Quick answer

Start with the office that keeps the original record:

For elementary, junior high, senior high, ALS, or PEPT records, contact the school first. If it is closed, cannot locate the record, or cannot act on a correction, contact the DepEd Schools Division Office (SDO) that supervises the school.
For college or graduate-school records, apply through the registrar of the higher education institution (HEI). Contact the appropriate CHED Regional Office if the HEI has closed or the registrar will not address the request.
For a TESDA National Certificate (NC) or Certificate of Competency (COC), contact the TESDA Provincial or District Office that issued it.

Ask for the exact document you need, not simply “school records.” A report card, permanent record, transcript, diploma, transfer credential, certified true copy, and Certification, Authentication and Verification (CAV) serve different purposes.

If personal information is wrong, first determine whether the mistake is only in the school record or also appears in the civil registry. A school can ordinarily correct its own typographical error upon sufficient proof. It cannot, however, rewrite a civil-status entry or change a grade merely because the student disputes it. If the PSA record itself is wrong, the civil-registry correction may have to be completed before the school record can be changed.

Which document should you request?

Need	Usual document	Start with
Current basic-education grades or promotion status	School Form 9 (SF9), formerly Form 138 or report card	School
Complete elementary or secondary academic history	School Form 10 (SF10), formerly Form 137 or permanent record	School; for a transfer, the receiving school normally requests it
Proof of basic-education graduation	Diploma or certification of graduation	School
Basic-education record for overseas use	Certified academic record and DepEd CAV	School, SDO, then DepEd Regional Office as directed
College subjects, units, grades, and degree	Official Transcript of Records (TOR)	HEI registrar
Transfer to another college	Transfer credential or honorable dismissal, followed by school-to-school transmission of records	HEI registrar
Proof of units without graduation	TOR or certificate of units earned	HEI registrar
College credential for overseas use	Registrar-certified TOR/diploma and CHED eCAV	HEI registrar and CHED
TESDA qualification	NC or COC	TESDA issuing Provincial or District Office
ALS or PEPT result	Certificate or report of rating and related academic record	SDO records office

Before applying, ask the receiving employer, school, licensing authority, embassy, or foreign agency exactly which document and authentication level it requires. A personal photocopy may not substitute for an official sealed TOR, a certified true copy, a CAV, or a DFA Apostille.

How to obtain ordinary school records

Prepare a precise written request

Give the records office enough information to locate the file:

Full name used while enrolled, including any former name
Learner Reference Number (LRN), student number, or certificate number, if known
Date of birth
School, campus, course or strand, and years attended
Graduation or last-attendance date
Exact document and number of copies requested
Purpose of the request
Required recipient, sealing, certification, or delivery method
Current contact information

Attach a valid ID. For a minor, the school may require the parent’s or legal guardian’s ID and proof of authority or relationship. An adult learner’s records should not ordinarily be released to a parent, spouse, recruiter, or other representative without the learner’s authorization and the identities of both parties being verified. The National Privacy Commission has specifically recognized reasonable access by learners—and by a parent or legal guardian for a minor—subject to identity and authority checks in its 2025 advisory on access to school records.

Obtain a receiving copy, reference number, claim stub, email acknowledgment, or portal confirmation. Pay only through the school’s or agency’s official channel and keep the official receipt.

Basic education: SF9 and SF10

SF9 is the learner’s report card. SF10 is the permanent academic record formerly called Form 137.

For a learner transferring schools, SF10 is generally transmitted directly between the receiving and originating schools. Under DepEd Order No. 54, s. 2016, the learner or parent should not hand-carry the permanent record. The receiving school requests it through the prescribed school-to-school process, including the Learner Information System where applicable. For a transfer during the school year, the permanent record should be secured within 30 days from the learner’s first day of attendance.

If the record is needed for employment, scholarship, litigation, immigration, or another legitimate purpose rather than a school transfer, apply directly to the school for the appropriate certified copy or certification.

A lost diploma is not necessarily replaced in the same way as an ordinary certificate. DepEd’s current charter describes a “reconstructed diploma” for loss or damage as a service limited to CAV purposes under DepEd Order No. 48, s. 2017. For another purpose, ask whether the school will issue a certification of graduation instead.

If a basic-education school has closed

Contact the SDO with jurisdiction over the school’s former location. DepEd’s current service framework includes the issuance of available academic records for learners from closed private schools, as shown in the DepEd Citizen’s Charter.

Give the SDO the school’s complete former name, address, years of attendance, level completed, and any permit or Special Order number shown on old records. Submit any surviving report cards, diplomas, certifications, school IDs, enrollment receipts, graduation programs, or certified records held by another school or HEI. These materials may help locate or verify the official file, but they do not automatically entitle the applicant to reconstruction if the official evidence is insufficient.

ALS and PEPT completers or passers should likewise begin with the SDO records office, which handles available certificates or reports of rating and related records.

College and graduate-school records

Apply through the HEI registrar for the document specifically required:

Official TOR
Diploma or certificate of graduation
Certificate of enrollment
Certificate of grades
Certificate of units earned
Transfer credential or honorable dismissal
Course descriptions or syllabus certification
Related Learning Experience record for applicable programs
Certified true copies for CAV or another official use

A transfer credential is not the same as a TOR. The transfer credential establishes eligibility to transfer, while the admitting HEI normally requests the complete academic record from the former HEI. Ask both registrars which institution must send each document and whether it must remain sealed.

For a closed HEI, contact the CHED Regional Office covering the school’s former location and ask it to identify the official records custodian. Do not assume CHED holds every closed school’s complete records; custody may have been assigned to another institution or repository.

TESDA certificates

For a lost, damaged, or erroneous NC or COC, apply at the TESDA Provincial or District Office that issued the certificate. TESDA’s official replacement procedure lists the following:

Lost certificate: request letter, notarized affidavit of loss, and one colored passport-size photograph
Damaged certificate: request letter, original NC or COC, and photograph
Erroneous entry: request letter, original NC or COC, photograph, and certified copy of the passport or birth certificate

A representative must generally present a Special Power of Attorney, valid identification, and the official receipt when claiming the document. TESDA’s published 2024 Citizen’s Charter lists a ₱100 replacement fee and a five-hour agency processing time for complete lost-certificate applications, but confirm the current fee and schedule with the issuing office. Replacement services apply to valid certificates; an expired certificate may require renewal instead.

Certificate status may also be checked through TESDA’s Registry of Certified Workers. Absence from an online search does not by itself prove that a certificate is invalid; TESDA provides a verification email procedure for records not found in the registry.

How to correct a wrong school record

Step 1: Identify the authoritative source

Compare the disputed entry across:

PSA-issued certificate of live birth
Annotated civil-registry record, if any
Passport and government IDs
Earliest school records
Enrollment and graduation documents
Court order or civil-registrar decision
Marriage, adoption, legitimation, or other relevant certificate

Use the document that legally controls the particular entry. A passport or affidavit may support a request, but it does not necessarily override an uncorrected civil-registry record.

Step 2: Determine what kind of error occurred

The school copied or encoded the information incorrectly

If the PSA record and other authoritative documents are correct but the school made a typographical or encoding error, request correction from the school.

For a currently enrolled basic-education learner, the school validates the request and processes the correction using the learner’s LRN and applicable DepEd data-correction procedure.

For a graduate of a public or private basic-education school, including ALS, correction is generally processed through the SDO Legal Unit. A current DepEd correction checklist includes:

Request letter identifying every entry to be corrected
Original record to be corrected, such as the diploma or SF10/Form 137
School-head certification or endorsement
PSA certificate of live birth
Affidavit of discrepancy
Affidavit of two disinterested persons
Valid ID
Authorization or SPA and both parties’ IDs if a representative files
Data-privacy consent form
Special Order of Graduation, where applicable to a private-school graduate

The official checklist and published service time appear in DepEd’s current correction-of-entries service. That charter lists no agency fee and approximately two working days of agency processing after complete and legally sufficient documents are accepted. Actual elapsed time may be longer if records must be located, requirements are deficient, or another office must act. Confirm the checklist with the SDO that will process the request.

For a college record, submit the correction request to the registrar with the original credential and controlling supporting documents. CHED does not ordinarily replace the registrar’s first-level role in correcting an HEI’s own record.

The PSA or civil-registry record is also wrong

Correct the civil-registry record first when that record is the source of the discrepancy.

Republic Act No. 9048 permits the local civil registrar or Philippine consul general to process qualifying clerical or typographical errors and petitions to change a first name or nickname without a court order. Republic Act No. 10172 extends the administrative procedure to a patently clerical error in the day or month of birth, or in the recorded sex, subject to its evidence, publication, and other requirements.

These statutes do not make every requested change “clerical.” A change involving the year of birth, filiation, legitimacy, citizenship, civil status, or another substantial matter may require a court proceeding under Rule 108 of the Rules of Court, or another remedy appropriate to the facts.

After approval, obtain a newly issued PSA copy showing the annotation. Submit that annotated record, the civil-registrar decision or court order, and the school’s other requirements. Approval of the civil-registry correction does not physically update every school, licensing, employment, or government database; separate requests may still be necessary.

The dispute concerns a grade, attendance, disciplinary finding, or graduation status

This is not ordinarily a typographical correction. Request the school’s formal review or appeal procedure and identify the specific grading sheet, examination, attendance entry, completion requirement, or decision being challenged.

The right to correct inaccurate personal information under the Data Privacy Act does not authorize a student to replace a valid academic judgment with a preferred result. It also does not automatically require the school to issue an official sealed credential despite a lawful records hold.

Name changes after graduation

A later marriage, annulment, adoption, court-approved name change, or civil-registry correction does not necessarily mean the original diploma will simply be reprinted. The institution may preserve the name used when the credential was earned and issue a certification linking the former and current names, or it may have a procedure for an amended credential.

Ask the registrar what it can legally issue and submit the relevant PSA certificate, annotated record, court order, government ID, and original credential. Never alter or laminate an original diploma to make the name appear consistent.

Unpaid tuition and school holds

A student’s ability to take examinations despite unpaid fees is separate from the release of records. Under Republic Act No. 11984, covered institutions must allow properly certified disadvantaged students to take scheduled examinations, subject to the law’s conditions. The same law expressly preserves an institution’s power to require a promissory note and withhold records and credentials for unpaid fees, while allowing voluntary release under school policy.

If a hold is imposed:

Ask for a written statement of the balance, legal or policy basis, and documents being withheld.
Dispute any incorrect charge in writing and attach receipts.
Ask whether the school permits a payment arrangement, promissory note, or release of a limited certification.
Escalate an unresolved basic-education issue to the SDO or an HEI issue to the appropriate CHED Regional Office.

Do not assume that a data-access request under the Data Privacy Act automatically compels release of an official TOR, diploma, or transfer credential despite a lawful financial hold.

When CAV or an Apostille is required

CAV verifies the authenticity of an academic document. It is different from merely obtaining a record and different from a DFA Apostille.

DepEd handles CAV for basic-education records under DepEd Order No. 48, s. 2017.
CHED handles most higher-education CAV applications through the CHED eCAV system.
TESDA handles CAV for TESDA-issued NCs and COCs.
Beginning January 1, 2026, CAV and Special Order processing for covered maritime higher-education programs transferred to MARINA. MARINA requires application through its MeCAV system and has announced that its CAV issuance is free of charge. See the MARINA transfer update.

For CHED eCAV, the current requirements include a registrar-certified TOR and diploma or certificate of graduation for graduates. Undergraduates may need a registrar-certified TOR, certificate of units earned, and certificate of enrollment where applicable. Medical-allied and maritime applications may require additional program-specific records. Check the current eCAV requirements before filing.

CHED’s published 2025 Citizen’s Charter lists a ₱80 CAV fee and seven working days for an individual application with complete documents. Deficiencies, institutional verification, application category, or a different current portal advisory may affect the actual period.

If the document will be used abroad, ask the foreign end-user whether a DFA Apostille or further embassy legalization is required. DFA’s documentary requirements require the appropriate education-agency certification for covered academic records. CHED eCAV Apostilles are applied for through the Philippine Apostille Registration System. Requirements depend on the document and destination country, so verify them before paying or booking travel.

Evidence to preserve

Keep both paper and digital copies of:

Every record containing the correct and incorrect entries
PSA certificates and annotations
Civil-registrar decisions and court orders
Report cards, TORs, diplomas, school IDs, and enrollment forms
Graduation programs, class photographs, and certificates
Tuition and document-request receipts
Requests, emails, portal confirmations, and delivery records
Claim stubs and transaction reference numbers
The school’s written denial, deficiency notice, or records-hold explanation
Proof of an employment, admissions, licensing, visa, or scholarship deadline

Do not surrender your only original supporting document without obtaining a receipt that identifies it. Do not open a sealed envelope if the receiving institution requires it to remain sealed.

Common mistakes

Requesting “Form 137” for a transfer instead of asking the receiving school to initiate the SF10 transfer
Confusing a transfer credential with a TOR
Requesting a CAV when only a certified true copy is needed
Going directly to CHED or DepEd Regional Office before obtaining registrar-certified school documents
Asking the school to correct information that remains wrong in the PSA record
Treating a disputed grade as a clerical data error
Using a recruiter, fixer, or social-media account instead of an official portal
Paying without an assessment slip or official receipt
Submitting inconsistent spellings across the application, ID, and academic records
Altering, erasing, scanning over, or laminating the original credential
Waiting until an admissions, board-exam, employment, or visa deadline is near

If the school or agency does not act

Send a concise written follow-up that states the original filing date, reference number, document requested, outstanding requirement, and deadline. Ask for:

Confirmation that the request is complete;
The applicable Citizen’s Charter processing time;
The present status and responsible office; and
A written reason for any denial, hold, or inability to locate the record.

Escalate in this order:

Registrar or records custodian
School head, registrar-in-charge, or institution president
DepEd SDO for basic education
DepEd Regional Office for CAV or unresolved division-level matters
CHED Regional Office for higher education
TESDA issuing Provincial or District Office, then the appropriate TESDA regional or central certification office
The institution’s Data Protection Officer for an access or personal-data correction issue
The National Privacy Commission if a genuine data-subject-rights issue remains unresolved

A privacy complaint is not a substitute for a grading appeal, a civil-registry petition, or collection dispute.

When legal help is urgent

Consult a Philippine lawyer promptly—or ask the Public Attorney’s Office about eligibility—when:

The requested correction concerns filiation, legitimacy, citizenship, adoption, civil status, year of birth, or another substantial civil-registry entry
A court petition under Rule 108 or another special proceeding may be required
Records appear to have been falsified, fraudulently altered, or deliberately destroyed
Two institutions claim that neither has legal custody of the only official record
A denial threatens an imminent board examination, visa, employment, scholarship, or admissions deadline
The school refuses to explain a hold or demands payment that records show has already been made
The correction may affect professional licensure, immigration status, inheritance, or another legal right

Frequently asked questions

Can I personally collect Form 137 or SF10 for a school transfer?

Ordinarily, no. The permanent record is transmitted directly between the receiving and originating schools under DepEd’s transfer rules. Ask the receiving school to initiate the request.

Can a parent obtain an adult child’s TOR?

Not automatically. The registrar may require the adult student’s written authorization or SPA, the student’s ID, and the representative’s ID.

Is an affidavit of loss enough to obtain a new diploma?

Not necessarily. Requirements depend on the issuing institution and purpose. For DepEd basic education, reconstructed diplomas are specifically provided for CAV purposes; a certification of graduation may be the available document for another purpose.

Can the school correct my birth date if the PSA certificate is wrong?

Usually, the civil-registry record must first be corrected through the procedure appropriate under RA 9048, RA 10172, Rule 108, or another applicable law. The school can then act on the annotated PSA record and supporting decision.

Does changing my name automatically change my old diploma?

No. The school may retain the name used at graduation and issue a linking certification, or it may permit an amended credential under its rules.

Can CHED issue my TOR if my college has closed?

Not always. Contact the CHED Regional Office to identify the lawful records custodian. CHED can only certify or issue what its authority and available official records permit.

Does a printed TESDA registry result replace the NC or COC?

No. The registry helps verify certificate status but does not replace the credential or a TESDA-certified copy.

Is CAV always required?

No. It is usually needed only when an end-user requires government verification, particularly for overseas use. Confirm the requirement before applying.

Are official records free?

Not universally. DepEd’s correction service lists no agency fee, while schools may charge authorized reproduction or certification fees. CHED, TESDA, and DFA publish separate fees for particular services. Pay only the officially assessed amount and obtain a receipt.

Official references

This article provides general Philippine legal information, not legal advice for a particular case. Requirements can depend on the record, institution, documents, and intended use. Procedures, fees, and portals were checked against official sources as of August 5, 2026; verify the current Citizen’s Charter or official portal of the office that will process your application.