Driving Rules in the Philippines

Can I drive in the Philippines without driving license?

The answer is simply in one word NO. You cannot drive in Philippines without having driving license.

How does local people drive without license?

Most of the people in province does not have driving license, but they drive a motorbike without it. When you go far from the city, there are no police stations and check points, so you might able to drive in province without driving license. If you made an accident and get caught. You will charge with high penalty.  The motorbike will be taken in to police custody. It will be release to the owner, who has driving license.

How much is the ticket without driving license? (Click here)

There are 2 system of police in Philippines, one traffic police which  is called (CITOM), and one city crime police called (The law enforcer), both have different  fine rates.

The law enforcer, will charge you 500 PHP for each violation.  CITOM has high price rates. Driving without licensee can cost you 6 month prison.

Driving without helmet (Click here)

Driving without helmet will cost you 2000 PHP, it is the highest fine you can get. You can buy cheap helmet for 600 PHP in 138 mall or uni-top. 2 Person are allow to ride on motorbike, both should have helmet on.

Prevent getting ticket from Traffic police in Philippines

There are some rules, but if you fallow you can avoid getting ticket

1 The rider should wear shoes

2 The bike should have both left and right mirror

3 Side indicator should be working all time

4 front light and back light should be working

5 you should carry your driving license original all time

6 OR CR, Motorbike registration

7 Don’t drive if motorbike is not register in Land transportation office.

Can I drive with foreign driving license?  

Yes you can drive for 3 months if you have foreign driving license, after 3 months you have to convert your driving license. Or apply for new one.

How to convert foreign driving license to Philippines (Click here)

If you have a foreign driving license, you can easily convert in to Philippines license. You need to go LTO office and bring passport with you. It cost 650 PHP approximately. It take only 1 hour if there are not so many people. Best time to go after 4pm. Do not go early in the morning it is the worst time to go.

Beware of the scammer, there are a lots of people standing outside the LTO office   to scam you, mostly they charge 2500 PHP, and somehow they able to provide you license if you are lucky.

How to convert car deriving license to motorbike In Philippines

Bring your driving license to LTO and first apply for conversion, while you doing that ask them, you would like to include motorbike as well, it is called 1,2 There are numbers. 1 for car, 2 for motorbike. You might have to take Practical test, you have to make appointment and go with officer and show him that you can ride a motorbike. It might cost you few hundred PHP.

How to get new driving license?

For local people bring one valid I.D.

For foreigner, you should have at least 5 month valid visa. you cannot apply if you only have tourist visa.

There are some agent who can provide you without having visa they charge some amount. It can be also scam you might get it or not.

Police check points

In the night  there are road blocks and check points in Philippines. It can be anywhere  anytime. If you have your license, and papers of the motorbike they will let you go. This happens because a lot of people steal motorbikes by doing that they are able to catch them.

Where can i  rent a motorbike in the Philippines

There are plenty of rental shops in Philippines. You can visit at https://book2wheel.com Most of the shops require your passport. You have to leave passport and show valid driving license for able to rent a motorbike/scooter in the Philippines. The minimum rates are 500 a day. The rental shop gives you 2 helmets.

Do I get insurance with a motorbike

All motorbike comes with 3^rd party insurance. It is a basic insurance. If you like to get private insurance you can also get one. It covers theft insurance, personal injury and own damage claim

How much it cost to get personal insurance

It depends on the net price of your vehicle. You can decide how much you want to be covered with premium insurance.

Example: Racal JR 125cc, a fully automatic scooter with cash value of 46,000 PHP

Summary of Premium and Other Charges

Premium                                                                        1,591 .00 PHP   COC VF …….. PHP

Value added tax                                                             190.92    PHP

Documentary stamp tax                                               198.88    PHP

Local government tax                                                       7.96     PHP

Amount Due                                                               1,988.76  PHP

Coverage/s                                                                 Sum Insured

Own Damage/ Theft                                               46,000.00 PHP

Acts of Nature                                                           46,000.00 PHP

Personal accident                                                   100,000.00 PHP

Excess Bodily Injury                                              200,000.00 PHP