Argentina's national government has officialized Decree 139/2026, confirming reforms to the Mandatory Technical Review (RTO) and rejecting workshops' claims against changes introduced in 2025. The measure, published on March 9, 2026, upholds modifications to deadlines, workshop authorizations, and system requirements for vehicle inspections.
On March 9, 2026, Argentina's Official Gazette published Decree 139/2026, signed by President Javier Milei and Economy Minister Luis Caputo. This decree ratifies the reforms set by Decree 196/2025 to Law 24.449 on Traffic, rejecting the administrative claim filed by the Argentine Chamber of Workshops for Mandatory Technical Review of Interjurisdictional Motor Vehicle Transport Civil Association (CATRAI), along with companies and individuals.
The challenged changes include extending deadlines for the first technical review: from three to five years from initial registration for zero-kilometer vehicles, and every two years for those up to ten years old. The decree justifies these based on the technological evolution of the vehicle fleet and states that 'the majority of road accidents are not explained by mechanical failures of the vehicle but by human factors'.
Another point is the opening of the workshop authorization system, where 'the jurisdictional authority cannot limit the number of reviewing workshops operating in its jurisdiction, nor set mandatory minimum or maximum rates'. The government maintains that 'the objectivity of the system is guaranteed through the oversight of processes and not through restrictions on the social purpose of providers'.
Additionally, the Model Configuration Report (ICM) was eliminated, seen as an administrative simplification, as 'safety certifications… are sufficient to ensure that structural alterations do not compromise Road Safety conditions'. The decree concludes that the claim's arguments do not undermine the reform's foundations, upholding Decree 196/2025 and exhausting the administrative route.
These reforms apply to the national RTO framework, though in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA), regulatory differences persist between Buenos Aires Province and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CABA) in aspects like costs and local periodicity.
