Tips

Conduction stickers are something that every new car is required to have. For those who are unaware, you might be wondering why this particular sticker is important. Here’s your short answer: Since the Land Transportation Office (LTO) cannot supply registration plates and stickers immediately, conductions stickers are used as temporary plates to allow new car owners to use their vehicles legally. 

The act of getting a new car entails a lot of responsibilities, from registration to regular renewal of registration as well as compliance to numerous rules and regulations imposed by the LTO. Getting a conduction sticker and ensuring that it stays visible while you wait for your number plate to be released is just another one of these rules. If you’re wondering how the conduction stickers work or how it is even acquired, this article will answer them for you.

What is a Motor Vehicle Conduction Sticker

A motor vehicle conduction sticker is proof that a vehicle is legally acquired or bought from a recognized assembler, importer, or distributor in the Philippines. It serves as the temporary plate while the LTO processes the registration plates and stickers for new vehicle registrations. 

However, do note that the LTO does not issue conduction stickers to individuals. The LTO is not involved with the distribution. Instead, it assigns and controls the series of numbers and letters issued to the car makers and it is the car makers who negotiate for the printing and issuance of the conduction sticker. This is so because while it is now being used as a temporary number plate, the original purpose of conduction stickers is to allow the vehicle to be legally transported from the production site to the showroom.

Benefits

Some of the benefits associated with having a motor vehicle conduction sticker, not that it’s optional, includes:

• The conduction sticker legalizes the use of a vehicle before its initial registration.
• A conduction sticker’s number can be used as a temporary plate number. 
• It is considered proof that a vehicle is adequately procured in the Philippines from a recognized assembler, importer, or distributor.
• It is proof enough that the vehicle is allowed to travel legally. 
• It serves as the identification of a motor vehicle so it includes the motor vehicle details including the ownership, allowing it to be traceable by authorities.

Who May Avail

All car owners, especially the new ones, are expected to have conduction stickers stuck to their newly-bought motor vehicle. However, conduction stickers are only requested by and issued to accredited and legally recognized vehicle manufacturers, importers, assemblers, dealers, etc. It’s not something an individual can request from the LTO as the LTO also doesn’t have anything to do with it except assigns the series of numbers to the carmakers and check for conduction stickers or number plates on the road. 

Requirements

If you decide that you do not wish to be held liable for driving a new car without LTO registration, then you may want to ensure that you do have a conduction sticker stuck to your vehicle. If you don’t have one, you will need to go to the car manufacturer or dealer to get it. 

If, however, you are either a manufacturer, importer, assembler, dealer, or distributor, then you will need to present the following documents to get a conduction number issued to the vehicles under your possession.

• Estimate of annual production including the current inventory of unsold motor vehicles as of 31 December of the immediately preceding year and estimate of annual importation
• Certificate of Payment
• List of dealers and sub-dealers with their complete address and the name of 
• the chief operating officer
• SEC Certificate of Registration for Corporation or DTI Certification of 
• Registration for Sole Proprietorship
• Latest Income Tax Return
• Application Form under oath

How to Apply for LTO Motor Vehicle Conduction Sticker

The actual process to request for the issuance of motor vehicle conduction stickers to manufacturers, importers, assemblers, dealers, or distributors, is simple. 

If you are one of them, here’s what you need to do:

Step 1: Visit your preferred LTO Operations Division Office in the region where you’re at.

Step 2: Proceed to the LTO transaction counter and have your requirements checked for completeness and authenticity.

Step 3: Secure an Application Form for issuance of motor vehicle conduction stickers.

Step 4: Wait for the LTO officer to assign a conduction sticker (CS) series and forward the signed letter of approval to the Office of the Executive Director for final approval 

Step 5: Once approved, the documents will be sent back to the Office of the Operations Division.

Step 6: You will then be issued a Payment Order Slip (POS).

Step 7: Once you get the POS, proceed to the cashier for payment of fees.

Step 8: Wait for the official receipt (OR) to be released.

Step 9: Once paid, present your OR and wait for the Letter of Approval to be released.

Fees

Some of the fees associated with the issuance of motor vehicle conduction stickers include the following:

Application Fee – P500.00

Legal Research Fee – P10.00 

Total: P510.00 

Where to Get

The application for issuance of conduction stickers is usually processed at either the LTO Central Office in Diliman, Quezon City or through the Operations Divisions of the various LTO Regional Offices nationwide. These stickers are only issued to accredited and legally recognized vehicle manufacturers, importers, assemblers, dealers, etc. They are then responsible for supervising the distribution of the vehicle conduction sticker to their buyers. The buyers are provided with conduction stickers so that you can get your car plated with a vehicle conduction number at these places.

Important Reminders

If you are either a vehicle manufacturer, importer, assembler, or dealer, and you are looking to process an application for the issuance of conduction stickers, you need to keep the following tips in mind:

• As of January 2018, conduction stickers and conduction numbers are used as temporary plates.
• The series of alphanumeric characters in the conduction stickers may be used to check for the availability of the vehicle’s number plate.
• Cars with conduction stickers only are still subject to Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) or number coding.
• There are two types of conduction stickers: The newest is the yellow conduction sticker, while the white-colored conduction stickers were released before 2012.
• The conduction sticker of a motor vehicle is important as it allows the legal use of the vehicle before and while acquiring a plate number.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

For your reference, here are some common questions and answers regarding motor vehicle conduction stickers:

1. Can I check the availability of my LTO plate if my car is still using a conduction sticker?

Yes. If you are a car user and you are still using your car’s conduction number as temporary plates, then you can check the availability of your proper registration plates online, via the Land Transport Management System (LTMS) portal, using the 15-digit MV number on the Motor Vehicle 7-Character Plate Backlog Inquiry page.

2. Is a car’s conduction sticker subject to the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (Coding) Scheme?

Yes. According to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), a car despite still using its conduction sticker is still subject to the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) or number coding. That said, the last digit on your car’s conduction sticker number will still determine the day where it is subject to the UVVRP.

3. Is the car’s conduction sticker the same as the plate number?

No. The conduction sticker is different from an LTO number plate. However, as of January 2018, the LTO has announced that conduction numbers can be used as a temporary plate—a temporary measure while the LTO catches up with its backlog of number plates.

4. What is the difference between the white and yellow conduction stickers?

Nothing, really, except that the yellow-colored conduction sticker is the newer one, while the conduction stickers with white color were issued prior to 2012.

5. Can I remove my car’s conduction sticker?

As the conduction sticker’s serve to provide a means of identifying the car while it doesn’t have a proper number plate yet, it is something that cannot be removed legally. Once you get your license plates, however, the conduction sticker loses its value, so you can then legally remove the sticker. However, it’s best to just leave it on as conduction stickers left for a long time can get broken apart or leave unsightly adhesive gunks on your car’s rear and front windows.

Summary

A motor vehicle conduction sticker is an all-important sticker issued to new cars to serve as a temporary license plate and for the legal use of acquiring an LTO number plate. As such, a car that already has an LTO license plate issued to it no longer needs the use of a conduction sticker. By then, the conduction sticker would have served its purpose, both as a permit to travel from the production site to the showroom as well as a temporary plate. It is, after all, a sticker issued to car owners so they can use their new car while their registration and license plates are being processed. It also serves as the temporary basis to trace a motor vehicle to its registration.