Your Guide to Renew Car Registration with LTO

January 23, 2025

Owning a car entails responsibilities to ensure it is kept in good condition and compliant with road regulations. This includes maintenance, repairs, insurance, and most importantly, car registration.

Do you know how and when to renew car registration with the Land Transportation Office (LTO)? For brand new cars, the motor vehicle registration is usually processed by the dealership, which usually lasts up to three years. After that, car owners are required to renew their car registration annually.

So, before you start your engine and drive, make sure that your car complies with the safety and environmental standards set by the LTO.

To make the process easier for you, here's a step-by-step guide to renew car registration with LTO.

1. Schedule the Renewal of Your Car Registration

It is easy to know the schedule of your car registration renewal by simply checking your plate number. The last digit corresponds to the month of renewal while the second to the last number determines the week.

For instance, your plate number is ABC 1234, you’ll have to renew your car registration by the first week of April from 1st to 7th to avoid penalty fees.

2. Prepare Your Requirements for Renewal

Before heading out to LTO, you need to complete your requirements first. Here's a checklist of the documents needed in renewing your car registration:

Taxpayer’s Identification Number (TlN)

Photocopy of Certificate of Registration (CR)

Official Receipt (OR) of payment

Early warning device (just in case needed for inspection)

Completed Motor Vehicle Inspection Report (MVIR)

- Bring your car to a Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Center (PMVIC) to have it inspected. If you pass the assessment, the PMVIC will submit the Motor Vehicle report directly to the LTO.

Original copy of the Certificate of Emission Compliance (CEC)

- Your vehicle must go through an emission test to get a CEC. There are usually Emission Testing Center near LTO offices.

Original copy or electronic CTPL Insurance Certificate of Cover (COC)

- Compulsory Third Party Liability (CTPL) insurance is coverage required by law for car registration in case of bodily injury or death to third parties. Unlike comprehensive insurance policies, which cover different types of damage to your own vehicle and also others, CTPL specifically protects third parties involved in an accident and is legally required by law. Cocogen offers a stand-alone CTPL policy that provides financial protection of up to Php 200,000.

Stay protected on the road. Get your CTPL insurance today!

3. Process the Renewal

After completing all the necessary documents, you are ready to process the renewal directly at LTO.

Option 1: Visit the LTO Office

Visit the nearest LTO branch and bring all the documents for car registration renewal.

Proceed to the counter to notify the staff that you want to renew your vehicle registration.

Pay the renewal fees and wait for the Official Receipt. Your car is now officially registered!

Note: It is the same amount of fees as when you first register your vehicle with an addition of Php 400 for renewal fee.

Option 2: Use the LTMS Portal

You can also process the renewal online through the Land Transportation Management System Portal (LTMS):

Log into your LTMS account.

Click on the vehicle icon and select the type of car you wish to renew.

The system will automatically validate the CTPL COC and Inspection Report Number provided by the PMVIC.

Pay the renewal fee where you can select your preferred payment mode in the portal. The amount of the renewal usually depends on the type of vehicle and weight, ranging between Php 2,000 – Php 5,000.

Look for your renewal transaction and wait for the system to generate a receipt via your email to download and print.

4. Avoid Penalties

It is important to renew car registration on time to avoid incurring higher penalty fees.

Renewals made more than a month later will incur an additional charge of 50% of the Motor Vehicle User’s Charge (MVUC) rate and if it’s a week’s delay, there's a fine of Php 200. Remember, it is the car owner’s responsibility to ensure the vehicle is properly registered.

Driving an unregistered vehicle can result in a Php 10,000 fine and the vehicle being impounded.

For more information on penalties for late registrations, please visit LTO’s website.

If you own a car, it is important to comply with these requirements to ensure your safety and keep your car running smoothly wherever the road takes you. Renewing your car registration on time helps you avoid penalties and ensures your car stays safe, which will give you peace of mind wherever you go.