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How to Get a Driver’s License in the Philippines: 2022 Guide

A guide for the requirements and process to apply for Student Permit, Non Professional driver license and Professional driver license in the Philippines

How to Get a Driver’s License in the Philippines: 2022 Guide

The commute around the country, especially the metro, can be tough. You’ll find yourself tired out from the commute before you even get to your destination. That’s why many people’s major milestone in life is to be able to own a private vehicle at one point in their lives. However, you can’t drive a vehicle without getting a driver’s license first.

That’s why this article is here to guide anyone who is interested in getting a driver’s license for the first time. Since the processes and requirements to get a driver’s license in the Philippines have changed drastically over the years, what other drivers with licenses tell you on how to get a license might differ from the reality. That’s why this guide is a 2022 guide on how to get a driver’s license in the Philippines for those who haven’t had it yet.

Three Types of Driver’s Licenses in the Philippines

Before figuring out how to get driver license in Philippines PH, it’s a good idea to know first what the different types of driver’s licenses are to know which one you should get first.

1. Student Permit/Student License

The first kind of license that you can get would be a student permit or a student license. The student license isn’t an actual ID and is more of a permit and it shows that you are still someone who is learning to drive. Having this permit will allow you to drive around, but only if you are accompanied by someone who does have a driver’s license.

Who can apply for a Student Permit?

If you’re wondering how to secure student driver license Philippines PH, these are going to be your qualifications:

At least 17 years of age for a Filipino citizen (18 years of age for foreign applicants)
- For Foreign Applicants: Must be living in the Philippines for at least one month
Physically and mentally fit to operate a vehicle
Can read and write in Filipino or English (or other local languages)
Have completed the 15-hour mandatory Theoretical Driving Course (TDC)
No unsettled traffic violations
Have a valid email address

Requirements for Applying for a Student Permit:

If you want to know how to get student driver license Philippines PH, these are the documents and other paperwork that you need to have to apply for a student permit:

An accomplished Application for Permits and Licenses (APL) Form
Medical certificate issued and transmitted online to LTO by LTO-accredited clinics and a photocopy and an original copy of the medical certificate
Submission of a photocopy and presentation of the original version of a Valid ID
Submission of a photocopy and presentation of the original version of any of the following:
- Local Civil Registry (for areas without a PSA)
- NSO/PSA Birth Certificate
- Passport
- Philippine Identification Card
- PSA Marriage Certificate
Theoretical Driving Course certificate of completion transmitted electronically by an LTO-accredited driving school: one original and one photocopy
For Minors:
- Notarized consent form of one parent or guardian
- One original copy of the parent or guardian’s valid ID that has a photo and signature
- One photocopy of a parent or guardian’s valid ID
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) for employed
For Foreigners:
- One original and a photocopy of the passport. The entry date must at least be one month with the visa duration of six months from the date of application
- For those who were born in the Philippines: a photocopy and original of your PSA Birth Certificate

How Much Does It Cost to Apply for a Student Permit?

Overall, the costs for a student permit should be around PHP 320. However, additional costs would differ based on a few factors:

TDC: FREE or at least PHP 1,500
TDC Certificate of Completion: at least PHP 200
Medical Certificate: at least PHP 400
Other costs: Photocopying, Notarization (if applicable), etc.

These costs can change depending on a lot of different factors as well so do keep that in mind.

2. Non-Professional Driver’s License (Non-Pro)

The Non-Professional Driver’s license is what most people have. This license only allows you to drive private vehicles only and you can apply for this after you’ve had your student license for at least one month up to a year.

Non Professional Driver License — Non-Professional Driver License

Who Can Apply for a Non-Professional Driver’s License?

The following people are the ones who can apply for a Non-Pro driver’s license in the Philippines:

At least 17 years of age for a Filipino citizen (18 years of age for foreign applicants)
Can read and write in Filipino or English (or other local languages)
Physically and mentally fit to operate a vehicle
No unsettled traffic violations
Must have a student permit at least one month from the issue date
- Can be a holder of an expired non-pro license for over two years but less than 10 years
- For foreigners: Can be an expired foreign license
Must have attended and passed the 8-hour Practical Driving Course (PDC)
Must have passed the LTO Automated Theoretical Examination (the written exam) as well as the LTO Practical Driving Test

Requirements for applying for a Non-Pro Driver’s License

These are the documents and paperwork that you need to bring with you when you’re trying to figure out how to apply for non professional driver license PH.

An accomplished Application for Permits and License (APL) Form
Medical certificate issued and transmitted online to LTO by LTO-accredited clinics and a photocopy and an original copy of the medical certificate
Presentation of the original as well as a photocopy of the Certificate of Completion of the PDC
Valid Student Driver’s Permit
TIN, if employed
For Minors:
- Notarized consent form of one parent or guardian
- One original copy of the parent or guardian’s valid ID that has a photo and signature
- One photocopy of a parent or guardian’s valid ID

How Much Does It Cost to Apply for a Non-Professional Driver’s License?

The medical examination for a non-professional driver’s license can cost around PHP 200 to PHP 300 while the cost for the driving test fee starts at PHP 400. The license and application fee would be around PHP 820. Other costs to think about when you ask how much driver license 2022 PH would be:

Notarization (if applicable)
Photocopying costs
Price for the PDC
PDC Completion Certificate

3. Professional Driver’s License

What is Professional Driver License PH you ask? Well, if you need to drive or operate commercial vehicles or drive for a living, then you need to ensure that you have a professional driver’s license. You need to have this to operate smaller commercial vehicles as well as public utility vehicles or PUVs. It’s also what you talk about when you ask what is a commercial driver license PH at the most basic level.

Who Can Apply for a Professional Driver’s License?

If you’re interested in applying for a professional driver’s license, you must fall under the following:

At least 17 years of age for a Filipino citizen (18 years of age for foreign applicants)
Can read and write in Filipino or English (or other local languages)
Physically and mentally fit to operate a vehicle
No unsettled traffic violations
Must have a student permit at least six months from the issue date
- For foreigners: a valid/expired foreign license
- Others: a valid/expired professional or non-pro license (for certain restriction codes)
Must be a non-professional driver’s license holder for a year with no unsettled traffic violations
Must have passed the LTO Automated Theoretical Examination (the written exam) as well as the LTO Practical Driving Test
Must have attended and passed the 8-hour Practical Driving Course (PDC)

Requirements for applying for a Professional Driver’s License

Before applying for a professional driver’s license, make sure that you have the following paperwork or documentation with you:

Medical certificate issued and transmitted online to LTO by LTO-accredited clinics and a photocopy and an original copy of the medical certificate
Original copy of a valid student permit/Valid Non-Pro Driver’s License
TIN, for employed
Presentation of the original as well as a photocopy of the Certificate of Completion of the PDC
Valid original copy and photocopy of an NBI clearance or Police clearance
Original and Photocopy of NSO/PSA Birth Certificate
- For foreigners, a valid Passport and Visa

How Much Does It Cost to Apply for a Non-Professional Driver’s License?

The overall fee for both the application fee and license fee for a professional driver’s license will total somewhere around PHP 700. However, make sure to consider the other costs that come with the application, such as the photocopying, medical fees, rental fees for the vehicle you’ll drive for the test, and many more.

How to Get a Driver’s License in the Philippines: 2022 Guide

Now that you know what requirements you need to fulfill and the documents that you need to bring with you based on the license that you’re looking for, it’s time to get to the step-by-step guide on how to apply driver license PH 2022.

Step 1: Take a Theoretical Driving Course (TDC)

The Theoretical Driving Course or TDC is now a requirement for anyone who wants to know how to get driver’s license PH, but it’s particularly important when you want to take a student’s permit, which you need to have to be able to apply for the other licenses.

You can take a TDC from any of the LTO-accredited driving schools, but you’ll need to pay a fee for them. However, if you want to be able to take them for free, you can always avail of the free enrollment to the TDC from any of the LTO Driver’s Education Centers that are within your region. Overall, these sessions should last about 15 hours in total.

How much does a Theoretical Driving Course (TDC) cost?

As mentioned above, you can finish a TDC for free if you go to the right LTO Driver’s Education Center. However, some people opt to take it from LTO-accredited driving schools where the price for the course starts at PHP 2,000, which is a far cry from how much it used to cost which is PHP 10,000. The price changes based on where you enroll, too.

Step 2: Take the written examination after the course.

After you’ve completed all of the sessions of your TDC, the next step is to take the written examination which covers most of what you discussed during those sessions. To get a passing score, you will need to get 80% on the exam.

How they structure the exam will depend on where you take the TDC as some report only taking one 100-point exam, while others have multiple days of exams each consisting of 50 points.

Once you pass all of your exams, you should receive a Certificate of Completion which they will electronically send to LTO as well as give you a physical copy. Make sure to keep that and make a copy of it too.

Step 3: Get a Student Permit

Once you finish the TDC, you can now apply for a student permit.

Even if you’re interested in getting a professional or non-professional license already, you can’t skip the step of having a student permit. At the very least, you should have a student permit for a month before you can qualify for applying for a non-professional license and six months of issuance for a professional license.

Step 4: Take the Practical Driving Course (PDC)

The Practical Driving Course or the PDC would be a series of lessons that you take where you actually drive a vehicle and learn how to operate it physically. The PDC would be shorter than the TDC as you only need to fulfill eight hours of it.

How much does a Practical Driving Course (PDC) cost?

If you plan on taking the PDC, that’s an additional cost that you need to keep in mind as it will cost you somewhere around the PHP 2,500 to PHP 8,000 range, which can be quite costly. Unfortunately, unlike the TDC, there are no free options available right now for taking the PDC.

Step 5: Pass the practical driving exam

After you take the PDC, they will have you take a practical driving exam first. Once you pass the exam, they will give you a Certificate of Completion for the PD, and they’ll send an electronic copy to the LTO as well. However, you still need to bring the original copy of the certificate with you as well as a photocopy of it.

Step 6: Take a medical exam

If you think the only tests you need to take involve driving to get your license, then you’re wrong. You will also need to take a medical exam because the qualifications are, as mentioned above, that you need to be physically and mentally sound to operate a vehicle.

You also can’t take the medical exam wherever you want. It needs to be from an LTO-accredited medical clinic or registered physician to be valid. Otherwise, they might reject your results.

After taking the medical exam, you should receive a Medical Certificate which you need to bring with you as well as a photocopy of it when applying for a license. The certificate is valid for two months since issuing.

Step 7: Go to the LTO office and submit your requirements

Now that you have everything that you need and have taken all the exams and courses necessary, it’s time to go straight to the LTO office and submit your application. Make sure that you have everything that you need and then some so that you can avoid the hassle of having to come back another day to apply.

The officer in charge will ask you to log into the LTO Online Portal for validating your details. If you haven’t printed one out yet from LTO’s website, that’s also when they will give you the Application for Driver’s License (ADL) form,

You will then go to another window and have your photo taken for the license as well as your fingerprints.

Step 8: Take the LTO Written Exam

Aside from the written exam from the TDC, you will also need to pass the LTO Written Exam.

This exam consists of 60 items so you will need to answer 48 correctly to get a passing score.

If you fail the written exam, you can come back on the next business day but you’ll have to go through the entire application process again starting from Step 7 when you arrived at the LTO office to pass the requirements, except for the medical exam.

Step 9: Take the LTO Practical Driving Test

After passing the written exam, you can then take the practical driving test, which you can take with your vehicle, accompanied by a licensed driver, or use a vehicle within the LTO premises for a rental fee.

If you fail, you will need to go back to Step 7 again and retake the exam.

Step 10: Pay the driver’s license fees and receive your license

Once you pass all the exams and requirements, you should then pay for the application fee and license fee as well as other applicable fees which we’ve covered earlier if you want to know how much does it cost to get driver license PH costs, like the rental fee of the vehicle. After paying, you should wait and you should be able to receive your license after they print it and issue it to you.

Congratulations! You’re now a licensed driver.

In Conclusion

The application for a driver’s license has become much more complicated now that the LTO is cracking down more on irresponsible drivers. Therefore, this guide should be able to guide you on the necessary steps to take to be able to have a driver’s license.

If you’re considering applying for one, then try this guide to help you along the way and remind you of what you need.

Once you’re a licensed driver, you can then use Carousell to fulfill your driving goals and find the car companion that you need on the roads of the country now that you’re a licensed driver. Good luck!

Shibha

How to Get a Driver’s License in the Philippines: 2022 Guide