First Timers And Your Driver's License

[robert k]

41 minutes ago, topcat72m said:

So if i was to live there on a tourist visa i cant drive. That sucks. 

They give you 90 days on your home country's license. If you don't carry your passport, the issue may never come up at a traffic stop. Traffic stops are less likely than a minor accident and the issue may come up then. My vehicle was rear ended several times until I switched to a vehicle that nobody would want to hit, M-35 Jeep.

[Dave Hounddriver]

8 hours ago, topcat72m said:

I read somewhere that theyre stopping tourist  (tourist visa) from getting a Phil driving licence. Is this true?

You can also read somewhere that tourists can get a Phil driving license.  It is like so many  things Philippine.  Your mileage WILL vary from the next fellows.  All you can do is try.  If the LTO in your neighborhood says no then try again in a smaller town.  There are ways, but each office seems to work independently.  No guarantees but I think you will find a way if you are persistent.  Its probably harder to do in a large center like Manila than in a rural area.

[mogo51]

On 1/15/2016 at 5:31 PM, Huggybearman said:

It seems that, as usual, local offices interpret the rules to suit themselves. Last month I went to get a Phils licence based on my UK one. I completed the form and was told to go and get a medical at the adjacent office and return to the issuing office, which I did. They then looked at my passport and told me, as I had only been here this time about two months, that I need to be here at least 90 days before I can apply. I showed them my ACR-i card which was issued 10 months earlier, but to no avail. I need to go back after 90 days since last entry. Another wasted day in the Philipines! To add insult to injury, the medical certificate which cost 200 php is only valid for 15 days so I need to get another one of those too!

Ken

I had to give myself a good uppercut, I thought I was reading a Thai forum entry!!!  It seems this is universal throughout Asia Ken.

Oh well, the joys will soon start, a little under a month to go and I will start to enjoy these little tidbits. 

[mogo51]

On 5/31/2017 at 0:24 AM, robert k said:

They give you 90 days on your home country's license. If you don't carry your passport, the issue may never come up at a traffic stop. Traffic stops are less likely than a minor accident and the issue may come up then. My vehicle was rear ended several times until I switched to a vehicle that nobody would want to hit, M-35 Jeep.

Hi Robert,

Interesting post, do they sell tanks to the public???  Just wondering what your experience with Insurance Company was there.  What is the cost of Insurance there in Phils.  I was able to insure a 3 year old Nissan Almera here in Thailand for 400k bht for 9,000bht ($360AU) for the year, 1,000 bht  excess, with a good company.

[robert k]

44 minutes ago, mogo51 said:

Hi Robert,

Interesting post, do they sell tanks to the public???  Just wondering what your experience with Insurance Company was there.  What is the cost of Insurance there in Phils.  I was able to insure a 3 year old Nissan Almera here in Thailand for 400k bht for 9,000bht ($360AU) for the year, 1,000 bht  excess, with a good company.

Ron, I had the obligatory insurance that I needed for registration. It was very reasonable in price but I suspect it was worthless. If I hadn't left to take care of business I would have sought out a reputable insurance company. When I gave my jeep away, I made sure the new owner could put it in their name so I wouldn't be liable for it. Paint and bodywork in the Philippines is cheap enough that all I would be concerned with is catastrophic loss and hospitalization/liability.

[mogo51]

2 hours ago, mogo51 said:

Hi Robert,

Interesting post, do they sell tanks to the public???  Just wondering what your experience with Insurance Company was there.  What is the cost of Insurance there in Phils.  I was able to insure a 3 year old Nissan Almera here in Thailand for 400k bht for 9,000bht ($360AU) for the year, 1,000 bht  excess, with a good company.

Thanks for the heads up Robert.

[Howard]

This is a very interesting topic, as I didn't know about this and my license expires early next year. If I'm reading this correctly I should not have a problem with renewal because I have a 13a perm visa and haven't left the country in a while? I also did not have to surrender my US license when I got my PI license, not that it matters much now because it's expired, but I still have it! I lucked out the last time and was issued an actual plastic license, but it sounds like they still have a supply shortage and I will probably get a stupid piece of paper on renewal.  

[Dave Hounddriver]

7 hours ago, Howard said:

my license expires early next year.

By then they will have this all sorted out and you will get at least a 5 year renewal and probably plastic license on the same day.  There is talk of making it a 10 year renewal but I am not holding my breath.

[sonjack2847]

2 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

By then they will have this all sorted out and you will get at least a 5 year renewal and probably plastic license on the same day.  There is talk of making it a 10 year renewal but I am not holding my breath.

I missed the 5 year licence by 6 days only got a 2 year.

[robert k]

13 minutes ago, sonjack2847 said:

I missed the 5 year licence by 6 days only got a 2 year.

I got 3 year but only because I got it on my birthday.