LTO: Driver's license to be printed on paper for now amid plastic card shortage

Don't be shocked if you will be receiving your driver’s license printed on a piece of paper.

Courtesy: LTO

Shortage in plastic cards?

According to a report by Philstar, Land Transportation Office chief Jay Art Tugade announced on Thursday that there is currently a shortage of plastic driver’s license cards.

This prompted authorities to decide to temporarily print licenses on a piece of paper, he noted.

To those who will renew their driver's license, [if] there's no supply of plastic cards in a certain office, they will be given a print out of the [official receipt] of their driver's license. At the back of it will bear the driver's license that should have been printed out on a plastic card for them, Tugade explained in a press briefing in Filipino.

The official receipt to be given will have a unique QR code that will help law enforcers in authenticating the document.

Temporary Driver's License printed on a piece of paper

Tugade said the problem was caused by a department order in January, which stated that all procurement involving PHP 50 million and above should be conducted by the Department of Transportation central office.

Currently, the supply issue is a nationwide problem, he said. Specifically in NCR, some LTO offices still have cards, but some have completely ran out, he added.

The inventory of plastic cards is seen to completely run out by the last week of April, Tugade said.

LTO faced a similar problem in the past. In 2016, thousands of driver’s license cards were released after years of delays.

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Via: Philstar