04/07/2024
Back in May 2023, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) showed a sample of the digital driver’s license. The digital driver’s license will serve as an alternative to the physical cards that the agency normally issues. It was done in cooperation with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
Now, progress has been made regarding this digital alternative. The LTO has announced that the rollout of these e-licenses is set for this month. It will go live on July 26, 2023, and effectively replaces the paper receipt issued by the LTO upon issuance or renewal. The digital license will be accessible via the Land Transport Management System (LTMS) portal accounts
Also, it was previously reported that the digital license can also be accessible via a ‘super app’ developed by the DICT. It will also supposedly contain digital versions of other government IDs, ‘among other things’.
LTO officer-in-charge Hector Villacorta said that these e-licenses are recognized by traffic marshals and enforcers as a valid form of identification. “The digital driver’s license is a valid, secure and an alternative form of identification for persons driving motor vehicles,” said Villacorta. “The digital driver’s license will be accepted by traffic enforcers as a valid form of identification to drive a motor vehicle,” added the OIC.
As mentioned, the e-license can be accessed via the driver’s LTMS portal account. However, the LTO would like to point out that screenshots of the digital licenses are not valid. The version that must be presented to traffic enforcers must be the one from LTMS.
That said, the LTO won’t totally replace plastic driver’s license cars with the arrival of this system. The DOTr aims for procurement of at least 500k driver’s license cards
