LTO to declare temporary, improvised plates illegal starting Nov. 1

After officially clearing the nationwide license plate backlog last June 30, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) is giving chances. Starting November 1, 2025, all temporary and improvised plates will be considered illegal. This means that motorists who fail to replace them with legitimate plates will face an automatic PHP 5,000 fine once apprehended. The agency warned that excuses will no longer be entertained, stressing that full compliance is now non-negotiable.

LTO Chief, Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor Mendoza II said there is no more justification in the use of either the improvised or temporary plates since there is no backlog of license plates for both four-wheel cars and motorcycles.

“Kaya sa hindi pa nakukuha ang kanilang mga plaka (to those who haven’t got their license plates), we advise them to do so in order to avoid any inconvenience with regard to the strict implementation of this policy. Let us take advantage of the entire month of October to do so,” said Mendoza.

Once the policy takes effect, LTO enforcers and deputized personnel will strictly apprehend motorists using temporary or improvised plates. Violators will be penalized under Joint Administrative Order (JAO) 2014-001, which carries a PHP 5,000 fine and the confiscation of unauthorized plates.

Mendoza emphasized that vehicles with improvised or temporary plates will also be barred from renewing their registration. However, he clarified that the use of improvised plates may only be allowed if officially authorized by the LTO office that processed a request for duplicate plates. In such cases, the improvised plate must display the vehicle’s assigned number with the words “Improvised Plate” clearly indicated below it.

Mendoza also says that this renewed crackdown is part of the agency’s broader effort to eliminate the use of unauthorized plates and ensure compliance with road regulations. He stressed that the strict enforcement is backed by the LTO’s accelerated nationwide distribution of legitimate plates, which the agency has been prioritizing to ensure timely release.

Mendoza added that the policy complements the agency’s directive requiring that both the official receipt and certificate of registration (OR/CR), along with the license plates, must be available at the time of release of newly purchased vehicles. This measure, he said, aims to end the cycle of prolonged delays that have led to motorists resorting to makeshift plates.