Quick answer

You may apply for an NBI Clearance using your married name if you have chosen to use your husband’s surname. Register or sign in through the official NBI Clearance portal, enter your current civil status and names accurately, schedule and pay for the transaction, then appear at the selected NBI clearance center for identity verification and biometrics.

Bring two original, valid government-issued identification documents. Because your birth record and older IDs may show your maiden name, also bring your PSA-issued marriage certificate and, if available, at least one valid ID already bearing your married name. The NBI may require additional verification when the names in your application and documents do not match.

Marriage does not automatically require a Filipino woman to adopt her husband’s surname. You may continue using your maiden name. But if you choose a married name for your clearance, use a legally permitted and consistent name format across the application and your supporting records.

How a married woman’s name generally works

Article 370 of the Civil Code states that a married woman may use:

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

The Supreme Court has clarified that “may” makes adoption of the husband’s surname optional, not compulsory. Marriage changes a woman’s civil status; it does not automatically erase or legally replace her maiden name. A married woman may therefore continue using her maiden name. See Republic Act No. 386, Article 370 and the Supreme Court’s decision in Remo v. Secretary of Foreign Affairs, G.R. No. 169202, March 5, 2010.

For the familiar Philippine married-name format, the usual arrangement is:

Given name + maiden surname as middle name + husband’s surname as last name

Example:

Before marriage: Maria Santos Reyes After adopting the husband’s surname Cruz: Maria Reyes Cruz

This example is only a naming illustration. Follow the fields and instructions shown by the current NBI portal, and make sure the resulting name can be supported by your civil-registry records and IDs.

Documents to prepare

For an ordinary NBI Clearance application, prepare:

Two original, valid government-issued IDs accepted by the NBI;
Your NBI reference number or QR code;
Proof of payment, preferably both a screenshot and the payment receipt;
Your PSA-issued marriage certificate;
Your old NBI Clearance, if you have one;
At least one valid government-issued ID in your married name, if already available; and
A copy of your PSA birth certificate if it may help connect your maiden and married records.

The NBI’s current application guidance requires two valid government-issued IDs for the branch visit. Consult the NBI’s official application guide before your appointment because the accepted-document list and portal workflow can change.

A marriage certificate is especially important when:

Both IDs still show your maiden name;
One ID uses your maiden name and another uses your married name;
Your old NBI Clearance is under your maiden name;
The spelling, spacing, suffix, or middle name differs among your records; or
You recently married and have not yet updated other government records.

A marriage certificate links your maiden identity to your marital status, but it does not necessarily replace the NBI’s requirement for two acceptable identification documents.

Step-by-step application

1. Decide which lawful name you will use

Before entering any information, decide whether the clearance should bear:

Your maiden name; or
A married-name format permitted by Article 370.

Do not use a married name merely because you believe marriage automatically requires it. It does not. Choose the name you actually use or intend to use consistently for employment, travel, banking, professional licensing, or other official transactions.

If an employer or foreign authority requested the clearance, check which name appears on your passport, visa application, employment records, or other controlling document. An NBI Clearance under a different name may still be valid evidence of identity, but the mismatch can cause delays or demands for additional proof.

2. Review your existing NBI account

Go only to the official NBI Clearance portal.

If you already have an account under your maiden name, sign in and review whether the portal permits you to update your civil status and personal information. Do not conceal the prior record or enter a false maiden name simply to obtain a different printed name.

If an essential name field is locked or the system will not accept the change, stop before paying and ask the selected NBI clearance center or the NBI’s official contact channel how the record should be corrected. Creating inconsistent duplicate profiles can make identity matching harder.

3. Enter each name in the correct field

Complete the applicant-information form carefully:

Enter your given name exactly as supported by your records.
Enter your birth or maiden surname wherever the form specifically asks for it.
Enter your husband’s surname in the field designated for it.
Select your true civil status.
Do not place “Mrs.” in a given-name field unless the form expressly instructs you to do so.
Do not substitute your husband’s surname for your maiden surname in a field specifically asking for your maiden name.
Preserve legitimate hyphens, compound surnames, suffixes, and spelling.

For applications processed from abroad, the NBI expressly instructs married female applicants to provide the surname being used or father’s surname, the husband’s surname, given name, and the mother’s maiden surname as middle name. The overseas procedure is available on the NBI’s official mailed-clearance page.

4. Review before submitting

Compare the application against:

Your PSA marriage certificate;
Your PSA birth certificate;
Your current IDs;
Your old NBI Clearance; and
The document for which the clearance will be used.

Pay close attention to:

Maiden surname versus married surname;
Middle name;
Multiple given names;
“Ma.” versus “Maria”;
Hyphens and spaces;
“Ñ” and other special characters;
“Jr.,” “II,” or another suffix;
Date and place of birth; and
Your spouse’s exact surname.

Do not assume the branch can instantly correct every field after payment or biometrics.

5. Schedule the branch visit and pay

Select an available NBI clearance center and appointment schedule through the portal. Choose a payment channel offered by the system and retain the generated reference number.

The NBI’s published application guide identifies a basic clearance fee of ₱130, with an additional service charge depending on the payment channel. Rely on the amount displayed by the official portal before completing payment, since channel charges can change.

Save:

The reference number;
The transaction page;
The appointment details;
The portal’s stated total; and
The payment confirmation.

Avoid agents or social-media pages offering “no appearance,” “no hit,” or guaranteed expedited clearance. Use only the official portal and authorized payment channels.

6. Attend the appointment personally

Bring your documents to the selected clearance center. NBI personnel will verify your information and capture your photograph, fingerprints, and electronic signature.

Before the record is finalized, ask to review the displayed information. Confirm that the name intended for the clearance is correct. Raise any maiden-name or married-name issue immediately and show the marriage certificate and supporting IDs.

7. Complete verification and receive the clearance

If the database check returns no possible match, the clearance may be printed after processing. If the application receives a “hit,” follow the return date or verification instructions issued by the branch.

A hit does not, by itself, establish that you have a criminal case. It may mean that the system found a potentially matching name or record requiring manual verification. Do not rely on unofficial estimates for release. The branch’s written or printed return instruction controls your next step.

Before leaving, inspect the clearance for:

Correct spelling of your complete name;
Correct birth information;
Correct civil information, where shown;
The proper purpose, if displayed; and
Any visible printing defect.

Report an error immediately. Do not alter the printed clearance yourself.

If all your IDs are still in your maiden name

You may face additional identity verification if you request a clearance in a married name while both IDs remain in your maiden name. Bring the PSA marriage certificate and PSA birth certificate, but contact the intended NBI center before paying if you cannot present an accepted ID in the married name.

The safest practical sequence is often to update at least one primary government ID first. Whether this is necessary in a particular application depends on the NBI center’s ability to verify the documents presented and the current portal requirements.

Alternatively, because Philippine law allows a married woman to continue using her maiden name, you may apply in your maiden name if that remains the name consistently used on your valid IDs and on the transaction for which the clearance is required.

If your previous clearance uses your maiden name

Do not hide or discard the old clearance. Bring it with your marriage certificate.

A change from maiden to married name is a change in personal information, not a new personal identity. The NBI must be able to connect the new application with your earlier records. If the online-renewal feature does not permit the necessary name or civil-status change, use the regular application process or obtain instructions from the NBI rather than forcing an unchanged renewal.

For applications from abroad, the NBI specifically directs renewal applicants to write a change of address or civil status on the old clearance. That overseas instruction should not be assumed to replace the process for an in-person Philippine application.

Special situations

Recently married but the PSA certificate is not yet available

A local civil registrar’s certified copy may help explain the marriage, but an agency or foreign authority may specifically require a PSA-issued certificate. Ask the NBI center what it will accept before paying if the PSA copy is not yet available.

Do not claim “married” under a new surname without documentary support that connects the maiden and married names.

Marriage certificate contains an error

A misspelling or incorrect entry in the marriage record may require correction through the local civil registrar and, depending on the type of error, administrative or judicial proceedings. The appropriate remedy depends on whether the error is clerical or affects a substantial fact.

Do not solve a civil-registry error by deliberately entering different information in the NBI application. Seek advice promptly if an employment, immigration, or court deadline is approaching.

Annulment, declaration of nullity, legal separation, divorce, or widowhood

The rules on surnames after a marriage ends or a spouse dies depend on the event and the controlling documents. Articles 371 to 373 of the Civil Code contain different rules for annulment, legal separation, and widowhood. A foreign divorce also raises the separate question of whether it is recognized in the Philippines.

Bring the relevant final court judgment, certificate of finality, annotated civil-registry record, death certificate, or other official document. Obtain individualized legal advice if your desired name is inconsistent with your current civil-registry records or court orders.

Applying from outside the Philippines

The NBI has a separate procedure for applicants abroad. New applicants generally obtain NBI Form No. 5 from a Philippine embassy or consulate, complete fingerprinting before the proper official, attach a recent 2×2 photograph and passport-biographical-page copy, and send the documents by mail or through a representative.

The NBI states that applications from abroad are processed at its Mailed Clearance Section in Manila and may take a maximum of five working days upon receipt of complete documents. Mailing and transit time are separate. Review the complete official overseas procedure because fees, addresses, and documentary requirements may be updated.

First-time job seeker

Republic Act No. 11261 waives the NBI Clearance fee for a qualified first-time job seeker, subject to the law’s conditions. The benefit may be used only once, and the applicant must present the required barangay certification. The NBI’s Citizen’s Charter also requires two valid government-issued IDs or acceptable certificates and directs applicants to the dedicated first-time-job-seeker facility.

Use the NBI first-time-job-seeker instructions and read the First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act. Married applicants must still keep their maiden and married-name information accurate.

Evidence to preserve

Keep copies or clear photographs of:

The submitted applicant-information page;
Your reference number and appointment confirmation;
The amount displayed before payment;
The official payment receipt;
The IDs presented;
Your PSA birth and marriage certificates;
Your old NBI Clearance;
Any correction request or support correspondence;
A hit or return-date slip; and
The final clearance.

These records can help if the printed name is wrong, the payment is not reflected, an employer questions the name difference, or the NBI asks you to establish continuity between maiden and married records.

Do not post an unredacted NBI Clearance, ID, QR code, reference number, or civil-registry certificate online. These documents contain personal information that can be misused.

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming adoption of the husband’s surname is mandatory;
Entering the husband’s surname into a field asking for the maiden surname;
Treating the maiden surname as though it disappeared after marriage;
Using a nickname or shortened first name not supported by official records;
Registering with a different date or place of birth to avoid a hit;
Paying before checking every name field;
Bringing photocopies but no original valid IDs;
Relying on a marriage certificate alone as a substitute for the required IDs;
Using an unofficial website, fixer, or payment account;
Creating conflicting profiles when an existing record cannot be edited;
Assuming a hit means that the applicant has a criminal record; or
Altering a printed clearance instead of requesting an official correction.

When help is urgent

Contact the NBI promptly—and consider consulting a Philippine lawyer—when:

The clearance shows another person’s case or derogatory record;
You are repeatedly unable to clear a hit despite producing identity records;
Your birth or marriage certificate contains a material error;
Your name is affected by annulment, nullity, foreign divorce, adoption, or a court-ordered change;
The NBI record conflicts with a final court disposition;
Someone used your identity or obtained a clearance in your name;
An employer, embassy, or court deadline is near; or
You are being asked to pay money outside the official portal or authorized channel.

Bring the original records and written proof of the deadline. A lawyer may help identify whether the problem belongs with the NBI, a civil registrar, the PSA, a court, or another agency.

Frequently asked questions

Am I legally required to use my husband’s surname on my NBI Clearance?

No. Article 370 uses the word “may,” and the Supreme Court has held that using the husband’s surname is optional. You may continue using your maiden name after marriage.

Can I obtain a clearance in my married name if my old clearance uses my maiden name?

Generally, you may request the new clearance under a lawful married name, but you must disclose accurate maiden-name and civil-status information and establish that both names belong to you. Bring your old clearance, PSA marriage certificate, and supporting IDs.

Is a PSA marriage certificate always required?

The NBI’s general published checklist emphasizes two valid government-issued IDs. However, a marriage certificate is the key supporting record when the requested married name differs from your IDs or old clearance. The branch may require it or other documents to resolve the discrepancy.

Must one ID already show my married name?

The NBI’s public guidance does not state a universal married-name rule covering every possible combination of documents. If neither ID bears the requested married name, contact the selected center before paying. Bring the PSA marriage and birth certificates, but do not assume they will automatically replace an accepted ID.

Should my maiden surname become my middle name?

That is the commonly used Philippine format when a wife adopts her husband’s surname. Enter each component only in the field designated by the NBI form. Do not guess if you have a compound surname, no middle name, or inconsistent civil records.

Can I use online renewal to change from my maiden name to my married name?

Do not rely on an unchanged renewal transaction when your name or civil status must be updated. If the renewal facility does not allow the change, follow the regular application process or obtain instructions from the NBI.

What if I receive a hit after changing my surname?

Follow the branch’s verification and return instructions. A hit can result from a possible name match and is not, by itself, proof of a criminal record. Bring documents showing both your maiden and married identities.

Can an employer force me to adopt my husband’s surname?

Marriage itself does not require you to adopt that surname. An employer may reasonably require records sufficient to verify your identity, but a name inconsistency should ordinarily be addressed with accurate documents rather than a false or unwanted name declaration. Seek legal advice if a requirement appears discriminatory or prevents you from using your lawful name.

Official sources

This article provides general legal information, not advice for a particular case. Requirements may depend on the documents presented and the purpose of the clearance. Official sources and procedures were checked on September 3, 2026; confirm the current portal instructions before paying or attending an appointment.