Quick answer

Apply through the official NBI Clearance portal, pay using an authorized channel, schedule an appointment, and personally appear for identity verification, photograph, fingerprints, and digital signature. A Filipino applicant generally needs the paid reference number and either an original National ID or two original accepted government-issued IDs.

If any information is wrong, correct it before the clearance is printed. If the portal no longer permits editing—or the application has already been paid—bring documents proving the correct information and ask the NBI officer to correct the record during data verification. If the clearance has already been issued, do not alter the document yourself. Ask the NBI Clearance Center for correction or reissuance and present the erroneous clearance, reference number or receipt, valid IDs, and the underlying civil-registry or court documents.

The Data Privacy Act gives a person the right to dispute inaccurate personal information and have it corrected, unless the request is vexatious or otherwise unreasonable. That right does not authorize the NBI to delete an accurate criminal or court record or to change a civil-registry entry that has not first been legally corrected. See Republic Act No. 10173, sections 11 and 16.

How to obtain a new clearance

1. Register only through the official portal

Go to clearance.nbi.gov.ph. Create or access your account using an active email address and mobile number, complete the applicant information, and review every entry before saving.

Enter your name exactly as supported by your current legal documents. Pay particular attention to:

Given, middle, and family names, including suffixes
Date and place of birth
Sex and civil status
Citizenship
Current and permanent addresses
Parents’ names
Spacing, hyphens, and compound surnames

Do not create several accounts merely to work around an error. Duplicate profiles can make identity verification more difficult.

2. Choose a branch and appointment

Select an available NBI Clearance Center and appointment schedule. The NBI’s office locator states that applicants should apply and pay through the official portal before going to a clearance office.

Save a screenshot or printed copy of the reference number. Keep the payment confirmation even if the portal already shows the transaction as paid.

3. Pay the displayed amount

The NBI’s 2025 Citizen’s Charter lists a ₱130 clearance fee plus a ₱30 electronic-payment convenience fee, or ₱160 total for the ordinary application described there. Delivery or other optional services cost more. Confirm the amount shown for the particular transaction before paying because payment and delivery options may change. See the NBI 2025 Citizen’s Charter, pages 44–54.

Use only the payment channels offered inside the official portal. Avoid fixers and anyone asking for payment to a personal account.

4. Bring the correct original identification

Under the Citizen’s Charter, a Filipino applicant should present:

An original PhilSys or National ID; or
Any two original accepted IDs or certificates, such as a passport, driver’s license, PRC ID, UMID, government employee ID, Postal ID, PhilHealth ID, Pag-IBIG Loyalty Card, voter’s ID or certification of registration, senior citizen ID, PWD ID, Solo Parent ID, Seaman’s Book, or an authenticated PSA/NSO birth certificate.

A school ID must be accompanied by the current registration card. Bring IDs that are valid, legible, and consistent with the information being used. The complete agency list appears in the NBI Citizen’s Charter.

A new foreign applicant must present the original and a photocopy of a valid passport and apply at the NBI Main Office or an NBI regional or district office for manual fingerprinting. The Citizen’s Charter does not place new foreign applications at ordinary satellite centers.

5. Personally complete biometrics and data verification

At the branch, present the paid reference number and identification. The NBI will capture your photograph, fingerprints, and digital signature.

Carefully inspect the information shown by the operator. This is the best time to catch a misspelling, reversed birth date, missing suffix, incorrect civil status, or similar encoding error. Do not approve the data or allow printing until the displayed information is correct.

6. Claim the clearance or follow the “hit” instructions

For a no-hit, first-time application, the Citizen’s Charter estimates about 15 minutes of agency processing after registration and payment steps. Actual time may be longer because of queues, system interruptions, identity questions, or document problems.

A “hit” does not by itself mean that the applicant has been convicted or that the matched record belongs to the applicant. It means the application requires further verification against the NBI database. The 2025 Citizen’s Charter gives an eight-working-day return period for the hit procedures it describes, with a Quality Control interview where necessary. Follow the return date written or given by the branch rather than relying on a general estimate.

Renewal options

The NBI Citizen’s Charter describes online renewal for a no-hit applicant whose earlier clearance was issued after October 16, 2016. It provides for pickup at the NBI Clearance Building on United Nations Avenue or door-to-door delivery. The portal ultimately determines whether a particular record is eligible.

Do not use simplified renewal if your legal name, birth information, citizenship, or other important personal data must be changed. Use the process directed by the NBI so the new information can be verified against original supporting documents.

Verified eGovPH users may also have access to NBI eClearance renewal, retrieval, and a digital copy through the eGovPH Super App, following the service’s July 2026 launch. Eligibility remains subject to system verification. See the NBI announcement on eGovPH eClearance.

How to correct an error

If the application has not been paid

Log in and check whether the applicant-information page still allows the incorrect field to be edited. Compare the corrected entry with your original IDs and PSA documents before saving.

If the field is locked, do not guess or create a false entry. Contact the NBI or ask the selected branch how the field should be corrected.

If the application is paid but not yet printed

Bring:

The reference number and proof of payment
The original IDs required for the application
A PSA birth or marriage certificate, annotated civil-registry record, court order, or other official document directly proving the correction
A copy or screenshot showing the incorrect entry, if available

Tell the biometrics or data-verification officer about the error before your photograph, fingerprints, signature, and clearance are finalized. Ask to see the corrected information on the monitor.

Because the NBI’s published guidance does not promise that every paid transaction can be edited at every stage, do not assume that correction will be immediate or free. Follow the written instruction of the branch and retain proof of any additional transaction.

If the clearance has already been printed

Do not erase, overwrite, laminate over, digitally edit, or manually “correct” the clearance. An altered government document may be rejected and can create more serious problems.

Return to the issuing branch promptly, or contact the NBI Clearance Center, with:

The original erroneous clearance
The paid reference number and receipt
Your original valid IDs
The official record establishing the correct information
A short written request identifying the incorrect and correct entries
Copies for receiving or acknowledgment

Ask whether the NBI will correct the database, issue a replacement, or require a new application. Obtain the name or desk of the office handling the request, a receiving copy or ticket number, and the expected next step. The NBI’s public materials do not establish a universal fee or deadline for post-issuance corrections, so the result depends on the type and stage of the error.

Match the proof to the kind of correction

Problem	Useful supporting evidence
Simple NBI encoding error	Valid IDs and PSA document showing the same correct entry
Misspelled or incomplete legal name	PSA birth certificate, current passport or National ID, and any annotated civil-registry record
Married name or civil-status update	PSA marriage certificate and IDs showing the name currently used
Annulment, declaration of nullity, recognition of foreign divorce, or other court-ordered status change	Final court decision or order, certificate of finality where applicable, annotated PSA record, and updated IDs
Corrected birth information	Annotated PSA birth certificate and the civil registrar’s approved correction or applicable court order
Wrong person linked to a derogatory record	IDs, birth records, old clearances, and any NBI-requested identity evidence
Dismissed, archived, acquitted, or otherwise disposed case not reflected accurately	Certified court or prosecutor documents showing the exact case number and disposition

Bring originals for inspection and photocopies for submission. Never surrender an irreplaceable original unless the receiving office formally requires and receipts it.

When the underlying civil record is wrong

The NBI cannot ordinarily turn an inaccurate birth or marriage record into a legally corrected civil-registry record. Correct the source document first, then use the annotated or officially corrected record for the NBI request.

Under Republic Act No. 9048, specified clerical or typographical errors and qualifying changes of first name may be handled through the city or municipal civil registrar or, for Filipinos abroad, the consul general, without a court order. Republic Act No. 10172 extends the administrative procedure to patently clerical errors in the day or month of birth and sex, subject to its documentary and publication requirements.

Substantial or contested changes—including matters outside those statutes—may require a different administrative remedy or a court proceeding. Consult the local civil registrar or a Philippine lawyer before assuming which process applies.

If the problem is a “hit” or derogatory record

Attend the return appointment and any Quality Control interview. Answer accurately and bring the documents the NBI identifies. If you know of a similarly named person or an old case that may be causing the match, prepare:

Current and former IDs
PSA birth certificate
Earlier NBI clearances
Certified copies of the complaint, information, orders, decision, dismissal, acquittal, or other final disposition
Proof that the case number, birth date, address, or other identifying information concerns another person, if applicable

An NBI correction request does not amend or overturn a court, prosecution, police, or civil-registry record. If the source agency’s record is inaccurate, correction may also have to be requested from that agency or court.

Seek legal help urgently if the verification reveals an outstanding warrant, an active case you did not know about, identity theft, or a record that is being attributed to you despite materially different identifying information. Do not ignore a return or interview instruction.

Your right to correction under the Data Privacy Act

Personal information must be accurate and kept up to date where necessary. Under section 16 of the Data Privacy Act, a data subject may dispute an inaccuracy and require the personal information controller to correct it, unless the request is vexatious or otherwise unreasonable. Where corrected data was previously disclosed, the law also provides mechanisms for recipients to be informed of the inaccuracy and rectification upon reasonable request. The National Privacy Commission’s right-to-rectify guidance explains this right.

A practical written request should state:

Your full name and contact details.
The application or clearance reference number.
The exact entry believed to be wrong.
The correct entry requested.
How the error affects you.
The official documents proving the correction.
The action requested, such as database correction and reissuance.
A reasonable deadline or request for a written status update.

Send it through an official NBI channel and preserve proof of receipt. For current clearance concerns, the NBI lists nbiclearance@nbi.gov.ph, (02) 8524-1277, and 0939 150 2880 on its official contact page.

If the NBI does not take timely or appropriate action on a genuine personal-data accuracy issue, an NPC complaint may be considered. The NPC generally requires proof that the respondent was first notified in writing and either failed to act appropriately or did not respond within 15 calendar days after receiving the notice. Review the NPC complaint mechanics before filing. The NPC process is for possible privacy or data-protection violations; it is not a substitute for appealing a criminal case or correcting a court judgment.

First-time jobseekers

A qualified first-time jobseeker may obtain an NBI clearance without the ordinary government fee under Republic Act No. 11261. The statutory benefit may be used only once.

Use the first-time-jobseeker facility linked by the NBI and bring:

A barangay certification stating that you are a qualified first-time jobseeker and have resided in the issuing barangay for at least six months
The corresponding Oath of Undertaking
An original National ID or two original accepted IDs

The NBI’s Citizen’s Charter for first-time jobseekers confirms that the clearance is free and that hit or Quality Control verification may still be required. The fee waiver does not excuse false declarations or fabricated documents.

Applicants who are abroad

A new overseas applicant may obtain NBI Form No. 5 from a Philippine embassy or consulate, complete rolled fingerprint impressions before an authorized officer, and attach a recent 2×2 photograph and a copy of the passport biodata page. The application may be sent by mail or handled through an authorized representative, subject to the NBI’s requirements.

The NBI states that overseas applications are processed through its United Nations Avenue clearance facility and publishes separate instructions, fees, and mailing requirements on its Mailed Clearance page. Contact mailedclearance@nbi.gov.ph before sending documents, especially when a name, address, or civil status must be changed.

Evidence to preserve

Keep copies or screenshots of:

The online profile before submission
Appointment details and reference number
Payment confirmation and official receipt
IDs and civil-registry documents presented
The erroneous clearance
Emails, letters, and branch instructions
Receiving copies, ticket numbers, and names of personnel or offices contacted
Court-certified records submitted for a hit or derogatory-record issue
Courier tracking and delivery receipts

Redact unnecessary personal information before sending documents through an insecure channel. Do not post an unredacted clearance, passport, birth certificate, reference number, or QR code on social media.

Common mistakes to avoid

Using a look-alike website instead of the official .gov.ph portal
Paying a fixer or personal e-wallet account
Entering a nickname instead of the legally supported name
Omitting a suffix or part of a compound name
Assuming a married surname must automatically replace every existing record
Paying before reviewing the entire profile
Approving the monitor display without checking it
Treating a hit as proof of guilt
Missing the return date for hit verification
Manually altering an issued clearance
Expecting the NBI to correct an inaccurate PSA or court record
Discarding the receipt, reference number, or erroneous certificate

Frequently asked questions

Can I obtain a clearance without applying online?

The NBI directs applicants to register, schedule, and pay through its official portal before visiting a clearance office. Assistance counters may exist at some locations, but do not rely on an unscheduled walk-in.

Can another person complete my ordinary application?

A new domestic application normally requires your personal appearance because the NBI captures your photograph, fingerprints, and signature. Separate representative and mailed procedures apply to qualified applicants abroad.

Can I correct information after payment?

Possibly, but it depends on whether the transaction and field remain editable. Bring proof of the correct information and ask the NBI to resolve the error before biometrics and printing. Do not pay for a duplicate application unless instructed.

Will a printed clearance be corrected for free?

Published NBI guidance does not promise a universal free-replacement rule for post-issuance errors. Ask the issuing branch whether the error can be corrected and reprinted or whether a new paid transaction is required.

Does a hit mean I have a criminal record?

Not necessarily. It means the application requires further database verification. A similar name or another record requiring identity review may trigger the process.

How long does a hit take?

The 2025 Citizen’s Charter uses an eight-working-day return period for the hit procedures described there. The branch’s actual scheduled return date controls.

Can the NBI remove a dismissed case from its database?

You may request correction of inaccurate or outdated personal information and present certified proof of the case disposition. Whether a particular entry should be corrected, updated, restricted, or retained depends on the actual source record, applicable law, and NBI verification. A dismissal does not authorize an applicant to alter the clearance personally.

What if my employer’s deadline is near?

Apply early, inform the employer in writing that NBI verification is pending, and preserve the appointment or return slip. Seek prompt legal assistance if the delay involves a warrant, mistaken identity, or an inaccurate derogatory record rather than an ordinary name hit.

Official references

This article provides general legal information, not legal advice for a particular person or case. Requirements and portal functions can change, and the correct remedy may depend on the underlying civil-registry, court, or NBI records. Official sources were checked on August 11, 2026.