Wow! Check your LTO LTMS Account now to see if your Driver’s License has been fully digitalized
The LTO’s problem with plastic cards used for Driver’s Licenses may soon be at an end after a contract was awarded to a winning bidder. During the height of the card shortage, an idea came up that involved the release of a digital version of a Driver’s License. The digitalized version is supposed to be part of a “Super App” that the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is developing. But yesterday, the Land Transportation Office announced that an electronic Driver’s License or “eDL” is already in the LTMS Portal.
LTO releases electronic Driver’s License or eDL, accessible via LTMS Portal
We saw this as both surprising and quite exciting, so we went ahead and logged into our LTO LTMS account. Lo and behold, this author’s license has, indeed, been digitalized and is accessible via the Portal Dashboard. There is no accompanying announcement as to what’s become of the DICT’s development of the “Super App”, but there are three (3) images that are part of the eDL.
The eDL is literally a “scan” of a physical Driver’s License. Should yours already be available, you’ll find the front and back sides of the license, and a QR Code as well. What’s the QR Code for? We can only assume that that may be for easier access should a deputized enforcer need to see your license. Scanning the code will lead you to a page within the LTMS that you’ll see below.
Basically, it’s a “compressed” version of your LTO Driver’s License. On this page, you’ll find details pertinent to the motorist’s license such as the License Number, its expiry date, as well as the unique Client ID of the motorist’s LTO LTMS account.
So why the sudden release despite the absence of the DICT app? We can only assume a lot of different reasons, but what’s important is this statement we’ve lifted from the LTO‘s official page. A user asked if, in the absence of a physical card on one’s person, this eDL can be used as an alternative. The answer is pretty straightforward and is in the affirmative. Translated, the reply of the LTO Facebook page’s Admin 10 is “Yes, it may be used as an alternative for a physical Driver’s License”.
Now may be a good time to log in to your LTMS account and check if your digitalized Driver’s License is already available. Some people already have theirs, and some do not, so go find out for yourself, yes? And maybe you can save the 3 images (front, back, QR Code), too. At least you already have it handy should you need it.
EDIT 17 July 2023: You CANNOT use screenshots or saved images. The EDL will only be considered valid by an apprehending office if accessed through the motorist’s LTMS Account at the time of apprehension.
But please, don’t forget to always bring your license with you at all times. This isn’t a reason or an excuse not to bring it if you have it.
