How to renew your car’s registration

Earlier, we've created an article on how to register your brand new vehicle. Now, a lot of our readers have been asking us about what happens after the initial 3-year  registration expires. Well, one simply needs to renew it but, unfortunately, not everyone knows the process. That's why we've come up with another handy guide to help you do just that.

However, don’t leave your house just yet. Before you go to the nearest (or your preferred) LTO office, make sure you have all the required items listed below.

• Original or copies of your vehicle’s original certificate of registration (CR) and official receipt (OR).
• Bring money to cover Third Party Liability (TPL) Insurance, emissions test, and registration fees. The amount may range from P2,000 to P6,000.
• For reference, refer to the break down based on the renewal of a subcompact hatchback, such as the Chevrolet Spark.

          o   TPL – P560

          o   Emission Test – P460

          o   Registration Fee – P1,260

• For late renewals, MV owners will be penalized with a weekly fine of P200. If the late registration exceeds a month, a 50% MV User Charge (MVUC) will be handed down to owners. Depending again on the vehicle class and weight, this can cost around P700 to P4,000 or more. To avoid paying these fines, it would be best to know when to renew your car's registration.
• Call or visit the LTO field office indicated on the upper right hand of the CR and ask if the motor vehicle's (MV) plate has been encoded into the national database. If it hasn't been saved, this will be part of the renewal process which may require you to visit the branch stated on the CR.

Once these are ready, drive to the LTO branch of your choice. Depending on the queue, MV owners will be instructed by an LTO representative to either park at the emission testing center or to wait at the parking lot upon arrival.

Stencil the engine and chassis number

You can do this yourself if you know where the engine and chassis number of your vehicle is located. As an alternative, ask the LTO representative to do it for you. In addition, you can also have them fill-out the MV Inspection Report, which will be approved by the MV inspector. Just don't forget to give them a little tip for their help.

Avail Third Party Liability Insurance

Although separate on-site TPL insurance are available in the LTO field offices, we suggest purchasing your TPL from external insurance agencies available in the market. Why? Because it's much cheaper.

Check if the plate number has been encoded on the national database

After the TPL is settled, MV owners with plate numbers that aren’t on the national database will be required to bring the documents (OR, CR, TPL) to the Window 2 of the LTO office to have it recorded.

If the plate has already been recorded, on the other hand, MV owners will then have to pay P460 for the emission test and get their queue number.

Emission test

In the emission test, you will be asked to start the engine. While the engine idles, the sampling probe will then be inserted into the exhaust pipe for 20 seconds to get the reading. As for diesel powered vehicles, depress the accelerator until maximum engine speed is reached for 2 to 4 seconds. After the test, a photo, which includes the tester and the vehicle, will be taken after as a proof that the test took place.

Update records

Now that testing is done, present all documents to the cashier. They will then instruct you to bring the documents to the Records Department so that they can update the database.

Pay and get the new LTO sticker

Once finished, present the returned documents to the inspector at Window 6. Wait for your name to be called by the cashier to receive your I.D. and pay the renewal fees which could go from P1,260 to around P5,000, depending on the vehicle class.

Finally, claim the LTO sticker at the Releasing Counter if it’s available. Otherwise: