Driver’s license is one of those extremely important documents when you become an adult. By meeting certain requirements, such as knowing the traffic rules and passing the practical exams, you can start driving on the streets of Puerto Rico without much difficulty.
But how do you know who is or is not allowed to drive on the island’s roads? Next we will show you How do you know if someone has a driver’s license?
What is the driver’s license
The driver’s license It is a document issued in all countries for the use of drivers who meet the requirements of each jurisdiction. It works as an identity document that certifies that you have the knowledge and skills to drive a vehicle within the national territory, in this case Puerto Rico.
In order to get a driver’s license in Puerto Rico You must be of the minimum age and pass the practical and theoretical driving test. In this way, after recognizing your training and knowledge of the laws and traffic practices in the country, you will be granted your driver’s license.
The practical exam is carried out at a CESCO office that is close to your home, where you must request your turn. For this, if you are among the 18 and 16 years You must have the learning license with a life of six months but not more than two years. Likewise, those over 18 years they must have their license with a life of between one month and two years.
On the day that it is your turn to pass the practical exam, you must:
- Present yourself with the learning license
- Attend with the vehicle and its original license.
- That the vehicle with which you are going to carry out the test meets all the requirements designated by law. This includes, among other things, that it complies with the use of tints in the crystals and that the tag remains valid.
If you pass the practical test successfully, the Department of Transportation and Public Works of Puerto Rico He proceeds to hand you your driver’s license. It will be valid for six years from the day it was issued and allows you to circulate with your vehicle within the national territory without problems.
Which entity is responsible for processing the driver’s license?
The entity in charge of processing the driver’s license is the Department of Transportation and Public Works, or DTOP. This body is in charge of building and maintaining the infrastructure of roads, highways and highways within the country. His responsibilities also include matters related to transportation and aerial public works in Puerto Rico.
These tasks are carried out in practice by the bodies under their jurisdiction. In the case of the driver’s license, the entity in charge is the Driver Services Center (or centers) or CESCO, for short.
through the web portal of this institution, Puerto Rican users will be able to perform different tasks from the comfort of their home. From requesting appointments for various procedures, paying fines to the vehicle or being able to update the information within the system and find out about it, all these options are available.
In order to make services more easily available to drivers of Puerto Rico, the DTOP was in charge of designing a new tool. This is the CESCO Digital APP. By downloading it on any of your devices you will get access to all the options mentioned above. The app is available for iOS, Android and iPhone devices.
Returning to the online service, this allows you to carry out many of the procedures that the entity is in charge of requesting an appointment online, some of which are:
- Driver’s licences.
- Learning licences.
- Real ID request.
- The identification card.
- Among others.
To access this service you can enter here. Once on the web you must choose, according to your convenience, the place, time and date of your appointment and you will be attended to at a CESCO office as soon as possible.
How to know if someone has a driver’s license
Through the CESCO application or the web portal of the Department of Transportation and Public Works you can check if someone has a driver’s license, consult and pay fines and obtain various related documents.
To do this you must follow the following steps:
- Enter the DTOP website.
- Choose the option that says “search here”. This will take you to the Driver Services portal.
- Fill in the boxes that ask for your driver’s license number, your date of birth, and the last four digits of your social security number.
- Pass the test against bots.
- If you are registered, your certificate of fines and the licenses of all the vehicles you own must appear.
- Now you can proceed and complete all your procedures!
What do I do if my driver’s license has expired?
if you live in Puerto Rico and you driver’s license expired or is about to expire You have the opportunity to renew it from the comfort of your home through any of your digital devices.
In the same way, you can complete the process by attending a CESCO near your residence. You can verify the most convenient dependency for your case by entering this link and consulting the locations within your home.
The driver’s license renewal service applies to all categories within the system, which includes driver (regular license), chauffeur or heavy vehicles.
Please note that your previous license cannot be older than two years since it expired in order to renew it. In addition, it is necessary that you complete the renewal process as soon as possible, since the DTOP allows you to do so during the 60 days prior upon license expiration.
Requirements
The requirements to do the process of renewal of your driver’s license online are these:
- Submit an active email address to send information regarding the progress of the process.
- Be a United States or Puerto Rican citizen between the 21 and 65 years old.
- Have the same name for both documents (the old and the renewal).
- Not having under your vehicle or identity any traffic fine does not pay. You can pay for them through the online platform of the Department of Transportation and Public Works.
- Having obtained the medical certificate and that it is less than six months old.
- That your previous license is within the term before expiration allowed. He himself is among the 15 and 60 days.
If you need to make a correction for your new driver’s license or for the one that is still valid related to your favorite identity document, you must request that it be fixed at the Demographic record. This procedure costs five dollars. If the error was made by the CESCO that attended you, then there should be no cost to resolve your situation.
Steps to renew it online
Thanks to the updating of many of the services provided by the State of the island of Puerto Rico you can do the renewal of your driver’s license from the DTOP website. If you obtained your license through a manager or it is in the format of Real ID you must proceed in a CESCO.
If you meet the aforementioned requirements, below we will show you the steps to renew the license online:
- Get all the requirements. In the case of your updated medical certificate, make sure that your doctor is registered in the DTOP electronic system.
- Enter the DTOP website.
- Find and complete the renewal form.
- Select the option to see more of the online services menu found on the screen.
- Enter the detailed services.
- Enter your credentials or register if necessary. For the latter you must have your personal information, license number and the last four digits of the social security at hand.
- Remember the identification number that is given to you after your registration.
- When you have entered with your username, begin to fill in the electronic form with your general information, the category of the license you want to renew and your citizenship.
- Within the system it will be verified that you do not have fines for traffic violations, or outstanding debts with the different transit and social security entities of the country (the Automobile Accident Compensation Administration and the Child Support Administration respectively).
- Pay the cost that is requested for the renewal process.
- Ready! During the following days your renewed driver’s license will be sent to your declared address.
Cost of the procedure
The Cost of the process of renewing your driver’s license it’s barely 11 US dollars. However, the costs of the different stamps that are requested and the medical certificate are various, so it is estimated that the process will end up taking around 650 dollars.
After paying this fee, you just have to wait for your license to arrive at your declared address. You can make this payment through the online service of the Department of Transportation and Public Works.
Having your current license is easy in every way, and since the process is not very complicated, you have no excuses or time to waste when renewing it and know who has or does not have a driver’s license.
Success!