Lost or stolen license plate, deregistering a vehicle, and scrapping it in Peru
If your plate is lost or stolen, you ask for a duplicate; the Asociación Automotriz del Perú makes the plates. To take a vehicle off the register, Sunarp closes its entry after total loss, theft, scrapping or export, or records a permanent withdrawal. If you scrap it, the plant asks Sunarp for the withdrawal.
VerificationPartly verifiedSee the sources ↓
- 14sources cited
- 14read at the official source
- 4official institutions
SPIJ · SUNARP · El Peruano · Peruvian State portal (gob.pe)
Checked 1 Oct 2026Next review 29 Mar 2027
What is still unverifiedThe new 2026 rules on duplicate plates and on plates of total-loss vehicles (Legislative Decree 1717 and Supreme Decree 013-2026-MTC) are not in force yet; see «Possible changes ahead». Both were read in the texts published by SPIJ, the Justice Ministry's legal database; Legislative Decree 1717 was also read in El Peruano, and for Supreme Decree 013-2026-MTC we only confirmed its title and date in El Peruano. We did not read the full, current text of the Reglamento de Placa Única Nacional de Rodaje (D.S. 017-2008-MTC), so we do not say which duplicate requirements apply today or what it costs. Articles 137 to 140 of the Sunarp vehicle registry regulation were read in the version published by Sunarp's training office; we did not confirm whether later resolutions amended them, and the date we give for that resolution is its signing date, not its publication date. Of the scrapping regulation (D.S. 005-2021-MTC) we only read the articles amended by D.S. 014-2024-MTC. We do not quote incentive amounts for scrapping programs or eligibility requirements.
Who makes license plates
A Sunarp press release from March 2025 puts it this way:
“La asignación del número de Placa Única de Rodaje la otorga la Sunarp, mientras que la fabricación de la placa física, con el número asignado por Sunarp, se encuentra a cargo de la Asociación Automotriz del Perú.”
(Sunarp assigns the plate number; the Asociación Automotriz del Perú makes the physical plate.) So a duplicate for a lost or stolen plate is requested from the Asociación Automotriz del Perú (AAP), not from a workshop. A plate made outside that system is not your vehicle’s official plate.
Lost or stolen plate: what you can do today
We did not read the current consolidated plate regulation, so this page does not tell you which requirements apply today for a duplicate or what it costs. Ask the AAP before you go. There are new 2026 rules for duplicates and for the plate of a total-loss vehicle that are not in force yet; see «Possible changes ahead» below.
Protect yourself from cloning. According to Sunarp, since March 2025 its free Alerta Registral service (the Alerta Clonación feature) notifies subscribers when someone files a duplicate request for their plate with the AAP, “esto con el objeto que el interesado pueda oponerse al trámite de manera inmediata” (so the owner can object right away). You sign up with your plate number.
Taking a vehicle off the Sunarp register
Sunarp’s vehicle registry regulation (Resolución 039-2013-SUNARP-SN) has several routes. All of them end with the vehicle’s entry (partida) closed.
| Situation | What the regulation says |
|---|---|
| Total loss, unrecovered theft, scrapping or export | The entry “se cerrará por caducidad de la placa” at the owner’s request, with a notarized signature (art. 137). |
| Theft | Only “luego de transcurridos cuatro años desde la fecha de la denuncia policial respectiva sin que se haya reportado” the vehicle (four years after the police report, if it was never reported found) (art. 137, b). |
| Scrapping or dismantling | You attach “el Certificado de Chatarreo o Desguace expedido por la autoridad competente” (the scrapping certificate) (art. 137, c). |
| You no longer want it on the road | You request the retiro definitivo (permanent withdrawal) with a notarized signature, state the reason and hand in the plates; the registrar closes the entry (art. 139). |
| You are storing it for a while | A retiro temporal voluntario (temporary withdrawal) is noted, with a private document bearing a notarized signature and the plates. To drive it again you ask for readmission (art. 138). |
| Destruction or total loss | The owner or the MTC files proof of it and the registrar closes the entry (art. 140). |
Why it matters: while the entry is open, the vehicle is registered to you at Sunarp. You can check your entry as explained in Sunarp copia literal and registry certificates.
Voluntary scrapping and the “bono”
Scrapping is governed by the Reglamento Nacional para el Fomento del Chatarreo (D.S. 005-2021-MTC), amended in 2024 by D.S. 014-2024-MTC. A 2025 MTC resolution sums up what it contains: the conditions for creating scrapping programs and “la regulación de los incentivos económicos y no económicos que se otorgan como parte de los programas de chatarreo” (the rules on the financial and non-financial incentives granted within those programs). That incentive is what people call the bono de chatarreo. We do not quote amounts or eligibility requirements: they depend on each program.
How the process ends, under the 2024 text:
- Delivery to the plant. The owner delivers the vehicle to the scrapping plant, “en donde se procede al retiro de las placas y se verifica si el número de chasis y de motor coinciden” with the vehicle identification card (the plates are removed and chassis and engine numbers are checked) (art. 20.1). In scrapping programs (PCH), the entity also checks that the vehicle arrives under its own power and is fully operational.
- Certificate. “La emisión del CDV acredita la destrucción del vehículo y la conclusión del Proceso de Chatarreo” (the Vehicle Destruction Certificate, or CDV, proves the vehicle was destroyed and closes the process) (art. 24.1). It is issued in the owner’s name.
- Sunarp withdrawal. “Dentro de los tres (3) días hábiles de emitido el CDV, la Entidad de Chatarreo, en representación del propietario del vehículo, solicita a la SUNARP la inscripción del retiro definitivo” (within three business days of issuing the CDV, the scrapping entity asks Sunarp, on the owner’s behalf, to record the permanent withdrawal) (art. 24.3).
A few days later, check that your entry shows as closed. If not, you have the CDV to request it yourself.
Mandatory scrapping of abandoned cars in a pound is a separate regime. See impounded car in Peru.
What this page does not cover
We did not read the full, current plate regulation, so we do not say which duplicate requirements apply today, what it costs or how long it takes. We did not review Sunarp’s fees for closing an entry or recording a withdrawal, or the amounts, calls or requirements of scrapping programs. We do not cover motorcycle plates, temporary plates, plate changes for a change of use, or vehicle tax after deregistration. To sell the vehicle instead, see transferring a vehicle in Peru.
How to file
- Protect your plate with Alerta RegistralSign up free for Sunarp's Alerta Registral with your plate number. It warns you if someone files a duplicate request for your plate with the AAP.
- If your plate was lost or stolen, request a duplicate from the AAPThe duplicate is requested from the AAP. Ask there what they require today and what it costs before you go.
- If the vehicle will not be driven again, choose how to take it off the registerTemporary withdrawal (article 138) if you may use it again; permanent withdrawal (article 139) if not. Either way you apply in writing with a notarized signature and hand in the plates.
- If you scrap it, keep the Vehicle Destruction CertificateThe scrapping plant removes the plates and checks the chassis and engine numbers. The certificate proves the destruction, and the scrapping entity asks Sunarp for the permanent withdrawal within three business days. Then check your entry with Sunarp's Consulta Vehicular.
Possible changes ahead
None of this is law in force yet. What this page explains is what applies today; this is what could change it.
Published, not yet in force
Decreto Legislativo N.º 1717 (article 3-A of Decreto Legislativo 1214) and Decreto Supremo N.º 013-2026-MTC: new rules on duplicate plates and plate lapse
- Where it stands
- Both are published in El Peruano: Legislative Decree 1717 on 4 February 2026 and Supreme Decree 013-2026-MTC on 10 June 2026. Neither is in force yet. Still missing is the supreme decree, countersigned by the Minister of the Interior, that must adapt the regulation of Legislative Decree 1214 (Decreto Supremo 016-2019-IN), as ordered by the Second Final Supplementary Provision of Legislative Decree 1717. As of 30 September 2026 we did not find it in El Peruano.
- What it would change
- To report a lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed plate and get a duplicate, the vehicle would first need a Peritaje de Identificación Vehicular (vehicle identification inspection). The duplicate would require a certified copy of that police report, and you would not have to hand in the old plate if it was lost, stolen or destroyed. If the vehicle is a total loss, the plate would lapse automatically; if the insurer takes the vehicle, it would have 48 hours from the transfer to ask for the registry entry to be cancelled.
- How it would take effect
- Legislative Decree 1717 takes effect the day after the supreme decrees in its Second and Third Final Supplementary Provisions are published in El Peruano. The Third calls for adapting the plate regulation; Supreme Decree 013-2026-MTC does that, according to its title. The Second, from the Interior Ministry, is still missing. Supreme Decree 013-2026-MTC takes effect the same day as that Interior Ministry decree.
- When
- No date set. Legislative Decree 1717 gave 60 calendar days, counted from the day after its publication, to issue the Interior Ministry decree. By our count, that deadline passed on 5 April 2026, and the decree has not been published.
«El presente decreto legislativo entra en vigencia al día siguiente de la publicación en el Diario Oficial “El Peruano” de los decretos supremos a los que se refieren las Disposiciones Complementarias Finales Segunda y Tercera.»What people fail to ask in time
What if your car is sitting in a municipal pound and nobody collects it?
Find out before it matters →What most people believe — and what the law says
If I sell my car for scrap to anyone, it stops being mine.
As long as the entry stays open at Sunarp, the vehicle is registered to you. Scrapping under the MTC regulation ends with a Vehicle Destruction Certificate, and the scrapping entity asks Sunarp for the permanent withdrawal on your behalf.
If I lose my plate, any workshop can make me a new one.
Sunarp assigns the number and the Asociación Automotriz del Perú makes the physical plate, according to Sunarp's March 2025 press release. The duplicate is requested from the AAP.
If my car was written off, it stops being registered to me on its own.
No. Today the entry is closed at Sunarp when someone asks for it: the owner, with a notarized signature (article 137 of Sunarp's vehicle regulation), or the owner or the MTC with documents proving the total loss (article 140). As long as the entry stays open, the vehicle is registered to you.
Frequently asked questions
My plate was stolen. What do I need for a duplicate?
You request it from the AAP, which makes the plates. This page does not say which requirements apply today, because we did not read the current plate regulation: ask the AAP. There are new 2026 rules that are not in force yet; see «Possible changes ahead».
How do I know if someone is requesting a duplicate of my plate?
Sign up for Sunarp's Alerta Registral with your plate number. According to Sunarp, since March 2025 it alerts you when someone files a duplicate-plate request with the AAP, so you can object right away. It is free.
My car is dead. How do I take it off the Sunarp register?
Two routes. Under article 139 of Sunarp's vehicle regulation, you request a permanent withdrawal in a document with a notarized signature, state the reason and hand in the plates. If you take it to be scrapped, the scrapping entity asks Sunarp for the withdrawal within three business days of issuing the Vehicle Destruction Certificate.
My car was stolen and never found. Can I close its entry?
Article 137 of Sunarp's vehicle regulation lets the owner close the entry when four years have passed since the police theft report without the vehicle being reported. You file it with a notarized signature.
The exact law
Decreto Legislativo N.º 1717Artículo 3-A del Decreto Legislativo N.º 1214 (incorporado por el Decreto Legislativo N.º 1717)read
Vehicle identification inspection before reporting a lost or stolen plate
«Para interponer una denuncia policial por pérdida, robo, deterioro o destrucción de la Placa Única Nacional de Rodaje, a fin de obtener un duplicado de esta, se requiere, obligatoriamente, que el vehículo haya sido sometido al Peritaje de Identificación Vehicular»
↳Primera Disposición Complementaria Finalread
When Legislative Decree 1717 takes effect
«El presente decreto legislativo entra en vigencia al día siguiente de la publicación en el Diario Oficial “El Peruano” de los decretos supremos a los que se refieren las Disposiciones Complementarias Finales Segunda y Tercera. SEGUNDA.- [...] El Poder Ejecutivo, mediante decreto supremo refrendado por el Ministro del Interior, adecúa el Reglamento del Decreto Legislativo Nº 1214»
Decreto Supremo N.º 013-2026-MTCArtículo 1 (numeral 56.1, literal j, del Reglamento de Placa Única Nacional de Rodaje)read
Police report with inspection for a duplicate plate
«Copia certificada de la denuncia policial correspondiente, emitida por la unidad u órgano competente de la Policía Nacional del Perú, en la que conste que el vehículo ha sido sometido al peritaje de identificación vehicular [...] cuando se trate del duplicado de la Placa Única Nacional de Rodaje por pérdida, robo, deterioro o destrucción de esta.»
↳Artículo 1 (numeral 56.2 del Reglamento de Placa Única Nacional de Rodaje)read
Handing in the old plate when collecting the new one
«En todos los casos, salvo en los supuestos de pérdida, robo o destrucción de la Placa Única Nacional de Rodaje, al momento de recoger la nueva Placa Única Nacional de Rodaje, debe entregarse a la Entidad Concesionaria [...] la placa anterior con los elementos que la conforman»
↳Artículo 1 (numerales 58.1 y 58.3 del Reglamento de Placa Única Nacional de Rodaje)read
Plate lapses on total loss; insurer's deadline
«La Placa Única Nacional de Rodaje caduca de pleno derecho y, por tanto, queda sin efecto, por las siguientes causales: a) Siniestro total del vehículo [...] la compañía de seguros debe solicitar al Registro de Propiedad Vehicular la cancelación de la partida registral por caducidad de la Placa Única Nacional de Rodaje en el plazo máximo de cuarenta y ocho (48) horas luego de realizada dicha transferencia»
↳Disposición Complementaria Final Únicaread
When Supreme Decree 013-2026-MTC takes effect
«El presente Decreto Supremo entra en vigencia el día de la entrada en vigencia del Decreto Supremo a que se refiere la Segunda Disposición Complementaria Final del Decreto Legislativo N° 1717»
Resolución del Superintendente Nacional de los Registros Públicos N.º 039-2013-SUNARP-SN, Reglamento de Inscripciones del Registro de Propiedad VehicularArtículo 137read
Closing the vehicle's registry entry when the plate lapses
«La partida registral del vehículo se cerrará por caducidad de la placa, a solicitud del propietario con derecho inscrito o su representante que conste en documento con firma certificada notarialmente, en los siguientes casos y con los documentos que se indica: a Siniestro total del vehículo. Deberá adjuntar copia certificada del atestado correspondiente. b Por robo de vehículo, luego de transcurridos cuatro años desde la fecha de la denuncia policial respectiva sin que se haya reportado a la autoridad policial correspondiente. [...] c Por el desguace o chatarrización del vehículo. Deberá adjuntar el Certificado de Chatarreo o Desguace expedido por la autoridad competente. d Exportación o reexportación del vehículo al exterior. Deberá adjuntar el documento que acredite la exportación o reexportación definitiva.»
↳Artículo 138read
Temporary withdrawal and readmission of a vehicle
«Se anotará preventivamente el retiro temporal voluntario de un vehículo del Sistema Nacional de Tránsito Terrestre (SNTT) cuando sea solicitada por el propietario del bien, mediante documento privado con firma certificada ante notario indicando el motivo que lo sustenta. Adicionalmente con el título, se adjuntarán las respectivas Placas Únicas Nacionales de Rodaje con que cuenta dicho vehículo. Para la readmisión del vehículo en este supuesto, el propietario deberá solicitarla mediante documento privado con firma certificada ante notario»
↳Artículo 139read
Permanent withdrawal of a vehicle and closing its entry
«Para la inscripción del retiro definitivo de un vehículo del Sistema Nacional de Tránsito Terrestre (SNTT), el titular registral solicitará mediante documento con firma certificada notarialmente indicando el motivo del mismo; y además, adjuntará las respectivas placas únicas nacionales de rodaje. Adicionalmente a la inscripción, el Registrador extenderá la anotación de cierre de la partida registral del vehículo.»
↳Artículo 140read
Closing the entry after destruction or total loss
«Para la inscripción de la destrucción o siniestro total del vehículo, el titular registral o el Ministerio de Transportes y Comunicaciones presentarán la documentación que acrediten tales hechos. Adicionalmente a la inscripción, el Registrador extenderá la anotación de cierre de la partida registral del vehículo.»
Decreto Supremo N.º 014-2024-MTC (modifica el Reglamento Nacional para el Fomento del Chatarreo, D.S. N.º 005-2021-MTC)Artículo 1 (numeral 20.1 del Reglamento Nacional para el Fomento del Chatarreo)read
Handing the vehicle over to the scrapping plant
«El/la usuario/a, el/la solicitante, o la Autoridad en el marco del Decreto Legislativo Nº 1214, entregan el vehículo a la Planta de Chatarreo, en donde se procede al retiro de las placas y se verifica si el número de chasis y de motor coinciden con los números consignados en la Tarjeta de Identificación Vehicular. [...] En el caso de los PCH, la Entidad de Chatarreo, adicionalmente, debe verificar lo siguiente: a) Que el vehículo llegue a la Planta de Chatarreo por su propia propulsión y que se encuentre plenamente operativo»
↳Artículo 1 (literal b del numeral 24.1 y numeral 24.3 del Reglamento Nacional para el Fomento del Chatarreo)read
Vehicle Destruction Certificate and the request to Sunarp
«Registrar y transmitir en línea en la PNVCH el CDV a favor del propietario del vehículo [...] La emisión del CDV acredita la destrucción del vehículo y la conclusión del Proceso de Chatarreo. (…) 24.3 Dentro de los tres (3) días hábiles de emitido el CDV, la Entidad de Chatarreo, en representación del propietario del vehículo, solicita a la SUNARP la inscripción del retiro definitivo del vehículo en el Registro de Propiedad Vehicular, adjuntando la Placa Única Nacional de Rodaje»
Resolución Directoral N.º 003-2025-MTC/18Considerandosread
The scrapping regulation governs scrapping programs and their incentives
«se expide el Decreto Supremo N° 005-2021-MTC, que aprueba el Reglamento Nacional para el Fomento del Chatarreo, en adelante el Reglamento, el cual establece las condiciones, requisitos y procedimientos para la creación y aprobación de los programas de chatarreo, así como la regulación de los incentivos económicos y no económicos que se otorgan como parte de los programas de chatarreo»
Nota de prensa — SunarpNota de prensa: SUNARP y AAP: «Alerta Clonación» advierte a dueños de vehículos cuando alguien inicia el trámite para duplicar sus placas de rodajeread
Who makes plates, and the free alert on duplicate requests
«La asignación del número de Placa Única de Rodaje la otorga la Sunarp, mientras que la fabricación de la placa física, con el número asignado por Sunarp, se encuentra a cargo de la Asociación Automotriz del Perú. [...] su nuevo servicio gratuito denominado “Alerta Clonación” [...] Entre las partidas registrales a las cuales se puede suscribir al servicio de “Alerta Registral” se encuentra los vehículos cuya adhesión se realiza con el número de placa. [...] consiste en comunicar al usuario suscrito a la “Alerta Registral” –inicialmente configurada para títulos– ante la presentación de solicitudes de “duplicado de placas” formuladas ante la AAP, esto con el objeto que el interesado pueda oponerse al trámite de manera inmediata.»
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What this page already lets you do
- Name the rule that protects you
- Copy the exact article and send it
- Follow the steps, in order
What this page does not give you yetThe new 2026 rules on duplicate plates and on plates of total-loss vehicles (Legislative Decree 1717 and Supreme Decree 013-2026-MTC) are not in force yet; see «Possible changes ahead». Both were read in the texts published by SPIJ, the Justice Ministry's legal database; Legislative Decree 1717 was also read in El Peruano, and for Supreme Decree 013-2026-MTC we only confirmed its title and date in El Peruano. We did not read the full, current text of the Reglamento de Placa Única Nacional de Rodaje (D.S. 017-2008-MTC), so we do not say which duplicate requirements apply today or what it costs. Articles 137 to 140 of the Sunarp vehicle registry regulation were read in the version published by Sunarp's training office; we did not confirm whether later resolutions amended them, and the date we give for that resolution is its signing date, not its publication date. Of the scrapping regulation (D.S. 005-2021-MTC) we only read the articles amended by D.S. 014-2024-MTC. We do not quote incentive amounts for scrapping programs or eligibility requirements. See the sources ↑