Bogotá's administration will impose Saturday pico y placa restrictions starting in 2026 for private vehicles not registered in the city, along with raising the Pico y Placa Solidario surcharge from 20% to 50%. The aim is to encourage local rematriculation and ensure equity in infrastructure use. The measure was announced by Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán and Mobility Secretary Claudia Díaz.
On November 14, 2025, Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán announced that private vehicles not registered in the capital will face pico y placa on Saturdays starting in the first semester of 2026. According to Galán, the restriction will apply two days a month, alternating, to mitigate the 'externalities' of these vehicles on city roads. Mobility Secretary Claudia Díaz specified in an interview with La FM that the schedule will be from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., similar to weekdays, though it is unclear if it applies to all Saturdays or alternates, presenting a slight discrepancy between sources.
Additionally, starting January 2026, the surcharge for Pico y Placa Solidario for these vehicles will rise to 50% from the current 20%. Díaz explained: 'We seek equity: three out of ten cars circulating in Bogotá are registered outside, generate externalities, and do not contribute at the same level as those who pay taxes in the city.' A day of Pico y Placa Solidario will cost around $105,000 for an out-of-city car, compared to $70,000 for a local one, adjusted for IPC.
The measure aims to encourage owners to transfer registration to Bogotá, where the process costs $400,000 and is resolved in less than a day once the file is received. The Finance Secretariat estimates the city has lost nearly $1.2 trillion in revenue from vehicles using infrastructure without local registration. Exceptions include electric, hybrid, public, and special transport vehicles. The decision, made intersectorally by Mobility, Finance, and the Mayor's Office, was not coordinated with neighboring municipalities or the Cundinamarca Governorship.
This announcement aligns with rising registrations: in October 2025, 25,254 new vehicles were registered in Colombia, a 36.4% increase from 2024, per Andi and Fenalco. Galán stressed: 'We want people buying cars to register them in Bogotá.' In the medium term, the District is studying zonal congestion charges with World Bank support.