Car registration and renewal in the Philippines-Knowing to drive a car or having a license to drive it is not enough to legally drive it on the road. As a responsible car owner, you have to register your car or renew its registration when it expires to maintain your credibility as a car owner.
Car registration is a legal necessity that applies in the Philippines and to most countries all around the world. Car registration is basically the proof or the evidence that you have complied with the taxes and other fees that having a car comes with to drive it legally on the road.
CAR REGISTRATION AND RENEWAL IMPORTANCE
Car registration is material proof that a car owner has complied with all the registration requirements needed for the car such as paying all the necessary taxes and fees. Upon submitting all the required documents, you won’t be having any problems driving a car on highways (unless you don’t have a license to drive a car).
An unregistered vehicle especially if it’s driven is clearly a violation of the law. If ever an officer finds out that a car has no registration upon inspection, it will end up being impounded and the driver will also be penalized for driving an unregistered car.
The easiest way to determine if a car has not been registered is if it has no license plate attached to the car’s front and back bumper. In addition, if its registration has expired and has not been renewed, it will be shown on the license plate the most recent year it was registered.
So if you are a responsible car owner and a law-abiding citizen, car registration and renewal should not be a hustle on your part.
HOW TO SCHEDULE CAR REGISTRATION WITH LTO ONLINE?
The setting of appointments or schedules through the LTO Online Pass is a free public service offered by the LTO. Here are the steps in setting an appointment for car registration in LTO online.
(TAKE NOTE: As per IATF Resolution No. 43, persons below 21 and above 60 years old may be denied entry to government offices.
In strict compliance with this, the LTO will not be accepting any appointments and/or transactions from persons who fall under the categories stated above)
- Visit the LTO Online Web Portal. (https://www.lto.net.ph/LTO/Online)
- Select/Click the Motor Vehicle Renewal Online Appointment
- The Terms and agreement will appear. Tick on the small box indicating that you agree to the following terms provided by the online services.
- Enter the provided CAPTCHA at the bottom then click “Continue”.
- Fill in the necessary information shown on the online application form page.
TAKE NOTE:
- Kindly provide only the correct information in the online application form to avoid any inconvenience.
- The LTO will not entertain appointments made for purposes other than the plain renewal of Motor Vehicle registration.
- Miscellaneous transactions such as transfer of ownership and change in chassis/engine will undergo normal processing.
- After filling out the application form, click the button “Next”. Your details will be then forwarded to the LTO.
- Wait for confirmation from LTO via email.
As of the moment, only the following LTO district officers cater to customers who booked a schedule using the online service:
- East Avenue (Diliman Office)
- Novaliches
- Marikina
- Muntinlupa
- Pasig
LTO aims to expand the number of sites supporting this booking service by next year.
LTO CAR REGISTRATION PROCESS FOR BRAND NEW VEHICLES
One of the most complicated aspects of having a new car is car registration. Luckily, a lot of dealerships offer car registration as part of their services. If you want to know the process and handle your car registration on your own, here are the steps:
STEP 1: COMPLETE ALL THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS.
The first thing that you should know is to identify the category of the vehicle to be registered. Therefore, if it’s a locally-manufactured vehicle, the registrant must present the following:
- Original Sales Invoice of the motor vehicle (MV)
- Certificate of Stock Report (CSR)
- Certificate of Quality Control
- Valid PNP-HPG MV Clearance Certificate
- Fully accomplished and approved Motor Vehicle Inspection Report (MVIR)
- Appropriate Insurance Certificate of Cover
- Valid Certificate of Public Convenience proved by the LTFRB, for “for hire” motor vehicles
- Taxpayer’s Identification Number (TIN)
If the car is an import (cars bought or were purchased outside the country), the registrant must present the following:
- Commercial Invoice of MV released by the country of origin
- Bill of Lading
- BOC Certificate of Payment
- Certificate of Stock Report (CSR)
- Sales Invoice of the MV
- PNP-TMG MV Certificate Clearance
- Fully accomplished and approved Motor Vehicle Inspection Report (MVIR)
- Appropriate insurance certificate cover
- A valid certificate of Public Convenience duly confirmed by the LTFRB, for “for hire” MVs
- Taxpayers Identification Number (TIN)
STEP 2: GO TO THE NEAREST LTO OFFICE
The registrant for locally-manufactured cars can proceed to the LTO regional offices where the sale of the particular motor vehicle took place. On the other hand, brand new imports must submit their requirements at the four (4) designated district offices: Diliman, Quezon City, Pasay, and Caloocan.
STEP 3: SUBMIT ALL THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Go to the transaction counters to submit all the required documents for the evaluation and computation of fees.
STEP 4: PAY ALL THE NECESSARY FEES AT THE CASHIER
After getting clearance from the evaluator, they wait for the cashier to call them up for the registrant to pay the necessary fees and get an Official Receipt (OR).
STEP 5: WAIT FOR YOUR NAME TO BE CALLED O THE RELEASING COUNTER
Upon hearing your name be called, receive your Certificate of Registration (CR), plates, stickers, and other requested documents.
WHEN TO RENEW YOUR CAR’S REGISTRATION?
To know when you are supposed to renew your car’s registration, your car’s license plate numbers can be your guide. The last digit actuates the month when your car was registered. Here’s the table of LTO’s monthly schedule for car Registration renewal:
| Your plate number’s last digit | Month your car should be registered |
| 1 | January |
| 2 | February |
| 3 | March |
| 4 | April |
| 5 | May |
| 6 | June |
| 7 | July |
| 8 | August |
| 9 | September |
| 0 | October |
But this does not end here. You should also be aware of the weekly schedule showing the dates of the month you can actually have your vehicle renewed.
You may check the second-to-the-last digit of your plate number. Here’s the table for clearer reference;
| Second-to-the-last digit of plate number | Days of the month you should renew |
| 1,2,3 | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 (first week) |
| 4,5,6 | 8,9,10,11,12,13,14 (second week) |
| 7,8 | 15,16,1718,19,20,21 (third week) |
| 9,0 | 22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31 |
LTO CAR REGISTRATION RENEWAL PROCESS
STEP 1: COMPLETE ALL THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Here are the following requirements needed for your car’s registration renewal:
General Requirements:
- Photocopy of Certificate of Registration (CR) and attached the Official Receipt of payment
- Original LTO Copy of Certificate of Cover (COC)
- Duly accomplished Motor Vehicle Inspection Report (MVIR)
- Certificate of Emission Compliance (CEC)
Additional Requirements:
- Tax-exempt
- Original Endorsement with control number
- Other Exempt Vehicle (OEV) under Special Economic Zone
- Original certification that the vehicle is still classified as Other Exempt vehicles (OEV)
- For Hire
- Electronically transmitted franchise confirmation for (for MVs) / Provisional Authority (PA) or Petition for extension of validity duly received by LTFRB with OR. (TAKE NOTE: Renewal shall not be processed if the franchise will expire in the next 6 months.)
- Valid Motorized Tricycle Operator’s Permit with attached Official receipt (MTOP) for tricycles
STEP 2: GO TO THE NEAREST LTO BRANCH
STEP 3: SUBMIT ALL THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Go to the transaction counters and submit all the requirements to the evaluator.
STEP 4: HAVE YOUR VEHICLE INSPECTED AND PROVIDE A DULY ACCOMPLISHED MVIR
Take note that LTO has recently announced that they will no longer require stenciling for new cars for both registration and renewal.
STEP 5: PAY FOR ALL NECESSARY FEES
Wait for your name to be called in the cashier’s area and pay for all fees and don’t forget to get the Official Receipt (OR)
STEP 6: RELEASING OF YOUR RENEWED CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION (CR), PLATES, AND STICKERS
LTO ONLINE CAR REGISTRATION AND RENEWAL
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) has recently launched the LTO Online Portal to avoid and lessen direct contact and possible COVID-19 transmission last June 2020.
The Land Transportation Management System (LTMS) is the new online portal meant for scheduling an appointment for renewals of driver’s license and car registration. However, the LTMS is still under pilot testing. Only the driver’s license-related transactions are currently available on the online portal.
