The Land Transportation Office (LTO) will no longer require drivers with five or ten-year valid licenses to undergo additional medical examinations. 

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) will no longer require drivers with five or ten-year valid licenses to undergo additional medical examinations.

This is following the directive of LTO Chief Jay Art Tugade to amend LTO Memorandum Circular 2021-2285 or the Supplemental Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act 10930.

Under the said memorandum, aside from the regular medical examination as a requirement for application of a new or renewed driver’s license, individuals with a five or ten-year validity license are obliged to undergo periodic medical exam (PME).

Under the current rules, the periodic medical exam of an individual with a five-year validity driver’s license is conducted on the third year from the date of birth, while for those with a ten-year validity license, it is done on the fourth and seventh year from the date of birth.

However, according to LTO Chief Tugade, the agency has decided not to require periodic medical examinations based on studies, gathered data, and consultations.

It has also been found that failure to undergo periodic medical examination is not a cause of road accidents, according to Chief Tugade.

Therefore, under the implemented amendment, mandatory medical examination will only be required once, either for obtaining or renewing a driver’s license.

“For licenses who will be issued a 5-year validity driver’s license and 10-year validity driver’s license, the medical examination shall only be required sixty (60) days prior to or on the specified renewal date,” according to the memorandum of LTO Chief Tugade.

For Filipinos with a driver’s license who work or reside in other countries, they will be required to undergo medical examination within thirty days upon arrival in the Philippines before they are allowed to drive.

“We at LTO believe that this step will provide some relief to the public because aside from not having to spend repeatedly on medical examinations, it will also avoid added inconvenience, especially for those who value their time for work. It is now up to the individual’s discretion if they wish to undergo a medical examination,” Tugade said.