Motorcycle riders, take note. Several amendments to Republic Act (RA) 11235, or the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act, were recently signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The new provisions, signed on May 9, 2025, introduced significant changes to the law, including scrapping the controversial doble-plaka (double-plate) requirement and easing formerly steep penalties.
Below are some of the key provisions, timeframes for compliance, and implementation dates under Republic Act No. 12209 that motorcycle riders, dealers, and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) should take note of.
1) Single plate requirement
First, the amendment removes the mandatory front metal plate requirement for motorcycles, as stated in the original law. Motorcycles are now required to display only one license plate on the back of a motorcycle.
Given the safety concerns of having front metal plates and the impracticality of having front and rear plates with the severe backlog of motorcycle plates at LTO, this only makes sense.
Section 5 of the bill as amended now reads:
“The LTO shall issue a bigger, readable, and color-coded number plate for every motorcycle, following the font style and size prescribed in the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of this Act. The information on the number plates shall be readable from the back portion of the motorcycle at a distance of at least fifteen (15) meters from the motorcycle.”
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2) Reduced penalties
Under the amendments, the harsh fines for violations have been significantly reduced. This addresses concerns of motorcycle riders regarding unfair fines and penalties (including jail time), especially since many motorcycle riders have yet to receive their replacement plates from LTO.
The penalty for driving without a plate or with an unreadable plate is now capped at P5,000, which significantly lower than the original maximum of P50,000 to P100,000 and possible imprisonment.
Motorcycles can no longer be seized solely on the basis of the buyer’s non-compliance with the law’s requirements, especially if the owner presents proof of registration and was not at fault for the non-installation of a number plate or readable plate.
Section 11 also lowers the penalty for failing to report lost number plates to a flat fee of P5,000, down from the previous P50,000.
Under the amendments, penalties for tampering or misuse of plates have been reduced to six months to two years imprisonment and a fine of up to P10,000, or both from the previous P50,000 to P100,000 and jail time.
3) Streamlined timeframes
The law also introduces clearer timelines for buyers, dealers, and the LTO to handle sales and transfers, provisions for motorcycles sold on installment, and requirements for repossessed motorcycles.
Here’s how long it should theoretically take to process motorcycle papers under the amended law.
- Five working days: The time allotted for dealers to register motorcycles sold upon the owner's authorization. This is also how much time owners have to report the sale or disposition of a motorcycle.
- 20 working days: The time allotted for new motorcycle owners to process the transfer of ownership from the acquisition.
- Two working days: Time for LTO to issue the corresponding Certificate of Registration to the motorcycle owner after receiving complete documents, including Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) clearance.
- 72 hours: Timeframe for owners or possessors of motorcycles to report lost or stolen number plates to the LTO and the PNP through the Joint PNP and LTO Operations and Control Center from the discovery of such loss or damage and request a replacement plate.
Dealers also need to submit to the LTO a report on the status of all repossessed motorcycles under their custody annually.
Key implementation dates and deadlines
Under Section 19, Transitory Provisions, the latest dates listed for compliance are as follows:
- December 31, 2025: Deadline for motorcycle owners with number plates not in conformity with the provisions of this Act to renew their registration and apply for the required readable number plate.
- June 30, 2026: Deadline for LTO to produce, release, and issue the number plates as required by this Act. The penal provisions regarding the use of bigger, readable, and color-coded number plates as required under this Act shall take effect only after this date.
Compared to what the original law stated before the amendments, the reduced penalties and removal of the second plate is considered a win for the motorcycle-riding community. The reduced fines balance the practical concerns of motorcycle riders with the need for public safety.
Motorcycle riders, dealers, and potential buyers should take note of the key provisions and important dates to ensure compliance with the amended law and avoid possible penalties.
Whether or not these deadlines will actually be met is a different story, as many motorcycle owners know, but those are the dates listed in the latest amended law, which you can read in full here.
