Guidelines to Verify 5-Year Driver's License Authenticity

The Memorandum addresses the proliferation of spurious 5-year validity driver’s licenses.
It aims to help concerned personnel, particularly law enforcers and deputized agents, identify fake driver’s licenses during daily operations.
The Memorandum establishes operational guidance for verifying authenticity through overt features and covert features.

Law Enforcers or Deputized Agents must check the authenticity of a 5-year validity driver’s license card during their daily operations.
Regional Offices must investigate and determine the authenticity of confiscated spurious-licensed cards using covert features.
The Executive Director at the Central Office must receive investigation reports and recommend the necessary action.
The Assistant Secretary must approve the action recommended by the Executive Director.

Law enforcers or deputized agents must check the overt features enumerated below to determine card authenticity.
The Memorandum directs confiscation when the license card lacks any one of the enumerated overt features.
The Memorandum requires that confiscated licenses be submitted to the Regional Office concerned for further investigation.
The overt features to be checked are:
- Same alignment of flag and the LTO logo located at the uppermost left and right corners of the card.
- The card color is bluish, not grayish.
- The Card Serial Number (CSN) consists of nine (9) digits.
- Only the expiration date (front portion) and restrictions and conditions (rear portion) are embossed.
- The signature of the Assistant Secretary is found on top of the last name.
- The date the photo was taken in the picture has the format yyyy/mm/dd.
- The signature of the licensee should not overlap with the printed signature of the licensee.
- When dropped on a flat surface, the card produces a solid sound.
- The card is not shiny compared with laminated driver’s license cards.

Regional Offices must investigate and determine authenticity using covert features.
Regional Offices must use a device/gadget that will be issued to them to check covert features.
The covert features to be verified are:
- The eagle on the face of the card can be seen using a special lens.
- The DOVID and LTO logo can be seen when the card is tilted, including a point where the RP Coat of Arms is visible.
- Using a micro lens, the rays of the sun can be seen at the lower most right corner of the card.

Regional Offices must submit a report on the investigation to the Central Office.
The report must be submitted through the Executive Director.
The Executive Director must recommend the necessary action based on the investigation report and confiscated license.
The Assistant Secretary must issue the final approval for the recommended action after review.