1st time Driver’s License for tourist?

[Paddy 814]

2 hours ago, Headshot said:

Red Ranger isn't the OP

You’re right! I really must learn to read, or at least remember what I’ve read!

[Headshot 27,275]

5 hours ago, SkyMan said:

True but I think once you've had one there's no more problem with the one year rule and if he loses the DL he won't be prevented from leaving the country. 

If he replaces his passport card and then loses it, that won't cause him to be stranded either ... as long as he keeps his passport in a safe place. I don't think a passport card will get you in or out of the Philippines anyway. If it is good enough for currency exchange ID, then he is good to go. The crux of the problem is still in learning how to not lose things. It isn't in whether or not he can get a drivers license.

Edited June 26 by Headshot

[SkyMan 19,818]

3 hours ago, Headshot said:

If he replaces his passport card and then loses it, that won't cause him to be stranded either ... as long as he keeps his passport in a safe place. I don't think a passport card will get you in or out of the Philippines anyway. If it is good enough for currency exchange ID, then he is good to go. The crux of the problem is still in learning how to not lose things. It isn't in whether or not he can get a drivers license.

I was under the impression the passport card was only useful in North America/Caribbean. Not sure if it would be accepted for anything here as no one has seen one.

[Headshot 27,275]

1 hour ago, SkyMan said:

I was under the impression the passport card was only useful in North America/Caribbean. Not sure if it would be accepted for anything here as no one has seen one.

Well, I thought he said he had used it once here before he lost it.

[Paddy 814]

This whole situation makes you wonder just what benefit LTO was trying to achieve. (Well, it makes me wonder anyway!)

It only (badly) affects those who will be here longer than 90 days and less than a year (or so) and who want to drive. 

Licenses are not free, so if LTO have done their sums right, the cost of issuing a license is recovered. 

The numbers involved cannot be huge - even if foreign workers are included. Filipino national licenses must be of the order of multiple millions. A few tens of thousands of foreigners (if the number is even that much) is a drop in the bucket by comparison.

Except that the 90 day limit is probably part of some international convention on the topic, it occurs to me that LTO would have been better off to say that foreigners can drive on their (valid) foreign license for a year and not permit license conversion until that time. That would cut the numbers down to a handful I expect. 

I must be missing something. 

[TimL 155]

59 minutes ago, Paddy said:

This whole situation makes you wonder just what benefit LTO was trying to achieve. (Well, it makes me wonder anyway!)

It only (badly) affects those who will be here longer than 90 days and less than a year (or so) and who want to drive. 

Licenses are not free, so if LTO have done their sums right, the cost of issuing a license is recovered. 

The numbers involved cannot be huge - even if foreign workers are included. Filipino national licenses must be of the order of multiple millions. A few tens of thousands of foreigners (if the number is even that much) is a drop in the bucket by comparison.

Except that the 90 day limit is probably part of some international convention on the topic, it occurs to me that LTO would have been better off to say that foreigners can drive on their (valid) foreign license for a year and not permit license conversion until that time. That would cut the numbers down to a handful I expect. 

I must be missing something. 

Pushing foreigner money into public transportation is the only reason that I can come up with. Outside of that, the smarter bet would be that if you have a valid tourist visa and a valid DL from your home Country, you should be allowed to drive or at least allowed to get a local DL.

[SkyMan 19,818]

1 hour ago, Paddy said:

This whole situation makes you wonder just what benefit LTO was trying to achieve. (Well, it makes me wonder anyway!)

It only (badly) affects those who will be here longer than 90 days and less than a year (or so) and who want to drive. 

Licenses are not free, so if LTO have done their sums right, the cost of issuing a license is recovered. 

This 1 year rule came up during an extended period where plastic licenses were unavailable to anyone so I imagine it was a rather small stop gap measure to reduce license demand.  This probably also explains why the rule is now being relaxed since licenses are available. 

[Paddy 814]

Certainly plausible @SkyMan but Conversions must still be a drop in the bucket. I carried a piece of paper around for over 2 and a half years!