Licensing by state / Puerto Rico

Court reporter licensing in Puerto Rico

Whether Puerto Rico requires a state credential is not settled by the sources we found. Our source for this page is a secondary summary; treat it as a lead, not the rule.

State credential required

Not yet verified

Credential

Not yet verified

Issued by

Not yet verified

How you qualify

Not yet verified

NCRA RPR accepted

Not yet verified

Fees

Not yet verified

Renewal

Not yet verified

Continuing education

Not yet verified

No Puerto Rico statute, regulation or Judiciary page establishing a license or certification for court stenographers (taquigrafos de record) was found, so the requirement is unclear. The Commonwealth courts (Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Tribunal de Apelaciones, Tribunal Supremo) operate in Spanish: the Official Languages Act (Act No. 1 of January 28, 1993) makes Spanish and English official languages of the government but its statement of motives says it does not authorize a language other than Spanish in judicial proceedings in the Commonwealth courts, citing Pueblo v. Tribunal Superior (1965) and the civil procedure rule that pleadings be filed in Spanish. Any reporter working in those courts must therefore write Spanish. Under the Judiciary Acts of 1994 and 2003 the Tribunal de Primera Instancia is a court of record and Art. 5.006 authorizes electronic recording of all proceedings and transcription of those recordings by court staff; the Supreme Court held in Pueblo v. Soler Antonsanti, 2004 TSPR 165, that this authorizes but does not require recording of every proceeding, so the record is made largely by electronic recording with court recording coordinators rather than stenographers. The U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico operates in English and employs official court reporters under 28 U.S.C. 753; its 2024 vacancy required four years of prime court reporting experience and the NCRA RPR or an equivalent qualifying exam, with higher pay levels for RMR and CRR holders (salary $92,139 to $106,650 plus 2.63 percent COLA).

Exam speeds and legs for the national credentials are on the certifications page; the path from school to the exam is in how to become a court reporter.