Quick answer

Yes. A married woman may apply for an NBI clearance using her husband’s surname without obtaining a court order. Using a married name is optional, not compulsory: she may also continue using her maiden name.

For a clearance in your married name, use the official NBI Clearance portal, select Married, enter your maiden surname and husband’s surname in their separate fields, and make every entry consistent with your civil-registry records and identification documents. Bring two original, unexpired government-issued IDs. It is prudent to bring your PSA marriage certificate and old NBI clearance as supporting records, especially if some IDs still show your maiden name.

Do not use the simplified online-renewal option if your civil status or name has changed. The NBI limits that option to applicants with no changes in their personal information.

You are not required to take your husband’s surname

Article 370 of the Civil Code of the Philippines allows a married woman to use:

Her maiden first name and surname, adding her husband’s surname;
Her maiden first name with her husband’s surname; or
Her husband’s full name with a word indicating that she is his wife, such as “Mrs.”

The Supreme Court has clarified that “may” makes the choice permissive. Marriage changes a woman’s civil status but does not automatically erase or replace her registered maiden name. She may keep using her maiden name or adopt a form authorized by Article 370. No petition for change of name is required merely to begin using her husband’s surname. See the Supreme Court’s decisions in Remo v. Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Yasin v. Shari’a District Court.

This choice should nevertheless be applied consistently. An NBI clearance does not amend your PSA birth certificate, marriage certificate, passport, or records with other agencies.

Before applying: decide which name you will consistently use

Choose the name that should appear on the clearance and compare it with:

Your PSA birth and marriage certificates;
Your passport, Philippine Identification Card, driver’s license, UMID, or other government IDs;
Your previous NBI clearance;
The name required by your employer, licensing body, school, embassy, or foreign authority.

If the requesting institution expects the name shown in your passport, employment records, or professional license, using the same name reduces the risk of delay. For passport transactions, special rules may apply once a married woman has already adopted her husband’s surname in a passport; do not assume that NBI procedures control passport naming rules.

How to enter a married name in the NBI system

The current NBI registration interface treats the information separately. For a female applicant who selects a married civil status, it asks for the maiden surname and husband’s surname.

For example, assume your birth records show:

First name: Angela Mae
Middle name: Ramos
Maiden surname: Cruz
Husband’s surname: Santos

Enter those facts in their corresponding fields. Do not put “Santos” in the maiden-surname field, delete “Cruz,” or invent a different middle name. Let the NBI system generate the clearance in its prescribed format.

Follow these rules:

Copy all names exactly, including compound names, spaces, suffixes and entries such as “Ma.” or “Maria.”
Use the surname recorded at birth in the maiden-name field.
Put your husband’s surname only in the designated husband’s-surname field.
Do not add a hyphen unless that spelling is already supported by the records you intend to present and the NBI accepts it.
If your birth certificate has no middle name or contains an annotation, do not invent an entry. Ask the NBI how its system should record the fact.
Disclose previous names or aliases wherever the application asks for them.

Step-by-step application

1. Prepare your records

Have the following ready before registering or paying:

Two original, unexpired government-issued IDs;
A PSA-issued marriage certificate as supporting proof linking your maiden and married names;
Your old NBI clearance, if any;
An active mobile number and email address;
The exact spelling of your name on your PSA birth certificate.

The NBI’s published checklist requires two government-issued IDs and instructs applicants to make their profile match their IDs. Its examples include a passport, driver’s license, Philippine Identification Card, UMID, Postal ID, and PSA birth certificate. Check the current NBI application guide before your appointment because accepted documents and system requirements can change.

A marriage certificate is useful supporting evidence, but the NBI’s general checklist does not expressly make it a substitute for the two required IDs. The safest preparation is to have two IDs showing the married name. If you have only maiden-name IDs, ask your selected NBI center whether it will accept them together with your PSA marriage certificate before paying.

If your marriage is not yet available from the PSA, ask the branch whether it will accept a certified copy from the Local Civil Registry Office. Acceptance should not be assumed.

2. Use the ordinary online-application process

Go only to the official NBI Clearance portal.

Register or sign in using an active email address and mobile number.
If you have an existing account, review whether the profile permits you to update your civil status and husband’s surname.
Select Female and Married.
Enter your birth-record name, maiden surname and husband’s surname in their designated fields.
Complete the remaining personal, family, address, education and employment information.
Save the profile and review every field before starting a paid transaction.

If a core name field is locked or contains an error, do not create duplicate accounts or pay repeatedly in the hope that the issue will correct itself. Contact the NBI or ask the chosen clearance center how to update the record.

3. Apply, choose a branch and book an appointment

Select Apply for Clearance, identify the government ID you intend to present, and then:

Choose an NBI clearance center;
Select an available date and AM or PM schedule;
Select the appropriate application purpose;
Record the generated reference number.

The NBI instructs applicants to complete and pay for the online transaction before visiting a clearance office. Use the official clearance-office locator because operating hours differ by location.

4. Pay the amount displayed by the portal

The NBI currently states that the basic clearance fee is ₱130, plus the service charge imposed by the chosen payment provider—usually around ₱25 to ₱30. The amount shown on your live transaction and payment page controls.

Available methods may include GCash, Maya, online banking, 7-Eleven and Bayad Center. Save:

The reference number or QR code;
The payment confirmation;
The appointment details; and
A screenshot showing that the transaction is marked PAID.

First-time jobseekers who qualify for the statutory fee waiver should not use the ordinary paid process.

5. Appear personally for biometrics

Bring:

Your reference number or QR code;
Proof of payment;
Two original, unexpired accepted IDs;
Your PSA marriage certificate;
Your previous NBI clearance, if available; and
Photocopies for reference, although the original IDs should be available for inspection.

At the branch, the NBI will capture your photograph, fingerprints and electronic signature.

Before confirming your information, carefully check the monitor. Verify your first, middle, maiden and husband’s surnames, birth date, birthplace, civil status and address. Ask for correction before the clearance is printed. Do not rely on staff to notice a spelling or field-placement error.

6. Wait for the record check and release

If the application has no hit, the clearance may be printed during the visit after verification and biometrics.

A hit means the system found a potentially matching name or record that requires manual review. It does not, by itself, establish that you have a criminal case. The NBI’s current guide says applicants with a hit are usually asked to return in approximately five to ten working days, although the actual release date is the date given by the branch.

If your application is referred for quality-control review, answer accurately and bring documents that distinguish you from the matched person.

If your previous clearance used your maiden name

A change from a maiden name to a married name is a change in personal information. Use the ordinary application process rather than the quick online-renewal service intended for records with no changes.

Keep the old clearance and present it if requested. It can help connect the former record to your current application, but it does not replace the two required IDs or proof of marriage.

If your existing online account will not allow the necessary correction, contact the NBI before paying. Current clearance-inquiry details are available on the NBI contact page:

Landline: (02) 8524-1277
Mobile: 0939 150 2880
Email: nbiclearance@nbi.gov.ph

First-time jobseeker exception

Under Republic Act No. 11261, a qualified first-time jobseeker may obtain an NBI clearance without the usual government fee. The benefit may be used only once.

Use the NBI’s dedicated First-Time Jobseekers portal and bring:

The required original barangay certification stating that you are a first-time jobseeker;
A signed oath of undertaking; and
Two accepted government-issued IDs or certificates.

The married-name fields and document-consistency precautions still apply.

Applicants who are abroad

Applicants overseas follow the NBI mailed-clearance procedure instead of the ordinary local biometric appointment.

For a new application, obtain NBI Form No. 5 from a Philippine embassy or consulate, complete it without erasures, and have rolled fingerprints taken by the embassy, consulate or authorized police office. The NBI’s instructions require a married female applicant to state separately her surname or surname being used, husband’s surname, first name and middle name.

The application also requires a recent 2×2 photograph and a copy of the passport biodata page. It may be mailed to the NBI or processed through an authorized representative. Follow the current NBI procedure for applicants abroad because the payment, mailing and representative requirements differ from local applications.

Evidence to preserve

Keep digital and paper copies of:

Your completed profile or screenshots of its important fields;
Reference number and appointment confirmation;
Payment receipt;
PSA marriage certificate;
IDs presented;
Previous and newly issued clearances;
Any correction request or email to the NBI;
The return slip or release date if the application receives a hit; and
The name and location of the branch where a disputed correction was raised.

These records are useful if an employer questions the name difference or the portal later displays incorrect information.

Common mistakes to avoid

Entering the husband’s surname in the maiden-surname field;
Omitting the maiden surname because it no longer appears as the last name on one ID;
Rearranging the middle name without following the portal’s fields and civil-registry records;
Paying before checking whether the profile can be corrected;
Using quick renewal despite a change in name or civil status;
Bringing only photocopies, screenshots or expired IDs;
Assuming a marriage certificate automatically replaces the two-ID requirement;
Adding a hyphen, suffix or alternative spelling that is unsupported by the documents;
Treating a hit as proof of a criminal record; or
Scheduling the application too close to an employment, visa or licensing deadline.

Special situations

Different rules can apply after legal separation, annulment, declaration of nullity, a recognized divorce or the husband’s death. For example, Article 372 of the Civil Code provides that after legal separation, the wife continues using the name and surname she employed before the decree. Annulment and other forms of dissolution have their own rules.

Do not rely only on a marriage certificate when changing back from a previously used married surname. Depending on the circumstances, the NBI may need an annotated PSA marriage certificate, final court decision, certificate of finality, recognized divorce record or death certificate. The exact result depends on the decree and the names used in your existing government records.

When help is urgent

Contact the NBI promptly if:

The printed clearance contains the wrong person’s or wrong surname information;
A hit appears to involve a case that is not yours;
The system shows an unknown alias, criminal record or identity;
Your account appears to have been used by someone else;
Your identity fields are locked and a paid appointment is approaching; or
An employer, embassy or court deadline will expire before the stated release date.

If the NBI identifies an actual warrant, pending criminal case, identity-theft problem or disputed court record, obtain advice from a Philippine lawyer or the Public Attorney’s Office where eligible. A clearance-center clerk cannot resolve the underlying legal case.

Frequently asked questions

Is it compulsory to use my husband’s surname after marriage?

No. Philippine law gives a married woman a choice. She may continue using her maiden name or use her husband’s surname in a form permitted by Article 370 of the Civil Code.

Do I need a court order to use my married name?

No. Using the husband’s surname by reason of marriage is not an ordinary judicial change of the registered birth name.

Is a PSA marriage certificate required by the NBI?

The NBI’s general published checklist specifies two government-issued IDs and does not expressly list a marriage certificate as a universal additional requirement. Nevertheless, bring a PSA marriage certificate when applying under a married name, particularly when your IDs or old clearance use different surnames. It establishes the connection between the maiden and married names.

Can I apply if all my IDs still use my maiden name?

The NBI instructs applicants to make their profile match their valid IDs. The safest course is to update two accepted IDs first or obtain written or branch-specific confirmation that your maiden-name IDs and marriage certificate will be accepted. Do this before paying.

Should I create a new NBI account after marriage?

Not automatically. First check your existing account and whether the required profile information can be updated. If essential fields are locked, ask the NBI for the proper correction process. Avoid duplicate paid transactions.

Does a hit mean I have a criminal record?

No. It means the NBI must manually verify a potentially matching name or record. Follow the return date and bring documents that establish your identity.

Can I keep using a maiden-name NBI clearance after adopting a married name?

The receiving employer or agency decides whether it will accept a clearance whose name differs from your current records. If name consistency matters, obtain a new clearance using the properly documented married name.

Official sources

This article provides general Philippine legal information, not legal advice for a particular person or case. Procedures and documentary requirements may change, and individual branches or receiving institutions may need additional proof. Laws, official guidance, fees and procedures were checked against available primary and official sources on August 6, 2026.