Applying for a Student Permit at LTO

So you want to learn how to drive? And you've set your sights on a particular driving school. You're about to pay for the tuition fee when you find out that you need a Student's Permit in order to be able to study driving. How do you do it? (Note: the driving school might offer to do this for you at a higher price, but doing it yourself will take only about 318 pesos as of this writing, and about 2 to 4 hours, depending on the volume of applicants.)

So how do you go about getting a Student's Permit?

1. Familiarize yourself with the LTO License Application Form. I wouldn't advice you print it out since the personnel at the LTO Satellite will still ask you to fill out their forms with their authorization numbers stamped on the form. These numbers are absent from the online form. Still, you should be prepared to know the details being asked from the form. And remember to box shade, NOT CHECK, the checkboxes.
2. Try to get to the office early. There will be a long line for the Application Form, but to get one, you will have to present an original government I.D. and also a photocopy of this I.D. So photocopy your PRC, Passport, SSS, etc. I.D. It is important that the I.D. you use indicates your date of birth. Otherwise, you will have to prove that you are 17 years old or older using your birth certificate. Just bring a photocopy of whatever credentials you plan on presenting to avoid having to go out of the building and looking for a Xerox vendor.
3. You will be given a queue number. Wait for it to show up on the digital display. There are chairs available for you to wait on. Use the waiting time to verify that everything you wrote on the Application Form is correct.
4. There are several evaluator windows - and the person at this window will check your application for errors, and may ask you to read an oath about being a responsible driver. You have to read it aloud. After doing this, you will have to wait at the chairs again until your name is called.
5. The next window is for data corrections - I think you are called to this window if the person typing in your data from the application form to the computer can't understand your hand-writing. So, write legibly.
6. The next window if for taking your picture and signature. Be ready with your best smile. And writing with a digital pen is like using one of those fat pencils back in elementary. Make sure your signature doesn't overshoot the digital pad. Again, after doing this, you will have to wait at the chairs again until your name is called.
7. The next window is for payment. Try to being the exact amount needed, otherwise, you might have to go out and buy something, just to get change. Again, that's 318 pesos as of this writing. It was strange that they did not issue the official receipt at this window. You had to wait for it at the release window - along with your Student Permit. If for some reason, your name is not called at the releasing window, you have no proof that you paid. (Something to consider for the people working at LTO for process improvement).
8. Finally, the releasing window. Sign the sheet indicating that you were able to receive your Student Permit with the Official Receipt and you're done. Note that if you lose the official receipt, you will need to pay again if you decide to apply for a Non-professional license (you can do this after a month from the date you received your permit). So keep the permit and receipt together at all times. Also, you have to apply for a Non-professional license within a year from the issuance of your Student Permit. Otherwise, you have to apply for a Student Permit again.

In terms of improvement, here are some suggestions for the people working at LTO.

1. Please improve ventilation and air conditioning. Although there are A/C units, either these are not working, or LTO is trying to cut down on their electric bill.
2. The queue number issued at the beginning should be the number displayed at each window. In my experience, the personnel at the window had to read the person's name via a microphone, just to call the person to the next step. This can be confusing, especially when there's a lot of ambient noise or if you're chatting with other applicants.
3. And again, please issue a receipt upon payment - it could be a provisional receipt if you cannot issue the official receipt. This should serve as protection for the applicant, in case his application is misplaced between the payment and releasing steps of the process.

I hope this guide will help alleviate your concerns as you apply for a driver's Student Permit. God bless you!