LTO alarm tags are placed on vehicles with bad records at the Land Transportation Office (LTO). This may be because its driver was apprehended, or because the vehicle is a “hot car” that was previously carnapped. When a vehicle is involved in circumstances like accidents, theft, or other situation that calls for an investigation, the vehicle is tagged and placed under an alarm with the LTO. When it happens, it is impossible to register or renew the motor vehicle’s registration since the payment for fines could not be accepted. To resolve such problems, one would need to request that the LTO lifts the alarm tags on the vehicle.
Contrary to popular belief, there are actually a significant number of motor vehicle owners and buyers whose vehicles were tagged and placed under an alarm with the LTO. It doesn’t necessarily mean that these vehicles are stolen or were in an accident, but it does affect the renewal of their registrations, consequently causing trouble for the car owners.
What are LTO Alarm Tags
Alarm tags on vehicles refer to the active LTO records of existing or pending traffic violations or apprehensions. Having an alarm tag on your vehicle means the vehicle may be previously involved in an accident or in the commission of a crime or it may be on the watch list of the Philippine National Police – Highway Patrol Group (PNP – HPG) for stolen or carnapped vehicles. It may also mean that the vehicle has an active complaint against it or an active case with either the Department of Health (DoH), the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB), or the Internal Investigation Division (IID).
How to Check if the Car has an LTO Alarm Tag
There are two ways to check if a vehicle has an LTO Alarm tag or not: via the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) or by using the LTO’s Mobile Query Facility.
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
All cars come with its own specific vehicle identification number (VIN)—a unique 17-character code that serves as a serial number of sorts for better identification. It includes numerical identification for country of manufacture, vehicle manufacturer, vehicle’s production number, and more and is found in some places in your car. The most common places you can locate your car’s VIN are on the dashboard, under the hood, and on the driver’s side door pillar.
With just the VIN, you can see all the history reports of its previous owners including information on accidents, repairs, and more. All events that happen in a car are recorded in its VIN code. It’s best to run a VIN check first in order to verify the car’s real status.
LTO’s Mobile Query Facility
The use of the LTO’s Mobile Query Facility allows an individual an easy way to verify a vehicle’s status. It allows one to verify whether the physical attributes of the car matches the one on LTO records via the following information:
- Plate number
- Make
- Model
- Year of Manufacturing
- Color
- Date Last Registered in LTO
- LTO Apprehension
- Records
- LTO Alarm
To check for alarms using the LTO Mobile Query facility, simply type in “LTO VEHICLE [Plate Number]” and send to 2600 from any network. It costs P 2.50 to all cellular networks in the country and works during office hours only.
Who may Avail of the Service
Checking of Alarm tags on vehicles can be done by anyone with access to pertinent information like the VIN or the Plate Number. The lifting of alarm tags, however, is particularly important for drivers and operators, those who intend to buy a car from the used car market as well as those who need to renew their vehicle but can’t due to the LTO alarm tags.
Requirements
Requesting to lift LTO alarm tags requires an individual to present and submit the following documentary requirements before the LTO Alarm tags can be lifted.
General Requirements
- Original letter request addressed to the Director of Traffic Adjudication Service (TAS)
- Any valid Government issued ID/Deed of Sale, if not the registered owner
- Original Special Power of Attorney, if representative
Additional Requirements
For special cases, the following additional requirements might be needed as well:
PNP-HPG Report involved in vehicular accident
- Original letter request to lift alarm from the investigator
- Original Affidavit of Desistance
PNP-HPG watch list alarm to Stolen/carnapped motor vehicles
- Original Philippine National Police – Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) Letter of endorsement
- Original Official Receipt (OR) /Certificate of Registration (CR) of the motor vehicle or certified true copy of the same from issuing agency
- Original Philippine National Police – Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) Recovery and Disposition Report
- Original Philippine National Police – Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) Crime Laboratory Marco -Etching Report
- Original Philippine National Police – Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) Lifting of alarm
- Original Philippine National Police – Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) MV Clearance
- Original duly accomplished Land Transportation Office (LTO) Motor Vehicle Inspection Report
Department of Health (DOH) Alarm
- Original Confirmatory Test
- Original Medical clinic letter of Endorsement
Complaint/s at Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB)
- Original Resolution to lift alarm
Complaint/s at Internal Investigation Division (IID)
- Original Resolution to lift alarm
Procedures for Removing / Lifting of Alarms in Traffic Adjudication Service (TAS)
To process the request for lifting of LTO Alarm tags, you may follow these steps:
Step 1: Visit the Office of the Traffic Adjudication Service (TAS) in the LTO Central Office located at the LTO Compound in East Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City.
Step 2: Once there, secure a queue number and wait for your turn.
Step 3: Submit the documentary requirements along with the letter request form and the queue number so the LTO personnel can evaluate it for completeness and authenticity.
Step 4: Proceed to the cashier window for payment of Administrative fines in cases involving vehicular accidents.
Step 5: Once paid, wait until you are issued an Official Receipt (OR).
Step 6: Wait for the approval of your request and the lifting of the LTO alarm tags.
Fees
To request for a lifting of the LTO Alarm tags, one would need to pay the price. The fee includes payments for LTO fines and penalties along with the following:
- Administrative Fee: P2,000.00
- LRF: P10.00
Total: P 2,010.00
Where to Process the Request to Lift the LTO Alarm Tags
To process the request to lift the LTO alarm tags, the individual/driver/operator would need to visit the Office of the Traffic Adjudication Service in the LTO Central Office located at the LTO Compound in East Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City.
Important Reminders
If you are among those who need the LTO to lift the LTO alarm tags on a particular vehicle, then here are some things you’d want to remember:
- An LTO Alarm on the text message indicates if a car is stolen or not.
- If the LTO text message says that the vehicle ‘has no alarm,’ then you have a strong indicator that the used car you are about to buy is completely legal.
- LTO alarms may be caused by apprehended drivers or because the vehicle is a “hot car” that was previously carnapped.
- Owners and/or buyers of used cars with LTO alarm tags may now renew and/or transfer their registration with the LTO after the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) requests that the Stradcom Corporation temporarily lift the tagging and alarm of the affected motor vehicles under the MMDA’s No Contact Apprehension Policy (NCAP).
- The license can be confiscated and revoked by the LTO if you are found to be a perennial violator.
- LTO alarm tags can be applied to both vehicle and driver’s license.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
For your reference, here are the common questions and answers regarding lifting of LTO Alarm tags:
1. What is the vehicle identification number (VIN)?
The vehicle identification number, or VIN, is 17 unique character codes implanted on every manufactured vehicle in the world. It contains the histories and reports on a car that can be used for verification, identification, and many more.
2. What can I do to verify if a used car isn’t stolen?
In the Philippines, there are two ways to verify a car’s alarm status: to do a VIN check and to use the LTO’s Mobile Query Facility.
3. What is Motor Vehicle PNP-HPG clearance?
A Motor Vehicle (MV) Clearance Certificate issued by the Philippine National Police – Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) is an official document that certifies that the vehicle is not on the list of wanted or stolen vehicles as of the issue date.
4. Did LTO remove NCAP alarms?
Yes. Just recently, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) temporarily removed the apprehension alarms on thousands of vehicles with violations under the No Contact Apprehension Program (NCAP) so drivers with outstanding traffic violations could still register their vehicles.
5. What is NCAP violation?
NCAP refers to capturing traffic violations without the need of physical apprehension by traffic enforcers. It is implemented 24/7 by the City Government using traffic enforcement cameras and other technology.
Summary
LTO alarm tags may mean many different things, but the main point is that it means the vehicles with alarm tags have bad records at the Land Transportation Office (LTO). It may be because its driver was apprehended, or because the vehicle is a “hot car.” With an active LTO alarm tag, it is not possible to register or renew your vehicle registration at the LTO. If you have nothing to do with the vehicle’s issues, or you wish to have it cleared to renew your vehicle’s registration or your driver’s license after the problem has been resolved, then you may request to have it lifted at the LTO office of your choice. However, you will need to get the documentary requirements ready and process it at the LTO office for a fee. When the LTO alarm tags are lifted, you may now proceed with whatever LTO transaction you need to do.
