LTO announces end of paper licenses with 4 million plastic cards procured

MANILA, Philippines  — The Land Transportation Office (LTO) is saying goodbye to paper licenses, with around four million plastic cards now secured for drivers.

LTO Chief Vigor Mendoza announced this on Saturday as a strategic move aimed at enhancing efficiency and streamlining the agency's operations.

“We would like to announce to our clients, to the Filipino people na wala ng lisensyang papel. Balik-plastic na lisensya na tayo,” said LTO chief Vigor Mendoza.

(We would like to announce to our clients, to the Filipino people that there's no more paper licenses. We're back to issuing plastic cards.)

The LTO chief said the secured plastic cards would effectively address the existing backlog in driver’s licenses, catering to both pending applications and daily renewal requirements. 

The agency explained that this happened while the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) took the court order about delivering the remaining 3.3 million plastic cards to the Court of Appeals.

If the Court of Appeals sides with the OSG petition, the LTO expects an extra 3.3 million plastic cards alongside the scheduled delivery of four million cards next month.

In April 2023, the LTO disclosed a shortage of plastic driver's license cards in the Philippines, prompting them to resort to issuing temporary licenses printed on basic paper.