I just want to start off by saying that, like in most developing countries, dealing with the Philippine bureaucracy is a pain. So the most important things you’ll need to bring are time and patience. It was an arduous task, but once I got mine, I felt like a teenager getting his first driver’s license.
Here’s what you’ll need to convert your USA license to a Philippine license:
- Copy of your passport main page and arrival stamp page
- Copy of your ACR card front and back
- Copy of your US driver’s license front and back (if your foreign DL is not in English it’ll have to be officially translated)
- Copies of your visa extensions’ official receipts
I live in the boonies so I didn’t need to book an appointment but some of my friends that live in Manila and Cebu said they had to book an appointment in advance. Oh, and you can’t just go to any LTO office–It has to be a district office.
Procedure:
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- Visit the nearest LTO district office and request the Application for Permits and License (APL) form.
- Fill out the form and secure a queue number.
- Get for a medical certificate (usually an eye test) and make copies of your documents.
- Pay the necessary fees and wait for further instructions.
Grace period:
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- Foreigners can drive on their foreign license for up to 90 days after arrival.
- Beyond 90 days, converting to a local Philippine license is essential.
- Fortunately, the process is manageable with patience and preparation.
My Journey to Get My Foreign License Converted to a Philippine License
As I said my wife and I live in the countryside so we went to the nearest LTO office in Ligao, however, they told us I had to go to Legazpi. Since that’s over 2 hours away we had to plan our trip. Luckily the LTO district office is near the Bureau of Immigration Office so we decided to go the day I needed to renew my visa and my wife needed to take care of some business in ChinaBank. We rented a car, drove to the BI office, and got my visa renewed – easy peasy. I filled out the form, paid about 2880 pesos. and my visa was renewed. We were in and out for no more than 30 minutes.
Then it was time to go to the LTO office…
At 11:46 am I walked in and a guy at a desk just outside the main office gave me a form to fill out – mostly basic stuff like my name and the information from my California license.
I did that and then went to window 1. I gave the guy my passport, ARC card, CA license, and my latest visa extension. He told me to sit down and wait so I did. Afterward, he asked me back up and asked me how long I’d been in the Philippines. I was a bit nervous since I’ve been here since 2022 which is more than the 90-day grace period they give you to drive on a foreign license. I skated around the question a little bit until I finally just told him since 2022.
Much to my relief he just smiled and said ‘ok’. He then told me I needed to make copies of all my documents and get a medical certificate. We went to another room in the building and paid 15 pesos to make the copies. We then proceeded to go to their onsite clinic to do the medical exam but it was closed due to their noon break.
Taking a Break
We decided to take our own break and go to SM for lunch and do some grocery shopping. Gringos is my favorite restaurant but unfortunately, they didn’t have their lunch special. Oh well! My wife had to take care of some business at ChinaBank so I dropped her off there and I went back to Embarcadero. It was 2:56 by the time I got back to the clinic but they informed us that the doctor had already left for the day; so I had to find another clinic.
Fortunately, there was one only a kilometer away, so I drove there a little nervous since I wasn’t sure what the ‘medical exam’ would entail. Turns out it was just an eye test like they give you at the counter at the DMV in California. I paid the 350 pesos, returned to the LTO office, gave the same guy all my paperwork, and he told me to go to the desk by the door. Turns out I was at the wrong desk; the guy walked up to me and took me to the right desk—it was the first one I initially went to when I got there in the morning.
Final Steps
The woman registered me online and filled in my information for me. After some small talk, she sent me back to the main room to wait again. It began raining really hard and my wife texted me that she was finished at ChinaBank. They called me to the cashier where I paid 785php. They gave me an official receipt and I was told to wait again.
My wife had taken a tricycle to get to where I was but the rain was too strong so she was at the mall near me. I was beginning to feel a bit anxious. They called me up to another window where I had to give my fingerprints and take a picture. They told me to wait again for the card. My wife messaged me again saying she was waiting at the mall and was fine.
Finally, at 4:15 pm I became a Filipino and got my driver’s license! I was so happy; I felt like a teenager who just got their first license! If you are planning to get a conversion make sure you set aside plenty of time to accomplish all the steps that you’ll need to take. In my experience, it took a long time but the people were nice so it was worth it.
