Same date release of docs, plate can be done says LTO
For decades, motorcycle owners have endured the slow and often frustrating process of securing their Official Receipt (OR), Certificate of Registration (CR), and license plates. The system has been so problematic that many riders have come to accept the reality that these important documents and plates for their brand-new motorcycles would arrive only when they arrive, with no certainty as to when, until now.
Just recently, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) announced that it will implement a new policy of releasing these important documents and plate “on the day brand new motor vehicles are turned over to owners.”
“This is actually a compliance with the President’s directive to us during his recent SONA that we have to ensure that the license plates and OR/CR are released in the soonest possible time,” said LTO Chief, Atty. Vigor Mendoza II. “The instruction is to release all of them within three days but on the part of the LTO, we assessed that the release of license plates and OR/CR could be done on the same day the newly-purchased motor vehicle is released to the owner. That is why we will implement it.”
Following President Marcos’ directive, the LTO has moved swiftly to establish a system that ensures the immediate release of license plates and official documents upon the purchase of new motor vehicles.
Mendoza added that the agency’s experts developed a system compatible with existing LTO platforms to make same-day registration possible. “With the hard work of our team, we were able to create a process that allows the issuance of license plates and the OR/CR on the very day a brand-new vehicle is released,” Mendoza explained.
He further emphasized that once the new policy takes effect, dealers will no longer be allowed to release brand-new vehicles or motorcycles without complete registration documents and plates.
The Memorandum Circular outlining the guidelines for same-day registration and release of license plates and OR/CR will formally take effect on October 15, 2025, unless extended through a subsequent issuance.
Motorcycle dealers concerned
As riders ourselves at MotoPinas.com, we can’t help but wonder: how will dealers actually pull off this new same-day release policy from the LTO? The Motorcycle Dealers Association of the Philippines (MDAP) says the mandate has stirred up more questions than answers. With dealers now tasked to handle much of the encoding work which was not their job before, doubts remain on how they can deliver license plates and OR/CRs to customers on the spot.
Also, according to MDAP, the shift away from the Land Transportation Management System (LTMS) has not only raised doubts about efficiency, but has also introduced a higher processing fee—an added burden that, in the end, will fall squarely on the shoulders of motorcycle buyers.
MDAP is urging the LTO to hold thorough consultations with all stakeholders before enforcing the new policy, and has stressed that decisions of this scale must be discussed and agreed upon to avoid confusion and undue burden on both dealers and customers.
