Are you one of the unlucky people who never got a vehicle license plates or plastic driver’s license despite paying for them? Are you uncertain if these have been released, but you don’t have the time to check or claim these at LTO offices?
Here’s some good news: The Land Transportation Office (LTO-NCR) recently launched the LTO Tracker, an online system for the delivery of driver’s licenses and plates that includes delivery right to your doorstep rather than having to pick them up. Yes, you heard right—there’s no need to take time out of your busy schedule and waste half a day waiting in agonizingly long lines just to pick up these important requirements.
This new digital platform enables users to track the status of their driver’s licenses and motor vehicle plates in real time, with the option for home delivery through accredited courier services.
In a press release, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said the LTO Tracker system ensures a “more organized and efficient process at LTO offices.”
“This is a historic move toward full digitalization and a game-changing innovation that will bring LTO services closer than ever to Filipinos, right at their fingertips,” said Dizon, adding that it will “do away with the traditional long lines and endless waiting in every transaction and agency.”
While the platform provides convenient delivery for a fee, there’s still the option for those who prefer to pick up their documents personally.
This move intends to resolve the backlog of motor vehicle plates that have “plagued the country since 2014,” according to LTO, and to help drivers and vehicle owners save time, effort, and resources.
All we can say is, it’s about time, right?
Step-by-step guide to using the LTO Tracker
- Log on to ltotracker.com.
- Click either Driver’s License or Plate Number, depending on what you need to get.
- For driver’s licenses, enter your 13-digit driver’s license number and birth date.
- For license plates, provide your plate number or MV number. The MV number, or Motor Vehicle number, is a 15-digit alphanumeric code assigned to a motor vehicle during registration. This can be found on the top-left side of the Certificate of Registration (CR) or under the payment details as a File number in the Official Receipt (OR).
- Once you check the Privacy Policy, you’ll be taken to a new page that shows if your driver’s license or plate is available. If it’s not yet available or if you’ve put in the wrong number, you’ll get an error message.
- If it’s available, the page will show a graphic of the ID or plate number, and a pickup point with a link to Google Maps. You can pick it up from there or have it delivered from the same platform.
- If you’re getting it delivered, provide your shipping information and select a courier. Some courier options available include FSI, ABYAN, GOGO Express, Messerve, Go21, and Lalamove.
- To complete the booking, you’ll be asked to upload a valid ID and the Official Receipt for a license or the Certificate of Registration for plates as additional proof of record. Accepted IDs include: UMID, driver’s license, passport, PRC ID, senior citizen ID, national ID, and TIN ID.
- After uploading requirements, you will be taken to a payment page with either GCash or QRPh as payment options. You can check the full supported banks and e-wallets available on the site. Pay the fee.
- Save the transaction details for reference and wait to receive your plate. You can check back and monitor where the license or plate is from the LTO facility to your doorstep through the site.
Actual booking experience
The LTO Tracker website is pretty straightforward to use. I tested it out to claim the official MV plate of my husband’s Royal Enfield Classic, which hasn’t been released since he purchased the motorcycle back in 2015. To think this motorcycle has been with us for over a decade and has traveled to so many places, yet it still doesn’t have plates. It’s been a source of frustration when dealing with checkpoints, and a hassle when new guidelines came out regarding the use of temporary and improvised plates.
Upon entering the MV number, it appeared that his license plate was finally available at the LTO Central Office along East Avenue in Pinyahan, Quezon City. While instructions say it can be picked up the plate at the LTO Office, I chose home delivery instead.
For the payment option, GCash seems to be the simplest. Not all the courier partners on the site can be selected, so I picked GOGO Express. The delivery fee was calculated at P158.49, with the pickup and our delivery point both in Quezon City.
After paying, the site led to the “success” page with the transaction summary and reference number. Minutes later, when I checked back on the site with the plate number, it said that “Your plate number is processing” at the LTO Central Office, with a link to the payment details.
There’s no hassle having to find parking at various agencies just to check if and where these requirements are available, and no waiting in line. This was such a contrast to my experience claiming motorcycle plates in the past, which involved a weeks-long paper chase through various agencies to check where the plates were, and a hefty delivery fee from the Laguna dealership to Manila. That was only after a time-consuming transfer of ownership process, which is a whole different story.
Can you claim vehicles that are not registered under your name through this system?
Short answer, no. A pop-up message clearly states: “You need to ensure that the plate number is registered under your name to expedite the process.
“If the name and address in the certificate of registration submitted did not match in the delivery details, the vehicle will be put on alarm. Please process change address and transfer of ownership before next renewal to avoid inconvenience.”
Corporations requesting plates must submit SEC documents through plate_delivery@lto.gov.ph.
Can foreign clients use the service?
No. Another disclaimer when you first log on states that all foreign clients who recently transacted for the conversion of their driver’s license and applied for courier services are not eligible for this service.
According to the LTO Tracker: “Foreign driver’s licenses must be delivered through the Philippines Postal Service, as per the memorandum dated December 23, 2019, regarding fictitious addresses used/submitted by foreigners applying for the conversion of a foreign license into a Philippine driver’s license.”
How long will it take for the delivery to arrive?
While I can’t say for certain how long the delivery will take, since I just made the booking, the delivery time could vary depending on your location.
Some users on Reddit claimed that the delivery of the plates through the LTO Tracker was “pretty fast,” while another said it took almost a month to get his license. But the good thing about this service is you can track where the order is, and you don’t have to physically go to LTO and line up just to pick them up yourself, making it a faster and more convenient option.
The LTO has accredited nine courier service providers to ensure prompt and secure delivery. These couriers can handle “plate deliveries nationwide as fast as possible even to the most remote areas of the country,” according to agency.
During the pilot live testing phase, the LTO Tracker reportedly completed over 8,000 seamless deliveries of plates and licenses.
The LTO says this is just “the beginning of a major transformation at the agency, with the ultimate goal of fully digitalizing all services.” According to Dizon, the initiative “eliminates red tape, reduces in-person visits, and maximizes convenience, ensuring that essential LTO services are just a tap away.”
Have you tried using this service? Let us know in the comments section.
