NBI Clearance

NBI clearance is a government certificate that is released to an individual upon request.

This certificate ensures that you’re cleared and has not been involved in any criminal act. This is
accepted as a valid ID in the Philippines and can also be use for other legitimate identification
purposes.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance is a way to tell if there have been
criminal cases filed in the Philippine courts. Its scope isn’t just limited to particular locality,
which is the coverage of the Police Clearance, but it covers the entire Philippines.

Similar to the police clearance, NBI Clearance has a validity period that expires after 6
months to 1 year. Of course, the validity of the certificate will not last a lifetime for the reason
that you might get involved in a criminal case. If you need to get one again, just do the procedure
mentioned here.

NBI Clearance has become an important part of our lives. A few years ago, we had only
one way to obtain a copy of the Clearance but everything changes for the better. Our
Government, through the National Bureau of Investigation opened the opportunity for its
applicants for an NBI Clearance online application which makes the entire process more
efficient.

NBI Clearance can be easily done online and skip a few steps of the old manual way. It
also eliminates the manual filling out of application forms since it can be done online. No more
long queue lines. No more wasted time waiting for your turn. The NBI clearance online
application eliminates 3 steps of the process, namely: Data Verification, Payment to the Cashier
and Filling out the Application Form!
HOW TO REGISTER AN ACCOUNT WITH NBI CLEARANCE APPLICATION ONLINE?

Assuming you don’t have an account in NBI Clearance Online Application Website, on the right
side of your screen you’ll see the “REGISTER” section. Click the check box if you have an old
NBI Clearance or not. For the purpose of this tutorial, we will select NO.

Once you checked the “NO” from the check box, the required fields will change. As shown in
the image below, you are required to input all the required fields needed to complete the NBI
Clearance Online account registration.
Type in your Gender, Civil Status, Birth Date, Complete Name (First Name, Middle Name and
Surname), your active/working email address and your assigned password. Once done, click the
“I ACCEPT TERMS OF SERVICE” check box. Another pop out window will appear. The
message will tell you about the description of the service and privacy. You don’t have to read it,
you can just skip reading and click the “I AGREE” button.

After you clicked the button, an important reminder will show up in your screen. The window
will show you the details you have previously entered. Make sure to double check it because this
is the last chance you will be able to edit it.
I suggest to read it line by line to check if you got it right. If you confirmed what you’ve written
is correct, then press the “YES” button to proceed. Log In to your NBI Clearance Account

Log in to your account by filling up the email address and the assigned password from the
previous step. Click the “SIGN IN” link at the right side of your screen. After the confirmation
of the details, it will redirect you to the NBI Clearance Application Dashboard. This will test if
you have successfully registered your account. If you’re seeing the same screen as shown in the
screenshot below, that means you’ve successfully registered an account with NBI Clearance.
FILL UP AND SUBMIT YOUR NBI CLEARANCE APPLICATION FORM The next thing to
do is to complete all the details needed in your NBI Clearance Online Application Form. This is
the place where you need to complete all the required Applicant’s information. Kindly complete
all the needed details to proceed with the next step of NBI Clearance Application. Enter the
following details such as your Contact Details, Family Background and other information such
as Educational Attainment, Occupation, Religion, Height, Weight, Complexion and your
Identifying Marks if applicable.
Now you’re almost done! Please note that the information you’ve entered above can be modified
whenever you find any errors or mistake. In the upper right hand corner of the screen, there’s a
button named “EDIT INFORMATION”. Just click it and you’ll be back again to NBI Clearance
Applicant’s Information page where you can edit the incorrect information. The next step would
be the scheduling an appointment with NBI Clearance Appointment System. At the upper right
hand of your screen, there’s two button. The first one is the “APPLY FOR CLEARANCE” and
the “EDIT INFORMATION” button.

We already know what the “EDIT INFORMATION” do when you click it right? So we’ll
proceed with the next step. SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT IN NBI CLEARANCE OUTLET
Click the “APPLY FOR CLEARANCE” button! After clicking the button, a confirmation
window will appear asking you to provide the what ID you are presenting when applying for
NBI Clearance. In this tutorial, I have chosen to present my Philippine Passport. Write down the
available Valid ID you have such as Driver’s License or Passport or anything that is accepted by
NBI Clearance Branch.
Please note that you are required to bring a valid id for when applying for NBI Clearance. Valid
IDs Accepted in Applying in NBI Clearance. For the next window, make sure to read the
Important Message and click the “Close” button. You will be then redirected to another page
where you must schedule an appointment with NBI Clearance. This way, you can select the date
when you will be processing your NBI Clearance.

Select the NBI Clearance Branch where you want to process your NBI Clearance. Just select the
name of the NBI Branch from the drop down list. Select your preferred date when you want to
process your NBI Clearance. Schedule your NBI Clearance application by selecting your
preferred schedule if its AM or PM. Click the blue boxes corresponding to the date you want to
process your NBI Clearance as well as the schedule. We’ll just tackle each section one by one.
We’ll discuss first the NBI Clearance Branch. In this section, what you need to do is to select the
NBI Clearance branch where you want to process your NBI Clearance Application.
You can type in the location to be able to quickly search the list for your preferred NBI
Clearance Branch. The next item on our list is the NBI Clearance appointment date and time of
your application. Just right below the NBI Clearance Branch, you will be presented will a
calendar showing the time and the number of slots available on that day. Select your preferred
date and time for your NBI Clearance Application. The highlighted dates are days which the NBI
Clearance branch accommodates applicants while the greyed out dates are unavailable. There are
only two selection for the time of the application, AM and PM. We’re almost done! Right after
setting an appointment, you will need to complete your NBI Clearance Application by paying the
required NBI Clearance Fees. PAY YOUR NBI CLEARANCE ONLINE APPLICATION As an
NBI Clearance Applicant, you have four (6) options to choose how you will pay your NBI
Clearance. These are through: Banks (Over the Counter) Banks (Online) Mobile (Payment
through GCASH) Bayad Centers Multipay ECPay 7-Eleven For Over the Counter Payment in
Banks – you need to go to accredited banks such as BDO, Metrobank and BPI to pay your NBI
Clearance. In this type of Payment method for NBI Clearance, a service fee will be charged to
your NBI Clearance. For BDO transactions, they charge an additional P25 for over the counter
payment while P50 are charged when you pay through BPI. For Bank Online Payment – you can
pay online using your Online Banking app such as BDO Internet Banking, BPI Express Online,
Chinabank Online, Metrobank Direct, RCBC Access one, Unionbank EON/Internet Banking &
UCPB Connect. Just like over the counter payment, a service fee will be charged to your NBI
Clearance. The amount varies from P40 to P100 depending on the Bank where you are
transacting. Mobile Payment – you can also pay using your GCASH. A service fee will be
charged accordingly. Bayad Centers – you can proceed and pay to various BAYAD CENTER
outlets or to their partners like Cebuana Lhullier, SM Savemore, LBC, Robinsons, eBiz, Petnet,
Landmark, Waltermart, Isetann, Sta. Lucia East Mall, USSC and selected branches of Villarica
Pawnshop, Palawan Pawnshop, Prime Asia Pawnshop, 2go Express, Tambunting Pawnshop,
Raquel Pawnshop, DIrect Agent 5, CVM Pawnshop, Sinag Pawnshop, San Roque Supermarket,
Luzon Development Bank, Citystate Bank, Go Beyond Expectation Remittance Ci., and more.
Just like the others, a service fee will be charged accordingly. Don’t be confused on the service
fee and your NBI Clearance fee. The final amount will be shown to you together with the NBI
Clearance Payment Reference Number that you will present when you pay your NBI Clearance
Application Online. 7-Eleven – I have written a separate tutorial on how to pay your NBI
Clearance Application through 7-Eleven here. Going back to the tutorial, click on the payment
method you prefer. For this scenario, I will pay my NBI Clearance using the BANK OVER THE
COUNTER method through BDO. This window will appear, please read it carefully and click
“PROCEED” button.
The NBI Clearance website will show you the transactions summary of your NBI Clearance
application. Click “PROCEED TO PAYMENT”. Select your preferred Bank from the list. The
NBI Clearance authorize the following banks to accept the NBI Clearance Payment, these are:
BDO BPI MetroBank Robinsons Bank Union Bank I have selected BDO as my bank where I
will pay my NBI Clearance Fee. It will show the reference number and the final amount which is
P155.00. You may click the link “view and save the instruction online” to view the payment
instruction for your reference. A reference number and the final amount that you need to pay for
your NBI Clearance will be shown. In my case, the amount to be paid isP155.00.

In case your wondering how it arrive at the P165 if the NBI Clearance is just only P115. Here’s
the breakdown of theP155.00 payment would be P130 for the NBI Clearance, P25 for the NBI
Clearance E-Payment Services and P25 Bank Service Fee. You may save the NBI Clearance
Payment instruction for your reference. If you don’t have a printer, you can just snap a photo of
it from your mobile phone. The important details here are the Reference Number, Account
Number, Account Name, the BDO Deposit Reference No. and lastly the Amount. Please make
sure to pay it in the bank before the Deadline indicated in the Payment Instruction. Now go to the
nearest BDO or any bank you have chosen to pay your NBI Clearance and pay the amount for
your NBI Clearance Application. PRINT NBI CLEARANCE APPLICATION FORM After
paying your NBI Clearance in BDO, make sure that you have your deposit slips. Now, go back
to the NBI Clearance Online application and log in to your account using your registered email
address and password. Go to the “TRANSACTION”. It can be found in the left side of the
website. You will see the previous NBI Clearance Application. If you haven’t paid your
application, you can see the status that its “PENDING” just like in the image below. But if you
have already settled the payment, the status will change to “PAID“. Now, you should print your
NBI Clearance. Click on the Details button Once this window appears, click on the button
“PRINT APPLICATION FORM”. It will open another window Here’s an example of the NBI
Clearance Application Form Online. PROCESS YOUR NBI CLEARANCE You may now
process your NBI Clearance in their NBI Clearance Office. Some useful advice: Bring Two (2)
Valid Identification Cards. Make sure to follow the appropriate dress code allowed in the NBI
Clearance Outlets so that they will let you in without any problem. Bring the printed NBI
Clearance Application form, the one which I’ve shown a while ago. When you arrive in the gate
of NBI Main, or any of its satellite offices, don’t waste your time. Ask an NBI Personnel
currently stationed to assist the NBI Clearance Applicants right away. Ask them that you are an
NBI Clearance ONLINE applicant. He or she will give you some directions where to proceed so
listen carefully. Have your picture taken then the Biometrics will be the next step. The two steps
will be too easy for you, right? No need for a thorough explanation for this! The last step would
be the issuance of your NBI Clearance. This is where you go to the printing facilities of NBI
Clearance and receive your fresh-from-the-printer NBI Clearance!

Barangay Clearance

This certificate is usually requested for employment requirements, ID application, supporting

documents in application to government agencies, supporting documents to medical certificates,
Affidavits, and whenever any office requests or requires it. Barangay Clearance is a document
certifying that the applicant is of good moral character and good resident of a given town or
barangay. It also proves that the applicant has no bad records or immoral background. In a
nutshell, the certificate simply states that the person stated has a good standing as a resident

Requirements

There are a few requirements for Barangay Clearance application. Here they are: Application
form Application fee (this varies per Barangay) Recent Community Tax Certificate or Cedula
Steps Here are the steps of the application procedure: Go to your place’s Barangay Hall. Inform
the officer that you are applying for a Barangay Clearance. State the reason why you need a
Barangay Clearance (ID requirement, employment, Postal ID, etc.). Present your Cedula. You
can also get this from the Barangay. Pay the application and processing fees. Wait for your
Barangay Clearance to be released. You can get your Barangay Clearance in just a day. The fees
are also minimum. Therefore, you do not have to worry that application for this can cause you
stress. You can go to the Barangay Hall or Municipal Hall in your place to get more information
regarding the process.

What is a police clearance? A police clearance is one of the essential documents requested by a
government agency or an employer to ensure that the applicant has no criminal record.

How to get police clearance in 6 simple steps:

Before we proceed, it’s important to remember that the requirements and procedures may differ
from one locality to another.

Disappointing, I know. But until the government is able to create a unified system for police
clearance application and/or renewal, it will be your responsibility, for now, to find out what you
need to bring and expect on the day of application.

If possible, inquire at the website or official Facebook page of the municipal office/city
hall/police station where you’re planning to get the police clearance.

This way, you can save yourself from the inconvenience and embarrassment of bringing
requirements that aren’t needed in the first place.
Once you’re ready, follow the steps below to get your police clearance fast and easy:

1. Know the police clearance requirements.

The following are the general requirements when applying for the police clearance:

a. Personal appearance. 
While the police may have digitized records of the applicants, personal information and
appearance change over time.

Hence, you need to show up to update these records with your recent photo and biometrics.

Oh, and they also require this partly to lure wanted criminals who are stupid enough to apply.

b. Police clearance application form.

While this is usually available at the municipal office or police station, some city governments
have taken the lead in technological innovation and now offer online application.

Valenzuela City, for instance, is the first to offer an online police clearance application in
the country. If you’re from this city, simply log on to this link and fill out the application form.
Cebu City now also provides the same convenience to its community. By filling out the online
form at this website, Cebuanos will be issued access number which they need to bring to the new
office near White Gold House at North Reclamation Area so they can provide their
fingerprints/biometrics.
Please ask your local police office or city hall if online police clearance application is already
available in your area.

c. Community tax certificate (cedula) and/or Barangay clearance. 

Again, this will depend on the area where you’ll apply for police clearance. Some will require
applicants to bring both documents while others only need either of the two.

If you’re applying in Makati, for example, you only need to present a cedula.

Police clearance provides a more stringent review of a person’s criminal history so it’s
understandable why some areas consider getting a barangay clearance as redundant and
unnecessary.

d. Police clearance fee. 

The cost of police clearance depends on the type of document that will be issued to you
(certificate or ID) and the price set by the local government.

Police clearance certificate usually costs Php 100 while the police clearance ID card costs more
(Php 150 or higher) due to the materials used.

Therefore, if your local government releases both police clearance certificate and ID card, you
need to bring at least Php 300.
 e. Other possible requirements (not applicable to all areas).
2×2 ID picture.
Birth certificate/Baptismal or any government-issued valid ID.

2. Go to your local municipal office/city hall/city municipal police station.

Again, personal appearance is a must for all applicants.

Keep in mind that some offices are strict regarding dress code. In Cebu City, for instance, the
wearing of sleeveless clothes is prohibited.

Depending on the local government, the entire process of getting a police clearance can take
anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 hour (for more efficient offices) to as long as half a day.

3. Fill out the police clearance form.

If you don’t have a police clearance form yet, ask the Duty Desk Officer for a copy.

Fill out the police clearance application form and submit it along with the requirements to the
Desk Officer for verification.

When approved, the officer will then give you a payment request slip which you’ll present to the
treasury office (see next step) during payment.

If you’ve already accomplished an online application form (only applicable to some areas)
proceed directly to the cashier/treasury department/treasurer’s office to pay the required fees.

4. Pay the police clearance fee at the treasurer’s office/treasury department.

The fee is determined by the local government unit (LGU) where the police office is located.

However, police clearance certificate usually costs Php 100. Additional fees will be charged if
you’ll be using the police clearance for other purposes.

Here’s an example of police clearance price table from Malabon City:

 Local Employment – Php 100.00
 For Reference – Php 100.00
 Travel Abroad – Php 100.00
 NSO Requirement – Php 100.00
 COMELEC Requirement – Php 100.00
 SSS Requirement – Php 100.00
 PNP Requirement – Php 100.00
 AFP Requirement – Php 100.00
 For Adoption – Php 100.00
 For Rehabilitation – Php 100.00
 For Naturalization – Php 300.00
 Firearms Requirement – Php 500.00
Apart from the police clearance certificate, some local governments also charge applicants an
additional Php 150 to Php 200 for a police clearance ID card.
The advantage of having this ID card is its one-year validity period. That means you won’t have
to go through the same process again after 6 months (as what happens when you only have a
certificate) and renewal will be easier once the card expires.

Police clearance ID (above) and police clearance certificate (below). Photo Credit: www.geeky-
guide.com

5. Return to the police station for data encoding, photo capture, and biometrics. 
Show the Official Receipt to the Clearance Police Non-Commissioned Officer (PNCO).

He/she will then guide you to the Encoding section where your personal information will be
processed and saved to their digital registry.

The encoder will be typing in the information using a computer with two screens, one of which
will be facing you so you can double-check every detail.

After data encoding, you will be given a printout of your record. Bring this along with the
Official Receipt to the photo capture section. The facilitator may ask you to remove any earrings
or eyewear to expose your bare face to the camera.

Next, you will be asked to provide your fingerprint.

Place your right thumb on the biometric scanner four times to record your thumbprint digitally.
Lastly, provide your digital signature using the tools provided by the facilitator.

6. Wait for your police clearance to be released.

Unlike other government-issued documents, police clearances are released on the same day of
application. Again, depending on the local government, the process of getting a police clearance
may take anywhere from 15 minutes to half a day.
Once issued, you can now present your police clearance everytime someone asks you for a valid
ID.

The process is quite simple and fast so there’s no reason for anyone to go through lengths just to
falsify it.

I should warn you that anyone who is caught using a falsified document will be facing
a “penalty of prison correctional in its medium and maximum periods and a fine of not more
than Php 5,000 and 5-10 years imprisonment” (Art. 172 Revised Penal Code).

Cedula

Cedula is one of the main requirements you need when submitting government
documents (such as personal data sheet) and IDs (barangay clearance, nbi clearance, police
clearance, postal id, etc) for employment and other purposes. You can get your cedula either at a
barangay hall, or at the city hall itself. The cost per Cedula depends on your city of residence
(from Php 25 to around Php 200), and it will also increase each passing month. This means that,
you must get one as early as January of the current year. The Cedula is valid for one year, and if
you need it by next year, you should get a new Cedula for that year, too. What do I need to
prepare? 1. You need to have around Php 200 to keep your wallet from getting empty. 2. The
address of the barangay hall or city hall where you will get the cedula. In this case, I went to
North Fairview Barangay Hall, which is located at Brookville st., Fairville Subdivision, Quezon
City. If you’re from Commonwealth, Cubao or related areas, you can commute by taking a jeep,
fx, or bus going SM Fairview/Lagro Loob/Tungko/San Francisco/Maligaya. Stop in front of
Brookside street that is facing Regalado Avenue (landmark: after Hiiro’s Japanese Furniture). 3.
A ballpoint pen, just in case they don’t have any pen to lend you. What is the process? 1. Once
you’re in the barangay hall, go to the reception area and tell them you will need a cedula. They
will give you an application slip. You are to fill out the following: Name, Address, Birthday,
Place of Birth. Other information such as height, weight, employment, and personal/commercial
properties are optional. 2. As soon as you’re done filling out the application slip, go to cashier
(Window 1) and submit the form you have filled out. Wait for your name to be called as they
will be the ones to completely fill out community tax certificate. 3. Once the cashier calls your
name, pay the amount requested. Your cedula will be provided to you, and then put your right
thumb mark on the lower left side of it.