This article will be a complete guideline to get your car registration renewal. Check it out.

There will come a time in every vehicle owner's life when he will need to renew his vehicle registration. The question is “when is the right time?” and “how it is done?” This article from Philcarnews.com will be of great help in answering those questions.

When do you need to renew your vehicle's registration?

“When is the right time” and “how it is done”  for renewing our vehicle registrations?

The maximum validity of your vehicle's initial registration is 3 years. It is better to have it renewed before it does expire to avoid penalties that might cost you some of your hard earned money. Good thing is there's a helpful way to determine the right time to renew your vehicle's registration properly and systematically.

1. Your vehicle's plate number

In order for you to know the best time to have your vehicle registration renewed depends mainly on your car's license plate number. Take a look at the last digit of the vehicle's license plate number. This is an indicator of when or what month in particular you need to renew your car's registration.

If you see the number  "1" that means that your scheduled for the month of January, "2" is for the month of February, "3" is for the month of March and so on and so forth.

For plate numbers ending in "0", the month or registration will on October

2. Weekly schedule

Now, for the weekly schedule, it is based on the 2nd to the last digit of the plate number of your vehicle.

The numbers 1, 2, and 3 is scheduled within the 1st to 7th working days of the month; the numbers 4, 5 and 6 should be registered to the 8th to the 14th of the month; for numbers 7 and 8, it is scheduled on the 15th to the 21st of the month; and for the numbers 9 and 0, it is scheduled on the 22nd till the last day of the month.

Keep in mind that you can register your vehicle a month prior

For better understanding, let's take the plate number XYZ123 as an example. The number "3" as the last digit indicates that the month of registration will be March.

Next, take a look at the second to the last number of the licensed plate which is the number "2" , indicating that it should be within the 1st to 7th day of the month. Given the above information, you may register your car from March 1 to 7. If the year of registration is 2018, it will be on March 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7.

3. How to renew your vehicle's registration?

Now that you know the best time for your vehicle registration, you can't just go to the nearest Land Transportation Office unprepared. You will need to prepare the needed requirements before heading to any of the LTO's online district or extension office.

Make sure you bring all the necessary documents to save you from any more hassle

The required documents are listed below (based on the listed requirements from the lto.gov.ph):

• A photocopy of your car's Certificate of Registration (COR) together with the Official Receipt of Payment
• Appropriate Insurance Certificate of Cover (COC)
• Duly accomplished and approved Motor Vehicle Inspection Report (MVIR)
• Certificate of Emission Compliance (CEC)
• Taxpayer's Identification Number

Don't forget to bring money in preparation for the expenses for the emissions test, Third Party Liability (TPL) Insurance and registration fees. The cost may range from PHP 2,000 to PHP 6,000 depending on your type of vehicle. The final cost will be evaluated by your evaluator.

 You can now head to any LTO's online district or extension office of your choice

It will be convenient to be familiarized with the process of renewing your vehicle registration since it will be annually renewed. Basically, the process is the same with your initial registration. The only difference is that your vehicle needs to acquire a Certificate if Emission Compliance (CEC) through an inspection and emission test. Here's a handy guide to assist you with the step-by-step process:

1. Go straight to the transaction counters and hand over all the required documents to the Evaluator for the evaluation and computation of the fees you have to pay.
2. Your vehicle will now undergo an inspection together with the duly accomplished Motor Vehicle Inspection Report (MVIR)
3. Continue to the Cashier when your name is called for the necessary fees you have to pay in order to obtain an Official Receipt (OR).
4. When your name is called, go directly to the Releasing Counter to get your car's Certificate of Registration (CR), plate stickers, and other requested documents.

After completing all the procedures, you now have a renewed vehicle registration. The same process goes every time you need to undergo a renewal again and that will be annually.

Here are a few helpful tips when you need to Register or Renew your Vehicle's Registration

1. Be early. To avoid long queues it will be best to come before the Office opens. Government Offices opens at 8am so it's better to come earlier than that to save yourself more time than waiting on the line.
2. Always bring your early warning device for safety purposes. Keep it in your trunk all the time.
3. Be prepared with entertainment devices like books and/or gadgets to pass time whenever stuck in a long queue.
4. Maintain your car in a good running condition in preparation for the inspection.
5. Ready your requirements and all the other necessary documents to avoid any delays in the process.
6. Avoid paying Fixers or LTO Officers to speed up the process. Let's eradicate the corruption in our Government.

Everyone wants to be a responsible car owner and this is one of the responsibilities he must comply with

Having a car requires a great responsibility. Included in that responsibility is getting your car registered and have it renewed annually. Knowing the details to when and how to renew your car's registration is a very helpful tool to make the whole registration process easy. The only key is to be prepared and informed and also be very patient because the whole process may take some time.

After you've renewed your vehicle's registration, you're good to go! Don't forget to drive safely with our helpful tips and advice for all car owners.