Vehicle Registration

A 50% vehicle registration discount for Honduran adults over 60 and retirees, approved by Congress in late July 2026, never went into effect and left seniors without the promised benefit as the annual registration period began July 1.

Congress approved a 50% reduction in annual vehicle registration fees for people over 60, retirees, and pensioners, but the decree has not yet been published in the official gazette and remains unenforced.

Honduras's two-month vehicle tax amnesty, which waives penalties and interest on unpaid annual vehicle fees through 2025, expires today; over 45,000 owners have already taken advantage, generating L51.8 million in collections.

Congress has paused implementation of a 50% vehicle-registration discount for seniors aged 60 and over while the Style Commission corrects drafting errors and removes references to defunct government agencies.

Vehicle owners in San Pedro Sula report delays of up to 45 days to register imported vehicles at the Property Institute, exceeding the legal 30-day limit and exposing owners to traffic fines while vehicles remain unregistered and unusable for sale or daily use.

The Property Institute plans to begin distributing metal license plates to roughly one million vehicles currently operating with temporary three-month permits in the final quarter of 2026, with owners paying 500 lempiras (about $20) per plate.

More than 312,000 vehicle owners have signed up for payment plans under a two-month amnesty that waives fines and interest on registration arrears through August 25, allowing them to catch up on 2025 or earlier vehicle taxes.

Honduras will deploy license plates embedded with radio-frequency identification technology and install 40 electronic readers nationwide to track vehicles, reduce the 990,000 unregistered cars currently on roads, and strengthen law-enforcement and border controls.

Honduras's Property Institute is collecting annual vehicle registration fees on a staggered schedule through December, with an amnesty allowing owners to catch up on 2025 and earlier unpaid fees without penalties, while projecting revenue of L5.4 billion (about $216 million).

Vehicle registration fees in the capital will increase 4.2% to match accumulated inflation, raising the tax from 1,600 lempiras to 1,668 lempiras, with Mayor Juan Diego Zelaya saying the municipal council did not approve a discretionary hike.

Tegucigalpa's mayor announced a 68-lempira (about $2.70) increase in the municipal vehicle tax, attributed to a 4.2% rise in operating costs.

Honduras is offering a tax amnesty for registered cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles that allows owners to settle overdue payments quickly and with fewer bureaucratic hurdles.

The Institute of Property is printing 3.5 million new vehicle registration documents in 2026 with QR codes, unique serial numbers, watermarks, and two additional security measures to prevent forgery and ease verification by traffic authorities.