There is no doubt that wherever you want to drive, you should first have a driver’s license. However, the requirements for obtaining a driver’s license vary from country to country. In the Philippines, applying for a driver’s license involves submitting a medical certificate to the Land Transportation Office (LTO), which applies to all applicants. In this blog post, you will learn about medical certificate requirements for LTO and find a step-by-step guide on how to get this certificate.
What Is LTO Medical Certificate?
An LTO medical certificate is an electronic document issued by LTO-accredited clinics and practicing physicians. It aims to certify whether a driver is physically and mentally capable of driving a vehicle. Even with various advanced safety features in vehicles, accidents occur mostly due to human factors. Therefore, it is important for drivers to obtain a medical certificate to ensure that they are fit to drive.
What Information Does LTO Medical Certificate Include?
Since the main purpose of an LTO medical certificate is to prove that a driver is both physically and mentally fit, there is the following information contained in the certificate according to Department Order No.2015-014:
- Basic personal information, including your full name and complete address where you live.
- Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) number of the doctor who conducted the exam.
- Professional Tax Receipt (PTR) number (PTR is a mandatory tax that professionals pay in the Philippines).
Here is what the medical certificate must be able to confirm for the driver’s license applicant:
- The applicant is in good driving condition both physically and mentally.
- The applicant does not use drugs.
- The applicant is not affected by color blindness.
- The applicant has good eyesight or needs to wear glasses.
- The applicant can hear without any assistance or requires a hearing device.
Also, any kind of disabilities should be reflected in the medical certificate:
- An eyesight issue: partially blind
- Hearing and speech impairments
- Physical disabilities: left or right arm/leg amputated and use a prosthesis to replace the missing parts
- For PDL applicants, it is mandatory to be free from highly contagious diseases.
Moreover, other existing diseases should be reflected in the medical certificate, which requires the license applicant to declare their sickness history, such as:
- Stroke
- Dementia
- Diabetes
- Visual disturbances
- High blood pressure
- Limb issues
Who Needs to Apply for an LTO Medical Certificate?
Anyone applying for a driver’s license (DL) in the Philippines requires an LTO medical certificate. The Land Transportation Office (LTO) requires all DL applicants, regardless of classification, to submit one.
This requirement applies to all applicants, including those applying for a professional driver’s license, a non-professional driver’s license, and a student driver’s license. Individuals renewing or replacing their driver’s license must also submit a medical certificate.
In addition, pay attention to the fact that this regulation also applies to foreigners aspiring to secure a driver’s license in the Philippines. That means they need to present an LTO medical certificate even if they hold a dual citizen license.
What Does LTO Medical Test Included?
You should pass the medical test below in order to obtain your LTO medical certificate:
- A drug test
- Eye test
- Hearing and speaking check
- Disabilities
- Blood tests
- Dementia
- High blood pressure
LTO requires applicants to undergo certain tests, such as drug and eye tests, for important reasons. A drug test is conducted to check if the applicant uses any illegal narcotics that can have a negative impact on their physical and mental health. Drug-free is the primary condition for passing the test.
The purpose of the eye test is to determine whether the applicant for a driver’s license has good vision. The applicant must have a distant binocular visual acuity of at least 20/40 Snell or 0.5, 6/12 in both eyes, whether he wears corrective lenses or not. Based on the outcome of the eye test, the applicant may be allowed to drive with some restrictions below:
- People who wear corrective glasses/lenses should have 20/50 vision for driving.
- People who have 20/60 vision are only allowed to drive in the daytime.
- People who have cataracts cannot drive at night.
In addition, hearing and speaking ability are included in the list of health checks. Any disability or existing disease that affects safe driving is also reflected in the test.
How to Get Medical Certificates for LTO?
Once you finish the LTO medical exam, the medical certificate you need for your driver’s license application will be sent directly to LTO. To achieve this, you need to do as per the following steps:
Step 1: Access the list of accredited clinics and physicians nationwide on the LTO website. Then, select the clinic or hospital closest to you and visit it.
Step 2: Pay for the cost that is needed for the test.
Step 3: Complete all the forms required for your personal information.
Step 4: Wait to perform the medical examination, which includes drug testing, assessment of visual acuity, hearing and speech capabilities, as well as screening for disabilities and various diseases.
Step 5: Once you have finished it, your electronic medical certificate will be sent to LTO via the Land Transportation Management System (LTMS).
👉 View the video tutorial here:
Where Can I Get A Medical Certificate?
You can get a medical certificate from LTO-accredited medical clinics that have registered on the LTO IT system and received the LTO’s stamp of approval. The agency has thoroughly reviewed these clinics before being recognized and authorized to provide medical certificates to driver’s license applicants.
If you need to get the list of these approved clinics and physicians who are able to issue an online medical certificate, visit the official website. Please note that the list is only for Metro Manila and the regions, which was updated on July 30, 2022.
Also, here are some important reminders to which you should pay attention:
- The accredited clinics are required to send the medical certificate directly to LTO via an online platform.
- It takes only about 8 minutes to send LTO medical certificates electronically.
- LTO carried out an online-only system for obtaining medical certificates in case of fraud and fixers of medical certificates.
- The examining physician and the license applicant must provide their biometric finger scans to submit a medical certificate via the LTMS Medical Clinics portal.
- You can decide which LTO-accredited medical clinic to visit as long as it has been authorized.
How Much Is A Medical Certificate?
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) does not specify the cost of a medical certificate. Therefore, the medical examination fee may vary for different clinics. According to some reports in the Philippines, they may charge Php 450.00 to Php 500.00 for the license applicants.
LTO Medical Certificate Validity
A medical certificate for LTO is valid only for sixty (60) days from the date of its issuance. The applicant may use it multiple times for LTO transactions during its validity period. That is to say, you must get your LTO medical certificate as soon as possible after the issuance date. Thus, you can successfully complete your driver’s license application. Otherwise, you have to take the medical examination again if the certificate expires.
FAQ
🔹Do I need a new medical certificate to renew my driving license?
Yes, according to the rules from LTO in the Philippines, driver’s license applicants are required to submit a medical certificate online again. The steps are the same as those for the first-time applicant.
Here are the documents for renewing a driving license:
- An LTO medical certificate
- An original driver’s license (professional or non-professional)
- A printed copy of the Comprehensive Driver’s Education (CDE) certificate with a minimum passing score of 50%.
🔹Do I need periodic medical exam requirements for 10-year driver’s licenses?
It is not necessary now. LTO has announced that periodic medical exams are no longer required for 10-year driver’s licenses.
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has stated that there is no evidence to suggest that medical exams can help reduce the likelihood of road accidents. As a result, license holders are now only required to undergo the exams once, either within 60 days prior to or on the day of their license renewal.
On the other hand, license holders who are abroad must undergo medical exams within 30 days of arriving in the Philippines before they are allowed to drive on our roads.
Conclusion
Getting a driver’s license is a must for everybody before driving. In the Philippines, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) asks for a medical certificate when applying for a driver’s license to ensure safety on the road. The process of obtaining an LTO medical certificate is quite simple in that it only requires a visit to an LTO-accredited clinic and physician, along with a payment of Php 500.00. The mandatory medical examination aims to verify that the driver is physically fit and doesn’t have any underlying medical conditions that could potentially affect their driving ability and put themselves and others at risk. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to require a medical certificate for all the applicants to drive.