A digit is added to the license plates of motorcycles and mopeds in Cuba

The Cuban government has expanded motorcycle and moped license plates from five to six digits, following the entry into force on Tuesday of the Resolution 7 of 2025 from the Ministry of the Interior, published in the ordinary edition No. 29 of the Official Gazette.

The new regulation modifies the format established by Resolution 1 of 2013, which set an identifying letter followed by five digits for this type of vehicle.

Starting March 24, the current five-digit format for the identification plates of mopeds and motorcycles will be expanded to six digits, with the additional digit placed in the upper right part of the letter, announced the General Directorate of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR), under the Ministry of Interior, in a statement in which the measure was announced.

However, the format that will come into effect applies only to new registrations of these vehicles. The resolution issued by Minint clarifies that "all five-digit license plates currently in circulation remain fully valid and active, without requiring any change or procedure from their owners".

The implementation of this provision is aimed at "ensuring the availability of registrations and the need to expand the combinations for its manufacturing," the authorities emphasized.

The change is a response to the sustained growth of the moped and motorcycle fleet in the country in recent years, which has progressively exhausted the available numerical combinations under the previous scheme.

The entity responsible for managing the registration with the new format is the General Directorate of the PNR, through its Vehicle Registration offices. "In case of situations, questions, or concerns that arise during this process, the public can go to the vehicle registration processing offices or call the public phones available there," the official statement clarified.

The technical adjustment occurs in a context of accelerated growth of the motorcycle and moped fleet in Cuba, largely driven by the import of electric and combustion vehicles manufactured in China. The government allows the entry of mopeds and electric motorcycles without a limit on power, or combustion vehicles up to 250 cc, new or up to 10 years old.

Meanwhile, the authorities have faced the challenge of regularizing thousands of vehicles that are operating without license plates. Since February 2026, the Ministry of Transport has issued temporary licenses for passenger transport for motorcycles and electric tricycles without license plates, valid until December of this year.

In February, the PNR retained 181 vehicles in Santiago de Cuba for violations of Law 109 of the Road Safety Code, including lack of a license, improper parking, poor technical condition, or illegal modifications, such as altering exhaust pipes with resonators.

In provinces like Holguín, authorities issue temporary permits for motorcycles that verify the owner's registration, license plate or invoice, driver's license, and technical inspection, as part of ongoing efforts for regulation.

The price of motorcycles under five years old is around 265,000 Cuban pesos (about 2,000 dollars), plus progressive taxes that can reach up to 100% starting from the third vehicle purchased within a five-year period, according to the new prices of imported vehicles in Cuba starting in 2025.