How to settle traffic violations under LTO's non-confiscation of driver's license rule

The Department of Transportation (LTO) has recently ordered the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to suspend the confiscation of the driver’s license of motorists who committed traffic violations.

In a January 9 memorandum to the LTO, Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez also told the agency to review pertinent issuances to “ensure consistency across all existing policies.”

Lopez also amended the period for settling traffic apprehension cases from 15 calendar days to 15 working days to “afford both the government and the public sufficient time to resolve cases.”

Earlier, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said the top five traffic violations in 2025 are: illegal turning, unattended illegal parking, disregarding traffic signs, disregarding the number coding scheme, and attended illegal parking.

What does this mean for motorists and their driver’s licenses?

The new policy basically means that traffic enforcers can no longer confiscate the driver’s licenses of motorists who allegedly committed traffic violations.

Under the LTO’s recently issued implementing guidelines, here’s what motorists should expect should they be called out for alleged traffic violations:

• Instead of confiscating the driver’s license, the driver’s license of the motorist with unsettled violations will be placed under alert in the LTO’s systems.
• The details of their alleged traffic violations will be listed on the citation ticket and encoded in the LTO’s systems.
• Motorists have 15 working days to settle and pay the corresponding fines for their violation. The settlement period will begin from the date of apprehension and will exclude Saturdays, Sundays, declared non-working holidays, and days when government work is suspended.
• If a motorist fails to settle and pay fines within this period, this will trigger the automatic suspension or revocation of the driver’s license for 30 days without prejudice to the payment of corresponding fines and penalties.

Transition period

The LTO said there will be a transition period of 15 working days for system configuration and operational adjustments.

It added that the no confiscation policy and the amended settlement period for traffic violations will apply prospectively.

This means that this will only apply on apprehensions made on or after January 9, the effectivity date of the DOTr memorandum and the LTO’s implementing guidelines.

Traffic citations before this date will follow the old rules at the time of apprehension. — JMA, GMA Integrated News