If in the Philippines, you want a drivers license you have to apply to the LTO. LTO is the LAND TRANSPORT OFFICE
As a foreigner you’re probably wondering what an LTO certificate is for and why would you need one? Well, if you’re planning on obtaining a driver’s license in other countries, this is your proof of how long you’ve been driving.
In other developed countries, before you can get a full driver’s license and you need to be driving for a certain amount of time to gain experience. Which is just appropriate since you will be driving in high speeds along with other vehicles. Because driving in the Philippines is so different from driving in disciplined countries, they don’t allow foreigners to convert the license to their own just like that, so they need to take tests again and give them proof that they are already an experienced driver, hence the LTO certificate.
It’s not a good indicator for driving experience though since you can easily get a driver’s license without actually doing any driving..
How you can get a DFA-authenticated LTO Certificate and it’s surprisingly easy.
There’s the LTO part (15 minutes) and the DFA part (30 minutes) and it costs Php200 for each certificate.
- Go to an LTO Office and
- Present a photocopy of your driver’s license and OR, along with the filled-up form so they can verify it.
- After a few minutes, they will call your name to hand you back your form and license.
- After a few minutes, you will be handed a stub you need to bring to DFA after 1 week.
After one week…
- Go to DFA – Bring a valid ID. If you will be getting somebody else’s certificate, you need a letter of authorization and a copy of their valid ID.
- Find the correct person to speak to
- Pay Php100 at the cashier and bring back the OR to the previous window. After a few minutes, your name will be called again and you will be handed your DFA-authenticated LTO certificate.
That’s it. I normally despise dealing with government offices but in this case, everything went fast and smooth unlike other inefficient agencies.
Regarding the driving test well that is another story.
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