Philippine driver's license replacement: which cases count, and which are not an LTO matter

What people mean by 'replacing' a Philippine driver's license

Short answer first: in the Philippines there is no single transaction called replacement. The word is used loosely for six different situations, and each has its own paperwork, its own exam rules and, for two of them, a different authority altogether. Sorting yourself into the right one first saves more time than reading every guide end to end.

The first four are handled by the Land Transportation Office (LTO). The last two only look like replacements.

1. Conversion. You hold a foreign license, you now live in the Philippines, and you want a Philippine license in exchange.
2. Renewal at expiry. You already hold a Philippine license and want a new card with a fresh validity period.
3. Duplicate after loss. Your Philippine card is gone and you need a replacement copy. The formal name is duplicate driver's license.
4. Adding or changing a driving code. You want to drive a class of vehicle your license does not cover, or you once held a Philippine license that has since lapsed.
5. An expired international permit. This is not an LTO matter. The permit has to be reissued by the place that issued it.
6. Taking a Philippine license home. Swapping it for a Taiwan, Hong Kong or mainland China license is decided by those authorities, not by LTO.

One group does not need a replacement at all: short-stay visitors. The LTO manual says a genuine tourist with a valid foreign license may drive for up to 90 days while staying in the Philippines. That is a ceiling, not an allowance you can keep renewing, and anyone who has settled in should move to the first case. Our guide for foreigners getting a license in the Philippines covers the whole picture.

Case 1: converting a foreign license runs on three tracks

The key is the foreign license itself. A valid one, an expired one and one issued where traffic keeps left each follow a different track. What follows draws on the 2025 edition of LTO's citizen's charter for driver's license services and the official driver's manual.

A valid foreign license

The charter's position is that a valid foreign license is normally converted without a theory exam. Validity is only one condition. The basic requirements also include being physically and mentally fit to drive, being able to read and write English, Filipino or a major local language, having no unsettled traffic violations and, for foreigners, entering the country on a visa with at least 120 days of validity. Anyone applying for a professional license needs a work visa with at least 120 days of validity. If one of these does not match, the rest of the paperwork will not rescue the application, so check eligibility before you collect documents.

An expired foreign license

The charter states that applicants whose foreign license has expired must pass both the theory exam and the practical driving test. This track is much closer to taking the tests from scratch. For what the theory test covers, see our page on the LTO written exam.

A license issued where traffic keeps left

A charter note says applicants from countries that drive on the left must take the practical test, and the charter also says applicants from places that drive right-hand-drive vehicles must pass an actual road test on conversion. Hong Kong and Macau keep left; mainland China and Taiwan keep right. Whether you will be asked to take the road test is decided by the counter that receives your application.

Which codes a foreign license can become

The manual says a valid foreign license can only be converted into codes A, A1, B, B1 and B2, which broadly cover motorcycles, tricycles and light cars. Driving BE, C, CE or D vehicles requires an Alien Employment Permit (AEP) issued by the labor department, plus meeting experience and training requirements. For what each code lets you drive, see which vehicles each license code covers.

Translation, medical and passport

A foreign license that is not in English, such as a Chinese one, needs an official English translation, and the charter names the issuing country's embassy in the Philippines as the source. Bring the passport, original and copy, including the first page, the visa page and the page with your latest entry stamp. The medical certificate comes from an LTO-accredited clinic and is transmitted electronically. The conversion checklist does not list a drug test, and it does not list an ACR I-Card.

Time at the counter

On the charter's figures, converting a valid foreign license takes 1 hour 20 minutes when you book online and 2 hours 30 minutes when you queue on site. The track that includes exams takes 4 hours 20 minutes online and 5 hours 30 minutes on site. These are counter-processing times, counted from the moment a complete set of documents is handed in. They are not the total time from deciding to convert to holding the card. The card is sent by registered post, or by courier at your own expense. Our page on how to schedule the process shows how to plan backwards, and the guide to converting a Chinese license gives the full sequence for that case.

Case 2: an expiring card and a lost card are two different transactions

Renewal and duplicate are separate transaction types in the LTO system, and picking the wrong one means going back. In the booking portal, new license, conversion, renewal, duplicate and adding a vehicle code are different transaction codes.

Renewal at expiry

Renewal ends with a new card carrying a fresh validity period. A medical check normally appears at the test-taking and renewal stages; how the medical and any online course are arranged at renewal is set by LTO's current notices, and our page on renewing a Philippine license goes into it. Two things are worth knowing in advance. Traffic violations carry points, and enough of them affect renewal; the rules are in our page on points and suspension. And for foreigners, the manual asks for a valid work visa when applying for or renewing a professional license.

Duplicate after loss

A duplicate is a copy of what you already hold; it is not a new test. Typical documents include a completed license application form, a notarized Affidavit of Loss, valid identification (foreigners also bring the passport and immigration documents), and the license number or an image of the old card. The exact list is whatever LTO's current notice and the counter require. The full walk-through, including whether you may drive in the meantime, is in what to do when your Philippine license is lost.

When the card is nearly expired and also lost

If the license was close to expiry anyway, ask whether the counter will process a renewal instead of a duplicate. Renewal gives a card with a new validity period, whereas a duplicate of a nearly expired card means coming back again a few months later. Whether the two can be combined is for the counter to decide.

Case 3: adding a code, or a Philippine license that lapsed

Both situations start from having held a license before, but whether you must retake tests depends on several conditions being true at once. Do not treat one of them as a free pass.

A Philippine license that lapsed more than 2 years ago

The manual covers a situation that is easy to miss. If you once held a Philippine license that has now been expired for more than 2 years, and you also hold a valid foreign license, you do not have to retake the theory and road tests provided the vehicle category on the Philippine license also appears on the foreign one. All three conditions matter: expired for over 2 years, a valid foreign license in hand, and matching vehicle categories. If you want to add a new code, you still have to sit the tests.

Adding a driving code

Wanting to drive another class of vehicle means applying for a new code under that code's own requirements. For foreigners, BE, C, CE and D vehicles need the AEP and must meet experience and training requirements. Motorcycles fall under class A; see the motorcycle license guide.

No foreign license: starting from zero is not a replacement

If you never held a license, or your old one has expired and cannot be used for conversion, the route is the local learner's path in three stages: a student permit, a practical driving course, then the non-professional license. According to the manual, the student permit requires a 15-hour theoretical driving course and a medical certificate first. A foreigner must be at least 18, have been in the Philippines for at least 1 month, be able to show a stay of not less than 6 months, and present a visa valid for at least 6 months. The permit is valid for 1 year, and you may drive on it only when accompanied by a fully licensed driver. After holding the permit for at least 1 month you can take the non-professional license, which needs a pass in the automated theory exam and the practical road test. To decide between converting and starting over, read convert or learn.

Cases 4 and 5: two 'replacements' that LTO does not handle

Neither is done at an LTO counter, and people who search for them often queue at LTO for nothing.

An international permit that has expired

There is no procedure in the Philippines for renewing an international driving permit. When it expires you apply again to the place that issued it. The permit is a multilingual companion to your original license and only means something when shown together with it. It does not extend the period in which you may drive in the Philippines, and for conversion it is of little help, since conversion looks at whether the original license is valid, which vehicle classes it covers and your stay status. Mainland China is not party to the relevant road traffic conventions, so holders of mainland licenses cannot obtain an internationally recognised permit at home. For someone living in the Philippines and needing to keep driving, converting to a Philippine license is the more practical route than going home to reapply. See how the international permit works in the Philippines and whether it is any use.

Taking a Philippine license home

The result depends on where you go. Taiwan can exchange a valid foreign license for an ordinary license of the same class without a test, under its own rules. Hong Kong cannot issue a license without a test; you go through a provisional license and then an exam. Mainland China accepts applications, but a small-car license needs the subject one test. Across the three, the shared conditions are a full license (the Philippine student permit does not count), still within validity, not suspended or revoked, and exchanged for the same class. Rules change, so the local authority's current rules govern. Details are in swapping a Philippine license for a Taiwan, Hong Kong or mainland license.

Find your own case in one pass

Match your situation to one line below. The exam positions are those of the charter and manual; for your own license and counter, the counter's ruling applies.

• Short-stay visitor with a valid foreign license: no replacement needed; up to 90 days of driving.
• Settled here, foreign license still valid: conversion; normally no theory exam, and a road test if it was issued where traffic keeps left.
• Settled here, foreign license expired: the second conversion track, theory plus road test.
• No license at all: starting from zero, which is not a replacement.
• Philippine license near or past expiry: renewal, as set by LTO's current notice.
• Philippine card lost: duplicate, not a re-test.
• Want another vehicle class: adding a code; new codes require a test, and BE, C, CE and D need an AEP.
• International permit expired: reapply where it was issued.
• Taking the Philippine license home: swap under the local rules there.

The downside: where it is slower, where trips are wasted, and who should not use this route

Replacement sounds like a small errand, but a few things regularly cost people an extra trip, or send them in the wrong direction.

Where it is slower

• The track with exams is clearly longer: 4 hours 20 minutes online and 5 hours 30 minutes on site at the counter, against 1 hour 20 minutes and 2 hours 30 minutes without exams.
• If you fail the road test you must wait a full 7 calendar days before retaking it, so do not leave it for the last week of a short stay.
• The English translation comes from the issuing country's embassy in the Philippines, so its timing is outside LTO's control, and the medical result must be transmitted electronically before your appointment.

Where trips get wasted

• Choosing the wrong transaction type. New license, conversion, renewal, duplicate and adding a vehicle code are different codes.
• Queuing before eligibility is settled. A visa with less than 120 days of validity at entry, or an unsettled traffic violation, sinks the application however complete the papers are.
• Treating the international permit as a universal document. It only helps people read your license; it neither extends your driving period nor replaces conversion.

Who should not start with replacement

• Anyone who has been in the Philippines for more than 90 days and is still driving on a foreign license. The penalty table in LTO's charter lists a tourist driving on a valid foreign license beyond the 90-day maximum as a form of driving without a valid license, with an additional penalty of no license being issued and no driving for one year. Stop and deal with that first; the consequences come in layers, explained in what happens when a foreign license is used past the limit.
• Anyone who wants to drive BE, C, CE or D vehicles but cannot obtain an AEP, because a foreign license converts only into A, A1, B, B1 and B2.
• Anyone who is offered a license with no test and no need to appear in person. That promise conflicts with the legal requirements; see why the fixers outside LTO offices are a risk.

Counters can also differ in how they read the rules. The manual itself says the charter prevails where the two conflict, so check LTO's current notices rather than copying an old online walkthrough. For individual legal questions, consult a practising lawyer; this page is not legal advice.

Official sources and the limits of this page

Official entry point: Land Transportation Office (LTO). The list of transactions, office directory, opening hours and current rules for conversion, renewal and duplicates are those in official current notices. This page does not copy any address, phone number or opening hours, because those go out of date fastest. Rely on the official current notices for specifics.

This page draws on the 2025 edition of LTO's citizen's charter for driver's license services and the official manual. Yixing is a private consultancy with no affiliation to LTO or any government body. Approval rests with the competent authority, you must sit any exam yourself, and whether you pass is LTO's decision, so we make no promise about what happens at the counter.

If you would like help working out which case is yours, whether a test applies and which documents to prepare first, see our settling-in services. How to register on the LTMS portal and book online is covered in the LTMS registration guide.

About this guide and Yixing

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Yixing is a private consulting company registered in the Philippines (SEC Reg. No. CS202009551; BI Accreditation No. CA-202624381-1). This guide does not name or rate other providers and does not promise any outcome; approval rests with the competent authority, and the rules in force are those it currently publishes. For legal disputes or case-specific judgments, consult a practising lawyer — this is not legal advice.