No registration, no travel policy starts April 1 – DOTC

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) reminded motor vehicle owners to have their vehicles registered or else face penalties.

DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said on Wednesday, March 25, that the “No Registration, No Travel” policy for motor vehicles will be strictly implemented starting April 1.

This means that all four-wheeled motor vehicles must be registered, or at least be within the 7-day registration period, by the beginning of next month.

Registered vehicles must have either the older green-and-white license plates or the new black-and-white plates.

Violators will be flagged by traffic enforcers and face fines.

“It has always been prohibited by law to use motor vehicles which have not been registered with the LTO. The only exception is the first 7 days, during which registration should be processed by the vehicle owner,” Abaya said.

“We held back from implementing this rule before, because the lack of license plates was our responsibility. But now that we have been able to issue new license plates within 7 days from start of registration, we have no more reason not to implement the law,” he added.

Penalties

Under Joint Administrative Order 2014-01, the owner of an unregistered vehicle will be fined P10,000, while the driver will be fined P1,000.

However, the driver will only be fined P5,000 for failure to attach plates if he is able to present a certificate of registration and official receipt to prove that the vehicle has been registered.

Motor vehicles that are within the 7-day registration process are exempted from the penalties, as long as the driver can present the Certificate of Stock Reported (CSR), sales invoice dated within 7 days prior to the apprehension, and a Certificate of Insurance Cover dated on or after the date of sales invoice.

If the date of the sales invoice exceeds 37 days on the date of apprehension, the motor vehicle will be impounded by the LTO.

Abaya also said that the LTO’s new one-stop registration process has cut down processing time of license plates to 7 days from the previous 3 to 4 weeks.

“If your dealer tells you that the LTO does not have your license plates beyond the 7-day period, report this to us and tell your dealer to pick them up. You may also personally claim your license plates from the LTO regional office if you wish,” Abaya said. – Rappler.com