LTO requires exam for license renewal, adopts 10-year license validity

• The Land Transportation Office is finally implementing Republic Act No. 10930, which will give applicants without traffic violations a 10-year license

• LTO also requires applicants for new and renewal to undergo a seminar and pass an exam

• Motorists renewing their expired driver’s licenses will have to hurdle the Comprehensive Driver’s Education

• The rollout of the driver’s licenses for 10 years will start on October 28 at LTO’s Central Office-Licensing Section and the Quezon City Licensing Center

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) is finally implementing the law that allows the issuance of a driver’s license valid for 10 years for applicants without traffic violations.

At the same time, LTO will require applicants for new and renewal licensing to attend a seminar and pass an exam.

The new policies, being implemented at the LTO Central Office, are in line with the provisions of Republic Act (RA) No. 10930, which was signed in 2017 and amends RA 4136 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code.

Under RA 10930, except for student permits, all driver’s licenses should be valid for five years, reckoned from the birthdate of the licensee, unless sooner revoked or suspended.

A holder of a professional or non-professional driver’s license who has not committed any violation of RA 4136 and other traffic laws during the five-year period will be entitled to a renewal of such license for 10 years, subject to LTO restrictions.

Section 3 of RA 10930 also mandates the LTO to promulgate prerequisites and guidelines before granting drivers’ licenses to ensure these are issued only to deserving applicants with sufficient driving skills and knowledge of road safety and proper road courtesy.

“Toward this end, the conduct of theoretical and practical examinations, among others, must sufficiently measure the competency of drivers and must be designed to the type of license applied for its corresponding restrictions: Provided, that for professional drivers, the tests must be appropriated to the vehicle and type of service the applicant intends to operate,” RA 10930 stated.

“The law wants to make sure that only qualified motorists who possess both driving skills and knowledge of road safety and road courtesy are given the privilege to drive motor vehicles,” LTO chief Edgar Galvante said in a statement.

LTO said motorists renewing their expired driver’s licenses will have to pass the Comprehensive Driver’s Education (CDE), which is composed of a refresher seminar and an examination designed to make sure only deserving applicants who have sufficient driving skills and knowledge of road safety and proper road courtesy will have their licenses renewed.

The rollout of the driver’s licenses valid for 10 years will start at LTO’s Central Office-Licensing Section and the Quezon City Licensing Center (QCLC). A week following the pilot run, licenses valid for 10 years will be issued by other LTO offices in Metro Manila.

Motorists who will renew their licenses in areas where the system of issuing 10-year valid licenses is not yet in place can renew them using the old system, the LTO said.

Motorists renewing their licenses in LTO offices that are now ready to issue 10-year valid licenses will be required to take the CDE seminar and its accompanying examination.

The CDE seminar will be conducted for a maximum of five hours and can be taken for free at driver’s education centers (DECs), and for a fee at LTO-accredited driving schools. Motorists can also take the seminar online via LTO’s Land Transportation Management System (LTMS) portal.

Motorists who fail the exam following the CDE seminar will be required to retake the test.

Meanwhile, the validity of expired driver’s licenses has been extended by two months from the date of expiration. The extension aims to ensure motorists who are renewing their licenses are given ample time to comply with the CDE requirement.

The CDE, consisting of video and written materials produced by the LTO, is being offered free at all LTO offices and via the LTO website (lto.gov.ph), and through the LTO Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Motorists applying to renew their expired driver’s licenses need only to register for free at the LTO LTMS via portal.lto.gov.ph, or can be assisted through the process by LTO frontliners in all LTO offices.

The LTMS allows all LTO clients to transact via the internet on a 24/7 basis, including bookings for driver’s license application. LTO said the portal has an extensive driver’s education library provided for free, including CDE materials. After studying the CDE materials, LTMS clients can take the required CDE exam online and upon passing it will be issued a CDE certificate to be used in renewing the expired driver’s license.