Yes it's true. No vehicle permits are required for travel to San Carlos! We went down two weeks ago, and it was the quickest trip we have ever taken. The stop at 21k for visa's only took 10 minutes! It is a rare occasion when bureaucracy is reduced. And on top of this, we now no longer have to deal with checking in and out of every port city we visit when traveling by sea. Wow, I would have never believed it, unless I experienced it myself.