LTO to impose new rules on issuance of driver's license

The Land Transportation Office has revised the rules and guidelines governing the issuance of drivers’ licenses, which will be imposed next month, the Department of Transportation and Communication said on Friday.

 

“The revised rules will serve two purposes: first, they will better ensure the fitness and capability of license card holders to drive on our streets and second, they will streamline the application process and make it more convenient for the public,” Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said.

 

According to the DOTC, the revised rules will cover all four types of licenses issued by the LTO – professional, non-professional, student permit, and conductor’s license.

 

The new rules will take effect within 15 days after five administrative orders have been published starting next week.

 

The LTO will no longer conduct lectures and seminars prior to written and practical examinations but instead release reviewers containing all possible questions.

 

Instead, holders of a student's permit will be given reviewers available at LTO offices as well as online through the DOTC and LTO websites.

 

Those who fail the basic driving theory and practical driving tests twice will not be allowed to reapply within a year while those who fail the tests for the third time cannot apply for two years.

 

 The LTO raised by one year the minimum age requirement for those seeking a student permit and a non-professional driver’s license.

 

Applicants for a student permit must be 17 years old – previously 16 years old – and those seeking for a non-pro license must be 18 years old from the current qualification of 17 years old.

 

Motorists aspiring for a professional driver's license must have a valid student driver's permit for at least six months. The current guidelines allow applicants to have a five-month student's permit or a non-pro license for four months.

 

Applicants for a professional driver's license will be disqualified if they have incurred at least two citations for reckless driving.

 

“This is meant to incentivize disciplined, law-abiding, and orderly driving among would-be... applicants,” the DOTC said.

 

The restrictions will apply to all applicants for a professional driver's license: drivers of tricycles, light vehicles, heavy vehicles, and conductors.

 

Under the new rules, the LTO will accept a medical certificate issued by a licensed and practicing physician. This means applications will no longer be restricted to be certified by accredited doctors stationed at the LTO office.

 

“This will allow applicants to have themselves examined by a doctor of their own choosing, at a time and place convenient to them,” the DOTC said.

 

The LTO will provide a downloadable medical certificate form from the DOTC and LTO websites.

 

“It should state, among others, that the applicant is physically and mentally fit to drive, as well as what the condition of his or her eyesight and hearing is,” DOTC said. – Jon Viktor Cabuenas/VS, GMA News

 

Under the new system, the LTO will extend the validity period of professional and non-professional driver's licenses whose holder have not committed any violation. A motorist with a clean record is entitled to a five-year validity period when license is renewed.

 

A driver's license is currently valid for three years. – Jon Viktor Cabuenas/VS, GMA News