LTO Issues Preliminary Guidelines on Renewal of Expired Driver's Licenses, Registration

After announcing that driver’s licenses that expired during the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) are automatically extended by 60 calendar days after work resumption, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) has now released more guidelines covering the registration of motor vehicles.

In a Public Advisory, the LTO says that the validity of motor vehicle registration (except for new registrations) which expired on March 16, 2020 and until the date of work resumption will be automatically extended for 60 calendar days once work resumes at LTO offices.

To avoid congestion at LTO offices, a priority queuing will be implemented based on the last digit of the motor vehicle’s plate number. If no plate has been issued yet, the basis is the last digit of the conduction sticker (for cars) or the date of initial registration (for motorcycles, or vehicles with no issued conduction sticker):

For new registrations, no penalties will be collected for those vehicles purchased or with sales invoices from March 5, 2020 up to the date of the work resumption if the sale is reported within 15 calendar days once work resumes.

When it comes to driver’s licenses that expired from March 16, 2020, their validity is automatically extended for 60 days upon the resumption of work at LTO offices.

However, Temporary Operator’s Permits (TOPs) that expired on March 16, 2020 up to the date of work resumption will no longer authorize the driver to use the TOP as a temporary license. That said, the period from March 16, 2020 up to resumption of work shall not be counted in the computation of accessory penalties. The settlement/adjudication of apprehension cases for such TOPs, however, is automatically extended for thirty (30) calendar days upon resumption of work.

PETC Certificate of Emission Compliance (Smoke Emission Test) and Medical Certificates, which have not been submitted to LTO during the period from March 16, 2020 up to the work resumption but have expired during the same shall still be accepted within sixty (60) calendar days from work resumption.

Work resumption at LTO offices will be announced in a separate advisory following guidelines from the IATF.