What to do when you lose your car’s certificate of registration

We all have our moments when we forget about or lose an important document. While this can apply to almost anything, losing your car’s certificate of registration (CR) can be especially painful as it is the one document that proves that you officially own your vehicle. When this happens, it can be a taxing process especially when you try to dig through your memory of what happened, where did you last see it, and how come it's not inside your very important documents secret stash. But no matter how you try, it seems like it's gone. It might have been a simple case of a misplaced item, yet it brings potential problems.

Losing your car’s CR comes with a lot of implications, for one it would be illegal to drive your car or new its registration without it. It also makes selling the vehicle questionable as its buyers will not be able to legally claim ownership unless the vehicle will be scrapped or parted out.

With that in mind it raises the question, what do you do when you lose your car’s CR?

After digging through the Land Transportation Office’s (LTO) official website, we learned how you can get a legal duplicate of your car’s CR. And here's what we found to be the actual process.

First, you have to obtain the following requirements listed below. You’re welcome.

• Notarized affidavit of Loss/Mutilation from the registered owner

• Latest official receipt of payment of registration

• Duly accomplished and approved Motor Vehicle Inspection Report (MVIR)

• Two valid identification cards of the registrant

Once you have all these documents in order along with other important items on the list, it’s time to make your way to the Originating LTO District Office as early as you can to avoid long queues. This is where you'd present your affidavit of loss and this is the only office that shall issue you your duplicate CR/OR. That's because this office has all the mandatory documents from where you first “registered/transacted.”

When you arrive, proceed to the transaction counters then submit the documents. An evaluator will then verify your documents and compute the fees you’ll be paying. A motor vehicle inspector will then do an actual check of the car to verify the details in the MVIR.

After that, you will have to wait for your name to be called from the cashier wherein you’ll pay the necessary fees. It is also there where you will obtain the Official Receipt (OR). It is then off to the Releasing Counter or at least somewhere close to it until your name is called to receive the new CR, plates, stickers, and other requested documents.

We suggest making a few photocopies of the CR and OR along with your driver’s license as soon as you can. Put it in a secure folder or envelop and leave it in the glove box or a sealed container in the trunk.