P.R. Laws tit. 26, § 8053
(a) Any person who obtains a motor vehicle license for the first time, or who renews it, as required by §§ 5001 et seq. of Title 9, shall be bound to pay the corresponding premium for the compulsory liability insurance together with the payment of the amount of the fees for the issuing or renewing said license, to the Secretary of the Treasury. The Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer the total amount of the premiums collected to the Joint Underwriting Association.
However, the Joint Underwriting Association may establish through regulations to such effects, alternate methods for the payment of the premium for the compulsory liability insurance, provided there is assurance that the issuing or renewal of the motor vehicle license shall be subject to the owner of the said vehicle being insured either by traditional liability insurance or by the compulsory liability insurance.
The Secretary of Transportation and Public Works shall deny the [issuance] or renewal of any motor vehicle license in the name of any person who fails to comply with this provision.
(b) No person shall drive, conduct or operate a motor vehicle or allow the vehicle to travel on the public thoroughfares if he/she has not yet acquired compulsory liability insurance.
Every incidental owner or driver of a motor vehicle must ascertain that the vehicle being driven is covered by a compulsory liability insurance policy before traveling on the public thoroughfares of the country.
(c) The compulsory liability insurance shall be in effect during the term for which the motor vehicle license is issued and can only be cancelled when the subject of the insurance disappears, or in those circumstances in which it is guaranteed that the motor vehicle shall continue to be insured by insurance with a coverage similar to or greater than the compulsory liability insurance. To such effects, the Commissioner shall establish, through regulations, under what conditions the cancellation for the above reasons shall be carried out.
(d) Any motor vehicle owner who wishes to acquire compulsory liability insurance, may freely select the insurer he/she shall request the insurance from. The private insurers that offer this coverage may select their insured pursuant to the provisions of § 8054(b) of this title.
(e) When the motor vehicle license is transferred to another person, the compulsory liability insurance which covers said vehicle shall be kept in effect and shall then cover the legal liability of the new owner until the date of renewal of said motor vehicle’s license.
History —Dec. 27, 1995, No. 253, § 4; Aug. 20, 1997, No. 94, § 2; Dec. 26, 1997, No. 201, § 2; Aug. 7, 1998, No. 201, § 1; Dec. 29, 2009, No. 201, § 3.