Piauí, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul and Rondônia.

São Paulo, for one, had not yet adhered. As of January 31st, the new plate should be adopted by the other 16 states, in addition to the Federal District.

The new term was set so that the state traffic authorities could accredit the manufacturers of the new plates. Some regulations for the placement of Mercosur plates have also been changed.

Letter color identifies the category

The Mercosur plate is similar to the system adopted in Europe. The standard is already in force in Uruguay and Argentina. It will soon also be implemented in Paraguay and Venezuela.

The new plate features a white background, four letters, and three numbers, randomly arranged. The color of the alphanumeric combination indicates the vehicle’s category.

The color black is for private cars. Red is for taxis, commercial and learning vehicles (driving school). Blue is for official cars and green for test cars. The golden tone identifies diplomatic cars and the silver one, collectors models.

The name and flag of the country and the Mercosur symbol are displayed in white on a blue stripe across the top of the plate. The new plate is the same size as the existing gray one, but unlike current plates, does not designate the municipality where the vehicle is licensed.

Only passenger cars are required to have front and rear license plates. For motorcycles, quads, trailers, tractors, and cranes only the rear plate is mandatory.

A future integrated system will compile data on the vehicle and its owner. This database will also include any records of theft and robbery.

Bolsonaro was against Mercosur plate

The successive deferrals had several reasons. Even President Jair Bolsonaro was against the implementation of the new system.

In March of last year, during the live broadcast that became standard on Thursdays, Bolsonaro said he would put an end to the Mercosur plate. “Let’s see, together with our Minister Tarcísio [Freitas, of Infrastructure], if we can cancel this Mercosur plate,” he said.

“Because it doesn’t display the municipality … in my opinion, it brings no benefit to Brazil. It’s an embarrassment, an additional expense,” the president said at the time.

“We are seeking a legal way to end this Mercosur plate,” completed Bolsonaro.