LTO to implement No Registration No Travel policy

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has announced that they will be implementing the "No registration, no travel" policy starting April 1, 2015. Any motorist who will not follow the new policy will be fined PhP 5,000, PhP 10,000 and will have their cars impounded.

Automobiles without traveling without valid plates will be flagged down and subjected for inspection.
In line with this, the LTO has released some guidelines about the new policy.

Newly bought cars will be allowed to travel within 7 days of purchase; provided the following is presented:
- Certificate of Stock Reported issued by the manufacturer or distributor.
- Sales invoice
- Certificate of coverage from an authorized insurance company for third-party liability

After the 7-day window, all new automobiles must have the Certificate of Registration (CR) and Official Receipt (OR) of registration issued by the LTO. The vehicle should have license plates installed as well according to the agency which guarantees that the new vehicle has the proper papers and clearances.

Vehicles which travel after the 7 day period without a valid registration will be cited for "Driving an Unregistered Vehicle" and fined Php 10,000. On the other hand, those caught continuing to drive their cars for thirty-seven (37) calendar days after the sales invoice date without plates or registration will have their vehicle impounded along with a PhP 10,000 fine.

On another note, if a motorist is found to have their CR and OR documents but not carrying plates, they will be issued a ticket for failure to install license plates which will come with a corresponding PhP 5,000 penalty. The LTO however, will be giving a 5-day period to contest the violation if they one of their offices is held responsible for the delayed plate.

Vehicles with "Optional Motor Vehicle Special Plate" (OMVSP) applications will have an extended period of up to 45 days before being required to have their plates mounted. Motorists will not be cited once their LTO issued Official Receipt has been inspected to indicate the corresponding application under the OMVSP program.

Brand new registered cars will also not be allowed to choose their ending digits in order to preserve the "efficient" process of registration and plate issuance. "The process of choosing and waiting for preferred plate ending digits for number coding purposes have been delaying the agency’s processes. That is why we have required the application under our OMVSP program since September 2013 to issue registration and plates on time," said LTO Assistant Secretary Alfonso Tan, Jr. in an earlier interview.

The long-delayed policy is supposedly being implemented in aid of law enforcement to curb activities of lawless elements who frequently use vehicles with no plates to commit crimes.