How to Renew Your Philippines (LTO) Driver's License within 15 Minutes

I couldn't believe it myself. Friends and the internet almost always say that the renewal of driver's license in the Philippines take at least an hour. I was able to do it in 15 minutes and it completely made my day.

March 15, 2012. There was a transport strike ongoing. It was also the day when I found out that there was an upcoming "The Amazing Race Philippines" and they were accepting applicants until April 5, 2012. Because "The Amazing Race" was one major influence in my "adventurer career", I have always dreamed of joining. I have always awaited the call for auditions for the next "The Amazing Race Asia" and was overwhelmed when I found out that there would be a counterpart here in the Philippines. I instantly read the requirements and it said that one member of each team should have an international driving permit.

I have a professional driver's license (you read it right, it's professional, I'm used to LTO people asking "Kung ano pinapasada ko", it just so happened that it was required on my previous job) but it was expired during that time. I didn't exert any effort to renew it in time because I wouldn't be driving anything. I don't have a car and I already transferred to a new job where I stay in the office most of the time. Immediately after reading the requirement for The Amazing Race Philippines, I felt the urgent need to renew my driver's license and searched the internet on how to renew my driver's license, starting with the list of Driver's License Renewal Center (found on the LTO website). I searched for the closest to where I work, and it was in the basement of Robinsons' Galleria. How to get to this LTO Driver's License Renewal Center: From the entrance near Chowking (Ortigas side), go down at the escalator and turn left. It is at the left side.

I found that this branch is open until 6:00 pm, so after work, I decided to drop by, maybe just to fill out a form and return the next day because an officemate told me that when she renewed her driver's license, that's what she did. The said officemate took more than an hour to have her licensed renewed.

When I arrived at 5:15 pm, the staff was exaggerated. He looked at the clock and told me that it was already 5:30 pm in a tone that suggested he didn't want to entertain me. Yet, he asked me to hurry in filling out the form and immediately proceed to the clinic on the next door.

The same scenario happened at the clinic. As I approached the cashier, they looked at the time and asked what the staff next door told me. I was immediately asked to pay and proceed to the doctor for weight and height measurement and eye check-up, and it all happened in a hurried pace. I was then led to the urine test area and I spent some time at the CR because my bladder didn't cooperate. Because of the elapsed time and still not enough urine sample, I asked the staff if the few droplets would suffice because I really could not urinate that moment. I told him it would be okay if I just return the next day to do it. But to my amazement, the staff (probably wanting to go home already) told me that the sample was already sufficient. I was then directed to the window for fingerprints scanning, picture taking and completion of my application form while waiting for my results. As I was filling out the application form, the staff kept telling me to hurry because my test results were already available.

As soon as I got the copy of my medical test results, I hurried back next door to submit it. I was asked for awhile to wait, and then they took my photo and asked for my electronic signature. After a minute, they asked for my payment. By 5:30 pm, my license was ready.

Everything seemed surreal that I had to immediately text some friends to tell my story. I couldn't believe that processing for a driver's license renewal could be a very lean and efficient process. I don't know if it was because I was the only applicant then, or the staff were just all too eager to go home already.

Either way, for a chance on a super fast processing of driver's license renewal, I suggest you do it 5:00 pm onward (for the Robinson's Galleria branch and for all the other offices that close at 6:00 pm). The staff are in a "going home" mood already and they'll surely process your request as fast as they could.

THE ESSENTIALS:

• My expenses for my driver's license renewal was worth P 892.63, broken down as follows:
• P 400 - medical/drug test fee (a negative drug test result from a DOH-accredited drug testing center is a requirement)
• P 350 - license fee
• P 75 - penalty fee (for late renewal of driver's license, i.e. 1 day to 1 year from expiration date)
• P 67.63 - computer fee
• It is required to have your old driver's license surrendered before your new driver's license could be released. The renewed driver's license is valid for three years after the expiry date of your old license. TIP: If you want to maximize the expenses and the benefits, don't wait for your driver's license to expire, meaning renew it before your birthday. Even if I just renewed last March, the three years from last expiry date still applied, hence I lost some months already, plus I paid an additional P 75 as penalty.