Is your driver's license or student's permit expired or about to expire? Well, here's a bit of good news to take some of your worries away. During a virtual presser, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) announced that they are extending the validity of expired permits and licenses.

However, this new ruling doesn't apply to all drivers, as it only applies for motorists between the ages of 17 to 21, and 60 to 65 years old.

Remember when the government loosened travel restrictions earlier this week? If not, here's a recap. Back on October 16, the Government said that individuals aged 15 to 21-years-old, along with seniors aged 60 to 65-year-old, may now go out of their homes for essential travel. With that, the LTO said they can now accommodate people within the mentioned age groups. But to avoid congestion in their offices, they extended the validity of the permits and licenses of the previously-restricted individuals.

So, how long is this extension? If you're within the age groups, you have until the end of the year (December 31, 2020) to renew your license or permit. That means you have more than two months to head to your nearest LTO office and get it all sorted out.

But what about those who don't fall under the mentioned age groups? Well, there's no exception for them. With that, they must pay the penalty for late renewal, on top of other fees. If a license is expired by one day to one year, the penalty is Php 75. That charge doubles if the license expired between one to two years. But if a license is expired for more than two years, the penalty is Php 225, plus a re-take of the LTO Written and Practical Examinations. Don't even risk driving while your license is expired, because that carries a fine of Php 3,000, and you will be disqualified from being granted a driver’s license and banned from operating a motor vehicle for one year from the payment of the fine.

Yes, spending half a day outside the house or the office to renew your registration sounds tedious, but getting slapped with a one-year driving ban is a bigger hassle. For those who are granted the extension, don't wait until the last minute to renew your permits and licenses. The LTO has given ample time for you to do that this time around.

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