Saya ng mga Motorista! Marcos OKs 5-Year LTO Registration for All Brand-New Vehicles
Magandang balita para sa mga motorista — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved a major quality-of-life upgrade for vehicle owners across the Philippines: brand-new cars and motorcycles will now only need to be registered once every five years, up from the previous three-year cycle. The policy, confirmed by the Department of Transportation, took effect starting February 2026 and is expected to dramatically reduce the number of Filipinos who need to line up at Land Transportation Office (LTO) branches just to keep their vehicles road-legal.
Acting Transportation Secretary Banoy Lopez, who disclosed the presidential approval, said the extension of registration validity was designed to reduce congestion at LTO offices, cut waiting times, and — crucially — curb the thriving industry of fixers who prey on motorists desperate to avoid the infamous LTO queues. "This reduces the need for people to repeatedly visit LTO offices, which in turn weakens the ecosystem that fixers depend on," Lopez explained. The Philippine Information Agency confirmed that the new policy covers both passenger cars and motorcycles purchased brand-new.
Under the revised scheme, new vehicle owners complete a single registration upon purchase, and the registration remains valid for five years. After that initial five-year period, owners return to the standard process of annual renewal. This means a Filipino who buys a brand-new car today in February 2026 won't need to set foot in an LTO office again until 2031 — a significant relief, especially for those in Metro Manila and other densely populated areas where LTO branches are notoriously overcrowded.
Vehicle dealers and industry groups welcomed the move, saying it would also make new car and motorcycle ownership more attractive by removing a key administrative headache from the early years of ownership. Motorists on social media were quick to celebrate the news, with many Filipinos calling it "overdue" given the persistent chaos at LTO offices nationwide. Some industry watchers noted that the policy should be paired with improvements in LTO's online services to ensure the annual renewal phase — which kicks back in after year five — runs more smoothly than before.
The LTO, for its part, has been undergoing a broader digitization push in recent years, including the rollout of online registration renewal and appointment systems meant to reduce in-person traffic. Critics, however, note that implementation in the provinces still lags behind Metro Manila, and called on the agency to ensure the five-year policy is uniformly applied and communicated to all LTO offices nationwide. Para sa mga bagong sasakyan, mas malaya na ang mga may-ari — at hindi na kailangang makipagsabay sa pila sa LTO every three years. Source: Inquirer.net, Philippine Information Agency, Manila Times, Manila Bulletin, CarGuide.PH
