LTO: Vehicle registration to include license plate replacement

MANILA, Philippines - Starting this month, motorists who will renew their vehicle registration will have to cough up an additional P450 as payment for the new standard license plates issued by the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

LTO executive director Alfonso Tan Jr. said all those who would renew their vehicle registrations would be required to apply for the replacement of plates.

The new plates for those who will renew their registration will have the same letters and numbers as their old ones.

The new plates will be available after 45 days from the date of the renewal of the registration, according to a memorandum circular issued by the LTO last month.

The same memorandum said application for replacement of old plates would not be honored if the motor vehicle has changed classification or has a pending issuance of new standardized plates.

The order also said replacement would not be honored for vehicles that have applied solely miscellaneous transactions and motor vehicles that have applied for duplicate plates while not yet due for renewal.

The LTO started issuing the new standard license plates for new registrants last year.

The new plates have an alphanumeric combination printed in black with a white background for private vehicles. Public utility vehicles, meanwhile, have alphanumeric combination plates printed in black but on yellow background.

The LTO earlier said the new plates have security features that will prevent removal and tampering.

In a separate statement, the agency said those who have already renewed their registration for January 2015 shall have the option of applying for the replacement of plates in the next registration year or at any time before that at the same LTO district office where the renewal of registration was made.

LTO also said the owners of the vehicles would be responsible for attaching the new plates, and that there is no need to surrender the old plates.