How to renew your Motorcycle Registration in the Philippines (2023 Edition)

Overview

If you aren’t familiar with the procedure, renewing your motorcycle (MC) registration in the Philippines can be challenging if you aren’t prepared.

But, despite what people say around town, renewing your registration is pretty straightforward.

All that is required of you is to visit any Land Transportation Office (LTO) office, hand over all required documents, do the required tests, and pay the appropriate costs.

And take note that you only transact business with the official LTO personnel, or you’ll end up with a fixer and spend more.

On the other hand, it is normal for the whole process to take a whole day to finish. To make matters even worse, it may also persist into the following day.

That’s why we created this article to serve as a guide in simplifying the process of renewing your motorcycle registration.

When to renew MC Registration

When buying a new MC from a dealer that also does registration, riders whose MC have registered engine displacements of 201 cc or more are eligible for a 3-year LTO registration.

Riders whose bikes have engines with a registered displacement of 200 cc or less can only register for one year. If you want to renew your first registration before it expires, you must go to an LTO office in person.

Don’t forget that you must renew your MC’s registration every year.

So, how do you know when to renew your motorcycle license? The answer is on your bike’s license plate. The numbers on your license plate tell you when to renew your registration by month and week.

The last number on your plate number tells you what month you need to renew your registration.

On the other hand, the second-to-last number on your plate tells you when your motorcycle registration must be renewed every week.

SECOND TO LAST DIGIT OF PLATE NUMBER WEEK 1,2,3 1st to 7th working day 4,5,6 8th to 14th working day 7,8 15th to 21st working day 9,0 22nd to last working day

If your motorcycle’s registration has expired for more than a week, you will have to pay a fine of P100 per week.

What You Need to Do to Renew Your Registration

You should have a few things ready before you go to renew your MC’s registration.

You can get these documents close to the LTO district office, so you won’t have difficulty finding them.

You can also get these documents before going to the LTO office, saving you even more time.

1. CTPL. You must have Compulsory Third Party Liability (CTPL) insurance when you renew the registration for your motorcycle. In essence, the CTPL protects the motorcycle owner from paying for anyone who gets hurt or dies because of the insured vehicle. Most LTO offices have insurance agents on site, but you can find cheaper insurance elsewhere.
2. Taxpayer’s Number (TIN). – You need your tax ID number during the renewal process. If you have a TIN ID, don’t forget to bring it.
3. Copy of the original Certificate of Emission Compliance – The Clean Air Act (RA 8749) says that before a car’s registration can be renewed, it must be checked for pollution. This test is done by an LTO-approved Private Emission Testing Center (PETC). To pass this test, your car needs to be well-kept and not give off any bad emissions to the environment. Many LTO offices have places to test emissions near or on their property. Most have higher prices, and many cars may be waiting to go. Instead of having your motorcycle tested at the PETC closest to the LTO office, look for authorized emission testing centers outside or far from an LTO office. Most of them have short or no wait times and may even be cheaper, saving you time and money.
4. Photocopy of Certificate of Registration (CR). Please send a photocopy of the CR. Do not give the original copy to anyone on the premises or turn it in. To renew your registration, you only need a copy of the CR.
5. Official Receipt of Payment. If you don’t have an official receipt from when you first registered, you can get an affidavit of loss from a notary public. This affidavit, instead of your official receipt, will be sent in.
6. Motor Vehicle Inspection Report (MVIR) correctly filled out and approved– Get this form from the LTO Registration office staff at the front door. You can also get this from the PETC, where you get the certificate that says your car doesn’t pollute.

How to renew your Motorcycle Registration

Now that you have all the paperwork you need, it’s time to renew your MC’s registration.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. You can renew your registration at any LTO District Office. Go to the one closest to where you are. Don’t forget to bring your motorcycle and the paperwork that goes with it. Don’t forget to dress right.
2. Go to the LTO Transaction Counter and tell the staff that you want to renew your registration for your motorcycle. He or she will give you a Motor Vehicle Inspection Report form and a number that tells you where to wait.
3. Bring the MVIR form to an official LTO Inspection aide. He or she will look over your bike. Here, your headlight, signal lights, brakes, and any other parts that work will be checked. After being checked, your engine will be marked with a number, and the chassis number will be written down. He or she will fill out the MVIR form. Don’t forget to pay the person who helped you with the inspection.
4. Return to the LTO office with the documents and a fully filled-out MVIR. All of your documents will be looked over by the LTO evaluator before they are sent to the office to be processed.
5. Wait for your number to be called by the cashier. When it’s your turn, go to the Cashier to pay the Registration Renewal Fee and/or any other fees that may be due.
6. Now, wait for your name to be called by the counter (or the name indicated on the CR). He or she will give you the Official Receipt and the Certificate of Registration (CR) (OR).
7. When you ride your motorcycle on a public road in the Philippines, you should always have a copy of the Certificate of Registration (CR) and the Official Receipt of Payment (OR). The CR shows that the vehicle is registered and legal, while the OR shows that the payments for registration have been made. If law enforcers stop you and you don’t have these documents, you will be fined and punished.

No license plate (yet)?

What should you do if you still don’t know the LTO plate number?

Most motorcycle owners are still waiting for their LTO plate numbers because the LTO has a considerable backlog.

Since this is the case, you won’t be able to determine immediately when your registration will need to be renewed.

You also can’t use the MV file number on the temporary plate to register your car yearly.

Instead, you must register your car every year based on the date it left the dealership.

But you still need a temporary plate number for the CTPL insurance and the emission compliance certificate.

Please follow the steps below to get an assigned temporary plate number.

Remember that these steps are only for people who own motorcycles but don’t yet have their permanent license plates.

Visit a Private Emission Testing Center (PETC) approved by LTO before you go to LTO.

Ask the staff to show you how to get permission to use a temporary plate and the printed temporary plate assigned to you.

You will pay about P50 for the permit and the temporary plate printed out for you.

The permission and the temporary plate are good until the number for the permanent plate is ready.

The PETC staff will put the printed temporary plate on the car while the emissions are tested, and pictures are taken. When you get CTPL insurance, you also need these things.

After getting the Certificate of Emission Compliance and the CTPL, go to the LTO to renew your motorcycle’s registration (see the above instructions).

How much does it cost to renew your MC’s registration?

Here is how much it will cost to renew a motorcycle’s registration. Please keep in mind that the amounts below are estimates and could change.

Please remember that you will have to pay more if you register your car after the LTO’s deadline.

The LTO imposes a penalty of P100 per week for late registration.

If the delay lasts more than six months, but less than a year, the fine will be 50% of the MVUC. If you are late for LTO violations for more than 12 months without being caught, you must pay an additional fee of 50% of the MVUC rate plus the renewal amount. If you are arrested for LTO violations and are jailed for more than a year, you must pay 50% of the MVUC rate plus renewal fees for each year you are late.