LTO’s Guide on Transferring Vehicle Ownership

Due to brand new vehicles’ prices soaring at ridiculous levels, most Filipinos opt to buy pre-owned cars instead. Not only are they cheaper, but they can also be better in many ways. However, one of the hurdles you need to face should you ever go secondhand is transferring the ownership of the auto to your name. So to help you out, below are the steps you need to follow.

Photocopy the Vehicle’s OR and CR

This step is relatively easy since you’ll probably get the principal copy of the car’s Original Receipt (OR) and Certificate of Registration (CR) during the purchase. Photocopying these papers is also easy and cheap, taking only 5 minutes (or less) and just Php 3.00 (as of early 2019).

Confirm Car Registration

Next, you need to make sure that the vehicle is indeed legally registered. You can do this by visiting the nearest LTO branch and going to the Records section. The process would take 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how busy the office is at that time.

Get the Documents Approved

Afterward, go to the Approving Section of LTO so that the documents you bring would be authenticated and okayed. Like confirming the car’s registration, this step would take around 15 minutes give or take.

Get the Circular

Then head back to records for the circular (You’ll need this later on). This step will take 15 to 20 minutes. Once you’re done, bring the documents back to the Approving section before returning again to the Records section where the papers would be returned to you. This process would take 30 to 50 minutes.

Mail the Documents

After getting the papers back, you can proceed with sending them to the LTO branch where the vehicle is registered. With courier services like LBC, you won’t have a problem doing this. Aside from the car’s OC/CR, you also need to send a copy of the Original Confirmation and a photocopy of the Deed of Sale.

Wait for the Papers

Then all you need to do is wait for the LTO branch to send your documents back. The time frame for this process varies, depending on how busy the LTO branch is.

Before You Go

As you can see, transferring ownership of secondhand cars in the Philippines is relatively easy, although you have to be patient about it. Just follow the steps, and you’re good to go. You can even save up of LTO fees if you do things right!