LTO renewal requirements for your driver's license
To renew a driver's license with the LTO, bring your current license and a photocopy, an electronically transmitted medical certificate from an LTO-accredited clinic (original and photocopy) and, for the first renewal of a five-year license, the CDE certificate. You can start online in the LTMS portal and finish at the licensing office, where your biometrics are captured and the card is printed.
The renewal described here is LTO's "plain or advance renewal": your license is renewed without a theoretical exam. It is the right path if your license has not been expired for more than two years. A license expired longer than that, or one with ten or more demerit points, follows the renewal with examination instead.
Check that you qualify
The LTO citizen's charter lists who may renew this way:
| Condition | Rule |
|---|---|
| License status | Not expired for more than two years; advance renewal is allowed within one year before expiry if you are leaving the country |
| Fitness | Physically and mentally fit to drive |
| Violations | No unsettled traffic violations |
| CDE | Comprehensive Driver's Education completed before the first renewal of a five-year license |
| 5 to 9 demerit points | Driver's Reorientation Course and its exam completed |
| 10 to 39 demerit points | Reorientation course and exam passed, plus the automated theoretical exam |
LTO renewal requirements
- Your current driver's license, original and one photocopy
- A medical certificate from an LTO-accredited clinic, transmitted electronically to LTO; bring the original and one photocopy
- The CDE certificate of completion, transmitted electronically, for the first renewal of a five-year license
- The Driver's Reorientation Course certificate, if you have five to 39 demerit points
- A plane ticket, for advance renewal only
The CDE is no longer required if your student permit was issued on or after 3 August 2020, or if you renewed to your current license on or after 28 October 2021. You can take the CDE in the e-learning section of the LTO portal or through an LTO office or Driver's Education Center.
Renew through the LTMS portal
- Log in to the LTO portal and complete the required fields in your profile.
- Apply for renewal of license.
- Choose the licensing office, date and time of your appointment.
- Choose a payment mode, then pay; the official receipt arrives by email.
- On the day, present the paid transaction and your documents to the client service officer at the office you chose.
- Take a queue number and have your fingerprints, photo and signature captured.
- Present the official receipt at the releasing window, sign the logsheet and claim the card after a fingerprint check.
The fee follows LTO's license schedule of fees and charges. Walk-in renewal at a licensing office uses the same requirements. Keep the electronically transmitted medical certificate and CDE in the system: a scan you made yourself does not replace that transmission.
Copies of your license
Your license card is the document you drive with. A personal scan helps you keep its number, codes and expiry date at hand and plan the next renewal. When an employer or office accepts a copy of your license as an ID, the ID photocopy maker prints its front and back on one page for your specimen signatures, and the redaction tool hides details the recipient does not need. They export image-based copies without selectable text or any digital signature.
The charter's list of accepted government IDs includes the UMID, the TIN card and the PhilID, if you need another ID at the counter.
LTO renewal questions
Do I need to take an exam to renew my driver's license?
Not for a plain renewal, if your license has not been expired for more than two years and you have fewer than ten demerit points. Otherwise LTO's renewal with examination applies.
Do I still need the CDE certificate?
Only for the first renewal of a five-year license. It is not required if your student permit was issued on or after 3 August 2020 or you renewed to your current license on or after 28 October 2021.
Can I renew my license early?
Yes, LTO allows advance renewal within one year before expiry for people leaving the country. Bring your plane ticket as an added requirement.