Renewing Your License at LTO SM North – 2022

Aside from the possibility of having an extended validity period, LTO introduced a number of changes to the driver’s license and its renewal process for 2022 which you can do via LTMS.

Since a number of articles have already been written regarding the 10-year validity and the introduction of an online exam, I will talk about the process I went through instead.

Here’s my experience in renewing my driver’s license.

Step 1: Sign up for an account in LTO’s Portal

First, navigate to this page and create an account. Make sure to have your current driver’s license ready in order to fill-in some required information. Once your account has been created, log-in to your account.

Step 2: Take the CDE Online Validation Exam

The second step would be to take the CDE Online Validation Exam. The exam consists of 25 multiple choice questions. In order to pass, you will need to get at least 13 correct answers. According to some articles, there are computers which you can use to take the exam at LTO sites, however, I decided to do mine at home for convenience.

On the top corner of the dashboard or main page, click “E-Learning” then “CDE Online Validation Exam”. Read the notes and click “Start Exam” to proceed. At the end of the exam, make sure to download and print your certificate. You will need this when you go to the LTO site.

Step 3: Renew Your License at an LTO Renewal Center

The third step would be to go to a DLRO site or Driver’s License Renewal Office. Here, transactions are specifically for license renewal so the queue is considerably shorter. For my DLRO site, I went to SM North Edsa Annex. They are located at the lower ground floor where all the government service providers are.

Here are the mini steps I went through at LTO SM North Edsa Annex to get my license renewed.

1. Go to Window 1 to surrender your license.
2. Wait for them to call you and hand you your license back. You will also get a piece of paper for the medical.
3. Go to the nearby clinic, surrender your license and the piece of paper. You will then have to fill up a form of your medical history.
4. Submit the filled-up form and pay the fee of PHP 500.00 to the cashier right beside you.
5. Queue up for the medical examination with the doctor.
6. Wait for them to return the license and papers to you.
7. Go back to Window 1 and surrender the papers and license once more. You will then get a receipt which you will have to pay at the SM business center counter right in the middle. This costs PHP 590.00.
8. Go to the area behind Window 1 for data validation, biometrics capture, and license release.

Tip: If you need to change any information, such as address or marital status, make sure to inform Window 1 so they can make the changes then and there. Bring a photocopy of any relevant document such as a billing statement or a wedding certificate(?) since they will be looking for this. I overheard that if you do this together with your license renewal, you will only have to pay a fee of PHP 100.00 otherwise, I think it’s going to be PHP 300.00 – PHP 350.00.

All in all, the process took at most an hour. If you get a 10-year validity license, you will need to undergo medical examinations on the 4th and 7th year. Thank you LTO SM North Edsa Annex for the quick and efficient service!