You will need this when doing official transactions in the Philippines such as getting employment, applying for a university (some require this), or for whatever legal purposes that it may serve.
So in this post, we will discuss one of the must-have certifications that is widely used in Philippines, the NBI Clearance (National Bureau of Investigation Clearance).
This is a recognizable valid Id in the country. You will learn in this article what an NBI clearance is, what it is good for, where you can get it, how to get it, and the requirements you need.
Effective this year 2017 onward, NBI Clearance Processing will strictly implement the “No Appointment No Entry Policy” for NBI clearance applicants.
No appointment will be available on the same day of application.
Lastly, all NBI Clearance applicants are advised to register online and have their appointment date set in advance.
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.
Requirements for NBI Clearance
If you’re planning to get this certificate, here are the necessary requirements you need to bring in applying for NBI clearance.
- 2 Valid IDs. Here’s a series of valid IDs you can use:
- Voter’s ID
- SSS ID
- PRC License
- Passport
- Postal ID
- Driver’s License
- GSIS UMID
- School ID
- Alien Certificate of Registration
- Philhealth
- Tax Identification Number (TIN) ID
- NSO Authenticated Birth Certificate
- Senior Citizen Card
- Copy of Previous NBI Clearance.
- NBI Clearance Application Fee– Depending on what purpose you will be using your NBI Clearance, you need to prepare money for the application fee. The fee ranges from P115 to P415 so don’t forget to bring cash with you.
- Additional: Prepare your own ballpen, preferably black, and make sure that you are not a WANTED criminal (hehe). Bring the original and photocopy version of your documents for verification.
- Clean Face. This may sound funny to you but during the process, you will be taken biometrics which will require to do picture-taking and fingerprint scanning. So before you go to NBI Office in your area, you might want to groom yourself first to make your face look neat on the camera.
The NBI clearance basically has your name, address, date of birth, place of birth, date of issuance, and the purpose of request. It also has your picture, which we’ll be talking about in the next section, and a thumb mark.
Procedure on How to get NBI Clearance
- Personally go to the nearest NBI Office in your area. Typically, processing of NBI certificate starts from 8AM to 5PM. If you don’t want to wait for long queuing line, try to go there after lunch break time. There will be less applicants during that time period.
TIP: Don’t be shy to ask the guards and other people there.
- Ask for an application form and fill out every information that is needed. Be careful to not make any erasures and keep your handwriting clear and readable. Make sure you to double check everything on your application form so you will not be wasting time.
- You need to pay for the corresponding NBI Clearance fee at the counter. There will be another queuing line for the payment so patience is really a must.
- Next, you need to undergo fingerprint scanning and picture-taking. So prepare yourself to look neat on the camera and let all the features on your face be recognized. If everything went smooth, your NBI Clearances will be forwarded to the printing counter and will be released on the same date of application.
- If you have issues along the process of applying for NBI Clearance certificate, the staffs there will forward you to the proper person to deal with. There will be delays but as long as you know to yourself that you’re not involved in any criminal case, you will get your NBI clearance. You just need to be patient.
NBI Clearance Application Fee
Getting your NBI comes with a fee and the cost is varies for different purpose.
| NBI Clearance Fees | NBI Clearance Purpose of Application |
| P 115.00 | Local Employment, Change of Gender, For Probation, Correction of Birthdate, Enlistment AFP, For Promotion, Enlistment PNP, ID Purposes, Custom’s Pass ID, Student Visa, Lateral Entry, Seaman, Seawoman’s Book, BID, CA, LTO, NSO, PNP, SSS, DND, DOT , Marriage and Other Requirement |
| P 140.00 | Travel Abroad, Africa, Asia, Australia, Canada, Central America, Europe, Hongkong, Libya, Micronesia, Middle East, New Zealand, North America, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Saipan, Singapore, South America, Taiwan, USA, Passport Renewal, For Deportation, Self Deportation, Immigration Requirement, Visa Australia, Canada, China, New Zealand, Visa Seaman, Seawoman, USA |
| P 165.00 | Business Requirement , Change of Name, Permit to Carry Firearms, Firearms License , Adoption NFA, POEA, PRA, SEC , NTC, ACR Requirement, Special Investor’s Residence Visa |
| P 415.00 | Naturalization, Cancellation of Alien Certificate Of Registration (ACR) , Repatriation |
Visit NBI offices early as the queue can be long most of the time.
Sources:
Online, H. and Form, N. (2017). How to Apply for NBI Clearance. [online] NBI Clearance. Available at: http://www.nbiclearance.com/how-to-apply-for-nbi-clearance/ [Accessed 2 Apr. 2017].
NBI Clearance. (2017). How to apply NBI Clearance Online. [online] Available at: http://www.nbiclearance.com/how-to-apply-nbi-clearance-online/ [Accessed 2 Apr. 2017].
Letter, A., Clearance, V. and these!, N. (2017). How To Open your NBI Clearance Application Form Online. [online] NBI Clearance. Available at: http://www.nbiclearance.com/nbi-clearance-print-application-form-online/ [Accessed 2 Apr. 2017].
