Owning a car comes with a lot of privileges just as much as it comes with responsibilities. That’s why after hitting the milestone of owning a car, your responsibilities as a car owner don’t stop there. The next step that you need to take is the registration of your car at the Land Transportation Office or LTO.
If you already own a car and have finished registration, you still need to make sure that you renew that registration with the LTO. Otherwise, it can lead to some consequences for you.
Of course, there are many people out there who might want to take shortcuts when it comes to any kind of responsibility. So, let’s first understand why it is important to go through an LTO car registration and renewal process.
Why You Should Register and Renew Your Vehicle’s Registration
When you register your vehicle with the LTO, it makes it easier for them to track the vehicle and trace it to you as the owner. That way, if you lose the car or get into an accident, they can trace the vehicle back to you.
Aside from that, this step also ensures that the vehicles that they allow onto our roads are roadworthy to reduce car accidents because of a poor-quality vehicles. It also avoids illegal car ownership.
You should also renew your car’s registration with LTO since the state of your car can change over time. The registration tests whether your car is still safe to drive.
What happens when you don’t renew or register your car?
You might ask this question. Then, what will happen is that there will be a hefty fee under your name reaching up to PHP 10,000 if they find you. This fine is specifically for when traffic officials catch your driving your vehicle when it’s unregistered.
Aside from that, if they find that you’ve kept the vehicle unregistered for more than one month, they will impound your vehicle until you register the vehicle and pay off the fines that you’ve racked up from lack of registration.
The specific fees that you’ll get from non-registration of your vehicle can change depending on factors such as:
- The type of vehicle that you have
- How long you haven’t been registered
- If you had committed any traffic offenses or violations or not
Usually, the fine for not registering your vehicle will cost about 50% of your Motor Vehicle User’s Charge or MVUC along with the registration fee if you haven’t been caught in a traffic offense and haven’t registered your vehicle for more than 12 months.
If you have had a traffic violation, you will pay 50% of your MVUC along with the registration fee for every year you’ve missed out on registration.
Steps for LTO New Car Registration 2022
Now that you know why you need to register your car as well as renew your registration and it might have inspired you to avoid shouldering those hefty fees, it’s time to figure out what steps you need to take to go through the LTO new car registration process for 2022.
Your first step, of course, is to gather all of your requirements.
Step 1: Prepare the required documents
You need to make sure that you have all of the necessary documents before heading over to LTO to register your vehicle so that you don’t go through the hassles of having to come back again because you forgot some of the documents you need.
You can consult LTO’s website to find out what you need, or ask an LTO agent so that you know what they’re specifically asking.
With that said, here is a list of general requirements to bring:
- Original Sales Invoice
- Original LTO copy or electronically-transmitted appropriate insurance Certificate of Cover or COC (Third Party Liability)
- Original Copy of Motor Vehicle (MV) Clearance Certificate from the Philippine National Police – Highway Patrol Group or PNPHPG and the Special Bank Receipt (SBR)
- Original CSR or Certificate of Stock Reported
- If you paid through e-PAT, bring your Payment Reference Number with you.
There are additional requirements that LTO will want from you if you fall under some of their special cases in a vehicle.
Additional Requirements for a Brand-New Motorcycle with a Sidecar (TC)
You only need one other requirement, and that would be the Original Affidavit of Attachment for the sidecar executed by the vehicle owner and a mechanic, stating important details such as the date of completion of the sidecar.
Additional Requirements for a Tax-Exempt Vehicle
- DFA Endorsement
- Original duly accomplished Motor Vehicle Inspection Report (MVIR).
- If a vehicle is used and imported, it should come with a Certificate of Compliance to Emission Standard (CCES) along with the MVIR. It should also come with a Certified True Copy of Release Certificate.
Additional Requirements for a Used-Imported Vehicle That’s Exempted from EO 156/877-A
- One (1) photocopy of a Commercial invoice or a Certificate of Title with English translation authenticated by the Embassy
- Original duly accomplished Motor Vehicle Inspection Report (MVIR) with a Certificate of Compliance to Emission Standard (CCES)
Additional Requirements for a Vehicle Acquired through the No Dollar Importation (NDI) Program
- A photocopy of the commercial invoice of the Motor Vehicle or Certificate of Title issued by the country of origin
- Original or a certified true copy of Authority under the No Dollar Importation. If no authority, Seizure Proceedings and Notice of Award.
- Original affidavit of first and last importation
- Original duly accomplished Motor Vehicle Inspection Report (MVIR) with a Certificate of Compliance to Emission Standard (CCES)
- A certified true copy of Release Certificate
Additional Requirements for rebuilt trucks and buses with a new or used imported engine and/or chassis
- A photocopy of the Commercial/Sales Invoice from the vehicle’s country of origin
- Original Affidavit of Rebuilt executed by the accredited rebuilder with the date of completion
- Original Certificate of Stock Reported (CSR) of rebuilt truck/bus
- A certified true copy of DTI–FTEB Endorsement
- A photocopy of the Certificate of Payment if the parts/components are imported
Additional Requirements for Imported motor vehicles acquired through public bidding
- A certified true copy of Official Receipt evidencing payment of acquisition cost
- A certified true copy of the Notice of Award
Once you have all of the above requirements, you can then head over to your nearest LTO.
Step 2: Go to an LTO office that processes new vehicle registration
Not all LTO branches process new vehicle registrations. Therefore, you should make sure that the one you’re going to that’s most likely nearest to you is accepting new vehicle registrations. Don’t forget to bring your documents with you and to present them to the officer.
You can always call the customer hotline that the nearest LTO branch from you has to ask them if they process new vehicle registration. That way, you don’t have to wait in line or go through the travel time to find out that they don’t process car registrations.
Step 3: Have your car inspected by an LTO officer
Now that you found an LTO branch that processes new car registrations and you’ve presented your requirements to the officer in charge, you’re going to have your car inspected by said LTO officer first. They will be computing your fees based on the information that they have regarding your vehicle as well.
Once they finish inspecting your vehicle and everything is good to go, or they find no issues with your vehicle, you should then get your Motor Vehicle Inspection Report or MVIR from them which you will also have to submit after.
Step 4: Pay for the Car Registration Fees
Now that the inspection process is complete, your next step is to pay for the car registration fees.
How much are LTO car registration fees in 2022?
The price of your registration fee can differ depending on a few factors. Overall, the initial registration fee is going to cost somewhere around PHP 1,000. Then, there are additional fees such as the license plate, the stickers, and tags of the vehicle, as well as the inspection fees.
The license plate costs somewhere around PHP 450 while the stickers and tags cost about PHP 50 each. On the other hand, the inspection fees can range from PHP 90 to PHP 115 in total. There’s also a penalty fee of PHP 50 if you fail to show up during the schedule of your car’s registration.
Don’t forget to get your Official Receipt or OR from the cashier after payment.
Step 5: Don’t forget to get your Certificate of Registration and other documents
After you get your OR from the cashier, you will then present that to the right booth to be able to get your Certificate of Registration or COR. Aside from that, you should be able to keep your OR and get the right stickers, tags, license plates, and even your RFID sticker. That’s all it is and you should be done.
When Do You Renew the Car’s Registration?
If you already registered your vehicle, you might be asking when is your car’s registration renewal.
The registration is only valid for three years. After that, you have to renew your vehicle according to your schedule or get a PHP 200 fine per week that you miss.
The last digit of your license plate number indicates the month when you should renew your vehicle after years. The second to the last number would then indicate which specific week you should do it from that month.
The month of your schedule is as follows:
Steps for LTO Car Registration Renewal 2022
Here are the steps to take for your LTO Car Registration Renewal this 2022.
Step 1: Prepare the documents
Your general requirements would be:
- LTO Copy and electronically-transmitted appropriate insurance Certificate of Cover (Third Party Liability)
- Duly accomplished Original Motor Vehicle Inspection Report (MVIR)
- Original copy of Certificate of Emission Compliance (CEC)
For special vehicles, there will also be additional requirements.
For Tax-Exempt Vehicles
You only need to bring an additional Original Endorsement with the control number along with your general requirements.
For Other Exempt Vehicles (OEV) under Special Economic Zones
You should present your Original Certification that shows that the Motor Vehicle is still classified as an Other Exempt Vehicle (OEV).
For Vehicles that are Available For-Hire
- Electronically transmitted franchise confirmation (For Motor Vehicles) or the Provisional Authority (PA) or Petition for extension of validity duly received by LTFRB with OR
- A Certified Copy of the valid Motorized Tricycle Operator’s Permit with Official Receipt (MTOP)
For Stolen and Recovered Vehicles
- Presentation of original and submission of one (1) photocopy of the Lifting of General Alarm
- Presentation of original and submission of one (1) photocopy of the Report of Recovery
- Presentation of original and submission of one (1) photocopy of the of Alarm Sheet
- Original PNP Crime Laboratory (macro etching report) or National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) report, fully identifying the motor vehicle and stating therein the tampering done on the engine or chassis, if any
- Original Certificate of re-stamping in case of tampered engine or chassis
Step 2: Go to the LTO office and submit your documents to the receiving clerk
Just as before, bring these documents to the receiving officer in the branch you’re in. You will then get an estimate of how much the fees will be.
Step 3: Pay the fees
You should get your official receipt for the payment of your registration renewal with LTO after paying the fees. The fees would be the same as when you registered your vehicle for the first time with the additional renewal fee of around PHP 400.
Step 4: Go through your vehicle’s inspection
Your vehicle will then go through a round of inspections to make sure that it’s still road-safe after all these years.
Step 5: Get your inspection report
You should then receive a report from the officer if your inspection went well and you should be finished with the entire renewal process by then.
How to Use the LTO Online Portal for Online Registration and Renewal
The LTO, in response to the pandemic, has created an online portal to make it easier for people to register and renew their vehicles online. That way, it can reduce the time they spend within the LTO branches and avoid crowding during these turbulent times.
Who can use the LTO Online Portal?
The only people who can make use of the LTO online portal for car registration and renewal would be people who will register from the following places:
- Metro Manila
- Baguio
- Bayombong
- Butuan
- Calapan
- Davao
- Dumaguete
- General Santos
- Laoag
- Lipa
- Malaybalay
- Naga
- Ormoc
- Pagadian
- Roxas
- Tagbilaran
- Tagum
Otherwise, you might not benefit or be able to use the online portal.
Steps on Using the LTO Online Portal for Car Registration or Renewal
Here are the steps you should follow if you want to register or renew your vehicle with the help of their online portal:
- Go to the LTMS Portal linked here.
- Click the REGISTER NOW button and accept the terms of the agreement as well as encode the security code, then click the Next button at the lower right corner.
- Click ENROLL AS AN INDIVIDUAL. Answer the questions and supply the required information.
- Take note of the email you provided. After you’ve done all of that, you should then CREATE ACCOUNT.
- Go to your email based on the one that you provided to activate your account. You now have an account with the LTO portal. You can then start using the online portal for your specific needs with LTO.
You can pay off traffic violation fines here as well as your car registration and renewal fees. Make sure to take note of the payment reference number if you pay them off online. You can also schedule an online appointment for your LTO car registration and renewal through this portal to streamline the entire process and reduce waiting time.
Conclusion
The registration and renewal process isn’t a particularly tough endeavor to do. Plus, you have a week to do it. Therefore, to avoid the hassle and the fees, you might as well do it as soon as you can to avoid any issues moving forward and so that you can use your vehicle freely.
With this article as well, you should be able to figure out everything that you need to know about LTO car registration and renewal so that you can do it faster and with relative ease. Next time you’re planning on registering or renewing your car registration, consult this article to find out what you need to do. Good luck!
