LTO: Drivers have 2 months to renew expired licenses

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has extended by two months the validity of drivers’ licenses that expired during the Luzon-wide lockdown, with no penalty to be charged for late renewal.

In a statement, LTO assistant secretary Edgar Galvante said that the grace period would apply in areas under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) or general community quarantine.

However, the LTO will still be limiting its operations even if the ECQ is lifted in observance of health protocols.

But to make up for the anticipated backlog, it is considering operating during Saturdays. Applicants should process their license renewal even before the end of the grace period to avoid overcrowding at LTO offices, Galvante added.

Earlier, the agency also gave a two-month grace period to owners of vehicles with expired registration documents, without any penalty.

At the same time, it warned the public against fixers pretending to facilitate applications for license renewal and registration of motor vehicles, saying that because of ECQ protocols, all applications were on hold.

“We strongly caution our clients and the general public that the said services are not authorized by the agency, and are therefore patently illegal,” the LTO said.