My partner and I are planning to retire in Bagiou. Right now he's already been in Bagiou for about two weeks, while I'm in Melbourne until December 21. Last night he told me he'd already bought a car. I was shocked.
So my question is..., is it illegal to buy a car without a Philippine or international license?
Because he only has an Australian license.
Yep, I just bought a brand-new 2026 Mitsubishi Xpander GLS here in Dumaguete. My Australian Queensland driver's license is valid here for 90 days after arrival, and everything's fine.
Correction: it's Baguio, not Bagiou. I'm from Baguio and now live on the Gold Coast
He can drive for 90 days, then he has to get a Philippine license
You don't need a license to own a car, only to drive it. He can drive on his Australian license for 90 days, then he has to "convert" to a Philippine license. He'll need to go to the LTO for that. He'll be exempt from the written test but should take the practical. That said, if he picks a small, poorly equipped LTO licensing center at a busy time, he might get exempted from the practical too.
Bagiou is nice to visit, but the traffic is horrendous because there's only one main road in and out. It's basically a tourist town with cool weather.
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