How to Renew Your Driver’s License: Requirements, ₱585 Fee, Penalties and the 2026 Extension

Due for renewal since July 1, 2026?

Your license is extended nationwide until further notice, and LTO collects no late fees while the extension is in force.

LTO Memorandum Circular No. MVL-2026-5271, dated July 29, 2026, covers licenses, registrations, student permits and medical certificates due from July 1, 2026 because of LTMS outages. It stays in force until LTO issues a new circular lifting it; we found none as of this review. Source: LTO Memorandum Circular No. MVL-2026-5271 (certified true copy).

Renewal fee: ₱585plus medical exam
CDE exam: Often not neededfirst 5-year renewal only
Validity: 5 or 10 years10 with a clean record
At LTO: About 2 hoursLTO’s charter estimate

This guide covers renewing a non-professional or professional license issued by the Land Transportation Office (LTO). It follows LTO’s 2026 Citizen’s Charter. The same steps apply to conductor’s licenses.

Which situation applies to you?

My license expires soon

Get a medical certificate, then renew at LTO for ₱585. Take the CDE only if it applies to you.

It became due after July 1, 2026

It is covered by LTO’s extension. Renew without a late fee while it lasts.

It expired before July 2026

Up to two years late: a ₱75 or ₱150 penalty. Over two years: exams and ₱225.

I am abroad or leaving soon

A representative can renew for you, or you can renew early with your plane ticket.

Who can renew without exams

Your license has not been expired for more than two years
You are physically and mentally fit to drive (shown by your medical certificate)
You have no unsettled traffic violations
With 5 to 9 demerit points, you have completed the Driver’s Reorientation Course and its exam
With 10 to 39 demerit points, you have also passed the automated theoretical exam

Expired for more than two years? See late renewal; you will take the exams again.

What to bring

Your original driver’s license and one photocopy
A medical certificate from an LTO-accredited clinic, sent electronically to LTO by the clinic; bring the original and one photocopy
Your CDE certificate of completion, only if the CDE applies to you (next section)
A Driver’s Reorientation Course certificate, if you have 5 to 39 demerit points
Your plane ticket, for advance renewal only

Do you need the CDE?

The Comprehensive Driver’s Education (CDE) is an online module and exam on the LTO portal’s E-learning section. LTO requires it only for the first renewal of a 5-year license. You can skip it if either applies:

Your student permit was issued on or after August 3, 2020
You renewed your current license on or after October 28, 2021

How to renew

You can walk in to any LTO licensing office, or start on the LTMS portal, pick an office, date and time, pay online, and then appear in person.

Get your medical exam
At an LTO-accredited clinic, which sends the certificate to LTO electronically.
Take the CDE if it applies
On the LTO portal, under E-learning.
Submit your documents
Walk-ins get a queue number at the Client Service Officer window. Portal applicants present their paid transaction there.
Pay ₱585
At the cashier for walk-ins, or online for portal applicants. Keep the official receipt.
Have your fingerprints, photo and signature taken
Then present your receipt at the releasing window and claim your new card.

LTO’s charter estimates about 2 hours 11 minutes for a walk-in renewal, including waiting. If you arrive too late to finish, LTO asks you to return the next working day and puts you first at the step where you stopped.

Fees

Your situation	LTO fees	Also pay
On time, or covered by the 2026 extension	₱585	Medical exam
Expired 1 day to 1 year	₱585 + ₱75 penalty	Medical exam
Expired over 1 year up to 2 years	₱585 + ₱150 penalty	Medical exam
Expired over 2 years	₱100 application + ₱585 + ₱225 penalty	Medical exam; you take the written and practical driving exams

LTO fees are from the 2026 Citizen’s Charter. LTO capped the basic medical exam at ₱300 in 2023; clinics may charge more for added tests.

Example: Renewing a license you last renewed in 2021

Let’s say you renewed in November 2021 and your 5-year license expires in November 2026. Because you renewed after October 28, 2021, you skip the CDE. Get your medical certificate (₱300 or less for the basic exam), go to LTO, and pay ₱585. If you had no traffic violations since 2021, your new license is valid for 10 years. Expect about ₱885 in total.

Five or ten years

Under RA 10930, a renewed license is valid for 10 years if you committed no traffic violations during the previous validity period, and for 5 years if you did. Any unsettled violation must be cleared before LTO renews your license.

The 2026 validity extension

What it covers: driver’s and conductor’s licenses and vehicle registrations due for renewal from July 1, 2026, plus student permits and medical certificates expiring in that period.
How long: nationwide, until LTO’s Management Information Division certifies that the LTMS outages are fully resolved and LTO issues a new circular lifting the extension.
Penalties: no late fees while the circular is in force.
What to do: renew as soon as your office can process you; once the lifting circular comes out, late penalties apply again. Carry another ID, such as your National ID, in case an enforcer questions the expiry date.

If your license expired before July 2026

Up to 2 years expired: renew as above and pay ₱75 (up to 1 year) or ₱150 (over 1 year).
Over 2 years expired: apply for renewal with examination. You must pass the automated theoretical exam and a practical driving test, and pay ₱100 + ₱585 + the ₱225 penalty.

Driving on a license that expired before the extension is driving without a valid license. Plan to be away for a long time? LTO lets you put your license in storage before it expires, and no penalties are charged when you reactivate it.

If you are abroad or about to leave

Leaving within a year of expiry: apply for advance renewal before you go, with your plane ticket and the usual requirements.
Already abroad: an authorized representative files the renewal for OFWs and Filipinos living abroad at LTO, with the application form, photocopies of your passport’s first page, visa page and latest departure and arrival stamps, and your letter of authority. The official receipt serves as your temporary license.
When you come home: within 30 days of arrival, appear at the same office for your photo, with a medical certificate, your passport and the original receipt.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to renew a driver’s license?

The renewal fee is ₱585 under LTO’s 2026 Citizen’s Charter. Add the medical exam at an LTO-accredited clinic and any late penalty (₱75 to ₱225). If your license expired more than two years ago, you also pay a ₱100 application fee and must pass the exams.

Do I still need to take the CDE exam?

Only for the first renewal of a 5-year license. LTO no longer requires it if your student permit was issued on or after August 3, 2020, or if you renewed your current license on or after October 28, 2021. The CDE module and exam are on the LTO portal’s E-learning section.

Is my expired license still valid under the 2026 extension?

If it was due for renewal on or after July 1, 2026, yes for now. Memorandum Circular No. MVL-2026-5271 (July 29, 2026) extends those licenses nationwide until LTO certifies that its LTMS problems are fixed and issues a new circular lifting the extension. No late fees are collected meanwhile. We found no lifting circular as of this review.

How do I get a 10-year license?

Under RA 10930, a license is renewed for 10 years if you had no traffic violations during the previous validity period; otherwise it is valid for 5 years. Unsettled violations must be cleared before LTO renews your license.

I am working abroad. Can I renew?

Yes, through LTO’s renewal for OFWs and Filipinos living abroad. An authorized representative files for you with the application form, copies of your passport pages and your letter of authority. The official receipt serves as your temporary license, and you must appear at the same office within 30 days of arriving in the Philippines, with a medical certificate, for your photo.

I am leaving the country before my license expires. Can I renew early?

Yes. LTO allows advance renewal if you will leave the country within one year before your license expires. Bring your plane ticket with the usual requirements.

Official sources and further reading

These are LTO’s own documents, provided as PDFs because LTO’s website could not be reached during this review, plus news coverage of the July 2026 extension and the law on license validity.

Independent guide: PhilippineIDs.com is not affiliated with the Land Transportation Office or any Philippine government agency. Information reviewed on October 30, 2026.