On Getting a Driver's License in the Philippines

Ang saya. Meron na'kong lisensya. Ay teka... Resibo pa lang pala yun... :)

First up, my apologies, I said my blog was supposed to be updated every Friday (GMT +8:00 Manila Time) and it's already Sunday today so.... yeah... sorry about that. XD

Anyways, I'm really anxious-excited that I can now ride on public roads. You know what, I've been procrastinating for the past three weeks for this. So here's what I did and how I probably could've done it faster had I not chickened out during the last couple of weeks:

Apply for a Student Permit

Just go to your nearest Land Transportation Office (LTO) Branch, fill up the application form, submit your requirements, pay the fee and BOOM! You get your cute, orange student permit. ^ __ ^

I say "cute" because I found myself lucky to get an actual rigid ID card that looks like a legit driver's license. Look at it!

Medyo may hugot dito because a couple of years ago it was supposedly just a piece of paper. It actually looked like ground wood and not even good quality paper. I remember when my mom was still learning how to drive she used to remind me about keeping these small pieces of government papers intact. Take care of them. They're important pieces of paper.

The significant thing to note here is you wait for a month before you can apply for a non-professional driver's license. During that month, practice your driving/motorcycling skills. Practice, practice, practice!

Apply for a Non-Professional Driver's License

So yeah, one month after I studied and practiced for the exam, I went to LTO, filled out the application form again, submitted the requirements, paid the fees and yes, I chickened out. I procrastinated. I took the written and practical exam only three weeks later.

I can't give you the exact reason why but it's probably because this whole motorcycle thing is gonna be life-changing for me. Getting my license is a turning point. Mind you, almost everyone around me are against motorcycles. Unfortunately, there's that stigma about severe injury or instant death via motorcycling. 

But lo and behold! I have my "license" now. Haha! Or... well... technically I can start riding in public roads. I'll explain on the next part.

Wait for your Driver's License (ID Card)

After I passed the exam, I paid another fee for the printed non-pro driver's license but I couldn't claim it yet. LTO personnel said I had to wait and tune in to national news about when the release will be. Apparently all those passed the exam from October 2016 - present don't have their cards yet. That's one more thing you gotta be prepared for when you're in the Philippines. Progress is excruciatingly slow. Hehehe... More so with processing government stuff. XD

So there you have it. That's my experience on getting a driver's license here in the Philippines. If you have any questions about how to apply, feel free to comment. I'll do my best to help you out. :)