DL Code B Meaning in the Philippines: What You Can (and Can’t) Drive
If you’ve looked at the back of your Philippine driver’s license and seen DL Code B printed there, you’re holding the code that lets most Filipino motorists drive a car. But one question about it comes up constantly: does it let you ride a motorcycle too?
This guide breaks down exactly what it covers, how it compares to Code A and its own B1/B2 siblings, what the old restriction codes looked like before 2021, and how to add or upgrade from it.
Last updated for 2026. LTO requirements and processes change periodically, so always confirm current details on the official LTMS Portal at portal.lto.gov.ph before your appointment.
What Does DL Code B Mean?
DL Code B authorizes you to drive passenger vehicles carrying up to 8 seated passengers (not including the driver), with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of up to 5,000 kg. In LTO’s official vehicle category system, this corresponds to category M1 on your license.
In plain terms: if you drive a sedan, hatchback, coupe, or a smaller SUV for personal use, this is the classification you need. It’s issued as part of a standard Non-Professional Driver’s License (NPDL).
This code replaced the old numeric Restriction Code 2 (manual transmission) and Restriction Code 4 (automatic transmission) when LTO switched to the alphanumeric system in 2021.
Can You Drive a Motorcycle With DL Code B?
No. This is a common misunderstanding around this code, and it’s worth stating plainly: it covers four-wheeled passenger vehicles only. It does not authorize you to ride a motorcycle, scooter, or moped, regardless of engine size.
To legally ride a motorcycle, you need DL Code A (standard motorcycles without a sidecar) or DL Code A1 (tricycles, motorcycles with sidecars, and light three- or four-wheeled microvehicles). These are separate codes with their own application process. Holding Code B doesn’t grant any motorcycle privileges, and riding one without Code A on your license is treated as driving without a license for that vehicle category.
If you regularly need both a car and a motorcycle, you can hold both A and B on the same license. LTO lists every code you’re qualified for on a single card rather than issuing separate licenses per vehicle type.
DL Code B Compared to Other Codes
DL Code B vs. DL Code A: The Core Difference
The simplest way to remember the split:
Feature | DL Code A | DL Code B |
Vehicle type | Motorcycles (no sidecar) | Passenger cars, up to 8 seats |
Weight limit | Not GVW-based | Up to 5,000 kg GVW |
Common examples | Scooters, sportbikes, standard motorcycles | Sedans, hatchbacks, small SUVs |
Can they overlap? | No, separate codes; both can be held together | No, separate codes; both can be held together |
Neither code substitutes for the other. A driver who only wants to commute by car doesn’t need Code A, and a driver who only rides a motorcycle doesn’t need Code B, but plenty of license holders carry both.
Code B sits inside a small family of related codes that often get confused with each other:
DL Code B vs. B1 vs. B2: The Full Passenger and Cargo Group
Code B sits inside a small family of related codes that often get confused with each other:
DL Code | Vehicle Category | Covers | Typical Examples |
B | M1 | Passenger vehicles, up to 8 seats, GVW up to 5,000 kg | Sedans, hatchbacks, small SUVs |
B1 | M2 | Passenger vehicles, more than 8 seats, GVW up to 5,000 kg | Passenger vans, jeepneys, Toyota HiAce |
B2 | N1 | Goods-carrying vehicles, GVW up to 3,500 kg | Delivery vans, small cargo trucks |
The distinction that trips people up most: B1 is about passenger count, not vehicle size. A large van can fall under B1 simply because it seats more than 8 people, even if it’s not especially heavy. B2, on the other hand, is entirely about carrying goods rather than passengers, regardless of seat count.
All three (B, B1, and B2) are available to first-time Non-Professional applicants and don’t require a separate holding period to obtain initially.
The Old Restriction Code Behind DL Code B
If your license was issued before 2021, you may still see the old single-digit system instead of this code. Here’s what those numbers meant, since “restriction code 1, 2, 3” is still a common search among drivers checking an older card:
Old Restriction Code | Meaning | New DL Code Equivalent |
RC 1 | Motorcycles and tricycles | A, A1 |
RC 2 | Cars and light vehicles, manual transmission, up to roughly 4,500 kg | B, B1, B2 |
RC 3 | Heavier vehicles above that weight, manual transmission | C, D |
RC 4 | Cars and light vehicles, automatic transmission | B, B1, B2 |
RC 5 | Heavier vehicles, automatic transmission | C, D |
RC 6, RC 7 | Articulated vehicles | BE |
RC 8 | Heavy articulated vehicles | CE |
So if your old card shows Restriction Code 2 or 4, that’s the direct predecessor of today’s Code B. This conversion happens automatically the next time you renew. You don’t need to apply separately for the “equivalent” new code.
DL Code B and the Non-Professional License Exam
Because this code is issued as part of a standard Non-Professional Driver’s License, it’s tied to the same exam process every first-time NPDL applicant goes through, sometimes searched as the “non-pro exam.” There isn’t a separate, code-specific exam just for B. It’s the standard LTMS written exam plus the practical, on-road driving test tied to your Practical Driving Course (PDC).
If you already hold a Non-Professional license with Code A and want to add Code B (or vice versa), the additional-code process is different from a first-time application, but it still generally requires having passed LTO’s Automated Theoretical Examination and Practical Driving Test at some point, along with holding a currently valid license. Whether you need to sit either exam again for the additional code specifically isn’t uniform across every case, so confirm the current LTMS requirement for your situation before assuming either way.
The Complete List of DL Codes
For context, here’s where B fits into the full system:
DL Code | Covers | License Type |
A | Motorcycles without a sidecar | Non-Professional |
A1 | Tricycles, sidecars, light micro vehicles | Non-Professional |
B | Passenger cars, up to 8 seats | Non-Professional |
B1 | Passenger vans and jeepneys, more than 8 seats | Non-Professional |
B2 | Goods vehicles up to 3,500 kg | Non-Professional |
C | Goods vehicles over 3,500 kg | Professional |
D | Passenger vehicles over 8 seats, GVW exceeding 5,000 kg | Professional |
BE | B/B1/B2 vehicles towing a trailer, trailer GVW up to 3,500 kg | Professional |
CE | C/D vehicles towing a trailer, or heavy articulated trucks, trailer GVW over 3,500 kg | Professional |
Codes C, D, BE, and CE require a Professional license and, in most cases, a minimum period already holding a related code.
Condition Codes: A Different Field From DL Codes
DL codes describe what vehicles you can drive. Condition codes are a separate field: they describe physical or medical requirements you must meet while driving, based on your LTO medical exam.
- Condition 1: Corrective lenses required (eyeglasses or contact lenses)
- Condition 2: Drive only with special equipment for upper or lower limbs
- Condition 3: Drive only a customized motor vehicle
- Condition 4: Daylight driving only
- Condition 5: Hearing aid is required
These come directly from LTO’s official application form. Driving without meeting a listed condition (forgetting your corrective lenses when Condition 1 applies, for instance) is a violation even if your DL code is otherwise correct. Conditions 2 through 5 can also affect eligibility to operate for-hire or commercial vehicles, and additional medical clearance may be required in those cases.
Condition Codes: A Different Field From DL Codes
Moving from B to a heavier or different classification follows LTO’s standard additional-code process, which varies by target code.
Adding Within the Non-Professional Group
Adding A or A1 to an existing Code B license generally just requires holding a valid existing license, without a separate holding period.
Upgrading to Professional Codes
- Adding C requires holding B2 for at least 4 years, plus training from an LTO-accredited TESDA center or a driving school PDC.
- Adding D requires holding B1 for at least 4 years, plus similar training.
- Adding BE requires holding B, B1, or B2 for at least 3 years, plus training.
- Adding CE requires holding C or D for at least 6 months.
These holding periods are consistent across LTO’s published additional-code guidance, but confirm the exact current requirement for your specific code through LTMS or with your LTO branch before planning around a fixed timeline, since requirements can be adjusted.
Reading Your License
Your DL codes don’t appear in isolation. A few other markers sit alongside them.
Other Markers: NPL/PL and MT/AT
- NPL or PL: Non-Professional License or Professional License
- MT or AT: Manual Transmission or Automatic Transmission. An MT-rated code lets you drive both manual and automatic vehicles in that class; an AT-only code restricts you to automatics.
- Multiple codes on one line: If you hold more than one code (say, A and B), LTO lists them together on the same card.
Putting It Together: B / M1 / NP / MT
If you’re looking at your actual card and trying to make sense of a string like “B / M1 / NP / MT,” here’s how those pieces fit together:
- B is the DL code itself: the vehicle classification.
- M1 is the underlying vehicle category code that B corresponds to (passenger vehicles, up to 8 seats).
- NP (or NPL) means Non-Professional: this license doesn’t authorize driving for compensation.
- MT means Manual Transmission. Since an MT rating also covers automatic vehicles, this is generally the broader of the two transmission tags. An AT tag alone restricts you to automatic-transmission vehicles only.
Seeing all of these together on one line isn’t four separate restrictions. It’s one classification described from four angles: what you can drive, its technical category, whether it’s for personal or paid use, and which transmission types you’re cleared for.
Common Mistakes Involving DL Code B
Assuming Code B covers motorcycles “just this once” is a common and costly mistake tied to this code. It doesn’t, under any circumstance, and enforcement treats it the same as driving without a license for that vehicle category.
Confusing B1 with a bigger or heavier version of B is another common trip-up. B1 is about passenger seating capacity, not size or weight class.
Assuming an old Restriction Code 2 or 4 card still needs to be manually converted is unnecessary. The update happens automatically at your next renewal.
Driving for compensation on a Non-Professional Code B license, whether for a ride-hailing app or an informal fare, is a violation. Code B under an NPDL is for personal use only; paid driving requires a Professional license.
Frequently Asked Questions
DL Code B is the LTO license classification for passenger vehicles carrying up to 8 seated passengers, with a gross vehicle weight of up to 5,000 kg. It’s the standard code for driving a car in the Philippines.
No. DL Code B only covers four-wheeled passenger vehicles. Riding a motorcycle requires DL Code A or A1, applied for separately.
Code A covers motorcycles without a sidecar; Code B covers passenger cars up to 8 seats and 5,000 kg GVW. They’re separate codes, and many drivers hold both.
These make up the full set of Non-Professional DL codes: A for motorcycles, A1 for tricycles and sidecars, B for standard passenger cars, B1 for passenger vans and jeepneys with more than 8 seats, and B2 for goods vehicles up to 3,500 kg.
Restriction Code 2 was the pre-2021 code for manual-transmission cars and light vehicles. It converts directly to DL Code B, B1, or B2 depending on your specific vehicle subcategory.
If you’re a first-time applicant, Code B is issued as part of the standard Non-Professional license exam process, written and practical. If you already hold another non-professional code like A, the additional-code process still generally requires having passed the Automated Theoretical Examination and Practical Driving Test at some point, and whether either needs to be retaken specifically for the additional code isn’t uniform across every case, so confirm the current requirement with LTO.
Not if it seats more than 8 passengers. That falls under DL Code B1, a separate classification from standard Code B.
Final Thoughts
DL Code B has firm boundaries: it covers your car, not your motorcycle, and it stops at 8 seats and 5,000 kg. If you’re unsure what your license actually authorizes, check the code printed on the card directly rather than assuming, especially if you’re still carrying an old Restriction Code 2 or 4 card that hasn’t been converted yet.
For the full breakdown of Student Permit, Non-Professional, and Professional license requirements, see our Driver’s License Types and Application guide.