Quick answer

Apply only through the official NBI Clearance portal, complete your profile exactly as shown on your supporting documents, choose a branch and appointment, pay the displayed amount, and appear for photo, fingerprint, signature, and data verification. Bring your reference number, proof of payment, and two original, unexpired government-issued IDs.

If any information is wrong, correct it before paying or biometric capture whenever possible. If the clearance has already been printed, promptly contact or return to the issuing branch with the original clearance, transaction records, IDs, and documents proving the correct entry. A wrong civil-registry record must generally be corrected through the civil registrar, consul, or court—not merely overwritten by the NBI.

A “HIT” is different from a typographical error. It means the NBI must verify a possible record match; it does not by itself establish guilt. Follow the return date or Quality Control instructions given by the branch.

What an NBI Clearance establishes

An NBI Clearance reports the result of the Bureau’s records check using the personal information and biometrics submitted by the applicant. It is not a court judgment, a permanent guarantee that no case exists, or a substitute for checking the status of a known criminal case directly with the court or prosecutor.

Use the validity dates printed on the certificate. An employer, embassy, licensing body, or other recipient may also require a clearance issued within a shorter period, so check that recipient’s rules before applying.

How to obtain a new clearance

1. Register through the official portal

Go to the NBI Clearance portal. Register or sign in using an active mobile number and email address because the system may send a one-time password.

Complete every required field. Enter names, birth details, and other information exactly as supported by your government records. Include the correct middle name and all parts of a compound first or last name.

Before saving or applying:

Compare the profile with your IDs and PSA records.
Check spelling, suffixes such as Jr. or III, birth date, birth place, sex, civil status, and parents’ names.
Do not create different accounts simply to try different spellings.
Take a screenshot of the completed profile for your records, but keep it private.

The NBI’s current application guide instructs applicants to review their profile carefully and make it match their identification documents.

2. Choose a branch and appointment

Select a clearance center and an available AM or PM schedule. Use the NBI’s clearance-office locator and check the chosen branch’s location before paying.

The NBI guide refers to a 15-day grace period for a transaction already marked “PAID” when an applicant misses the target schedule. Treat this as administrative accommodation, not a statutory right: attend on the booked date whenever possible and confirm with the branch if you miss it.

3. Pay through the selected channel

The NBI currently publishes a basic clearance fee of ₱130, plus an e-payment service charge commonly displayed at approximately ₱25 to ₱30. The final amount depends on the payment channel and any optional delivery service. Follow the amount generated by the official portal.

Save:

The reference number or QR code
The payment confirmation or official receipt
The appointment details
A screenshot showing that the transaction is marked “PAID”

Never pay a person offering to remove a HIT, alter a record, or guarantee immediate release.

4. Bring the required documents

Bring:

The reference number or QR code
Proof of payment
Two original, valid government-issued IDs or acceptable government certificates

Examples listed by the NBI include the passport, driver’s license, Philippine Identification Card, UMID, Postal ID, and authenticated PSA birth certificate. The NBI’s response on the government FOI portal provides a longer list, but accepted documents can change. Confirm doubtful IDs with the branch before travelling.

Photocopies, screenshots, company IDs, and expired IDs should not be assumed sufficient unless the NBI expressly accepts them. Wear clothing appropriate for an official photograph; the NBI advises against sleeveless shirts, shorts, and slippers.

5. Complete biometrics and check the data

At the branch, the NBI captures your photograph, fingerprints, and electronic signature. Carefully inspect the information displayed during verification. This is the best opportunity to stop an error before the certificate is printed.

If everything is correct and there is no HIT, the clearance may be printed during the visit. Queueing, system interruptions, document issues, or record verification can extend the actual time.

If the application receives a HIT

A HIT means that the submitted identity requires additional checking against the NBI criminal database. According to the NBI’s current guide, a similar or identical name may cause a HIT. The result is not, by itself, a finding that the applicant committed an offense.

The branch will ordinarily give a return date. The NBI guide describes a usual verification period of approximately five to ten working days, but the date issued by the branch controls. Some applicants may be directed to the Quality Control Section for an interview and further verification, as reflected in the NBI’s Citizen’s Charter.

Bring any documents requested by the NBI. If the possible match concerns a case that

Quick answer

Apply through the official NBI Clearance portal, enter your details exactly as shown on your supporting documents, choose a branch and appointment, pay the displayed amount, and personally appear for identity verification, photograph, fingerprints, and signature.

The basic clearance fee is ₱130, plus the payment channel’s service charge, usually about ₱25–₱30. Qualified first-time jobseekers may obtain it free once under Republic Act No. 11261.

If information is wrong, correct it before payment or printing whenever possible. Once a clearance has been printed, contact or return to the issuing branch with the clearance, transaction records, valid IDs, and documents proving the correct entry. A mistaken personal detail is different from a “HIT” or an inaccurate criminal-record match; the latter normally requires NBI quality-control verification and, when applicable, official court or prosecution records.

What an NBI Clearance—and a “HIT”—means

An NBI Clearance reports the result of the Bureau’s records check using the identity information and biometrics supplied by the applicant. It is not a court judgment and does not, by itself, determine guilt or innocence.

A “HIT” means the application needs additional verification. According to the NBI’s current application guide, this may happen when the applicant’s name is identical or similar to a person associated with a case or record. It can also concern the applicant’s own record. A hit is therefore not automatically a criminal record or conviction.

Applicants marked “For Quality Control” may be interviewed and their records checked against the NBI criminal database. The NBI Citizen’s Charter instructs applicants with a hit to return on the scheduled date and those referred for quality control to undergo interview and verification.

What to prepare

For an ordinary application, prepare:

An active mobile number and email address for account verification;
The application reference number or QR code;
Proof that the transaction is marked “PAID”;
Two original, unexpired government-issued IDs or accepted government certificates;
Supporting civil-status or identity documents if your name or other details have changed; and
Your previous NBI Clearance, if available.

Examples identified by the NBI include a passport, driver’s licence, National ID, UMID, Postal ID, and authenticated PSA birth certificate. The agency has also provided a broader official list of accepted identification documents. Check the portal or branch before travelling because accepted IDs and branch practices can change.

Make sure the spelling, name order, birth details, and civil status are consistent across your application and documents. A nickname, omitted second given name, wrong middle name, or transposed birth date can delay verification.

How to obtain a new clearance

1. Register through the official portal

Go only to https://clearance.nbi.gov.ph/. Register or log in using an email address and mobile number you control. Enter the one-time password sent during registration.

Avoid agents, unofficial websites, and social-media links requesting your password, OTP, or identity documents.

2. Complete and review your profile

Fill in every required field. Use your complete name as supported by your IDs and civil-registry documents.

Before continuing, compare the profile against your documents character by character. Do not rely on autofill. Save screenshots of the completed profile without publicly sharing them.

3. Choose the application purpose, branch, and appointment

Select “Apply for Clearance,” identify the ID you will present, and choose an available branch and AM or PM appointment.

Use the NBI Clearance Office Locator to identify an issuing office. The NBI advises applicants to complete the online application and payment before visiting a clearance office.

The NBI’s current guide refers to a 15-day grace period for transactions marked “PAID” when an applicant misses the target appointment. Treat this as administrative accommodation, not an unconditional legal entitlement: keep the original appointment whenever possible and confirm with the selected branch if you miss it.

4. Pay using the portal-generated reference number

The NBI currently states a basic fee of ₱130, plus the payment provider’s service charge, ordinarily about ₱25–₱30. Available channels shown by the agency include GCash, Maya, participating payment centres, and online banking.

The portal-generated total controls. Do not pay using a reference number sent by an unofficial intermediary. Keep the reference number, receipt, confirmation message, and screenshot showing “PAID.”

5. Appear for biometrics and verification

Bring your reference number, proof of payment, and two accepted original IDs. At the branch, the NBI will capture your photograph, fingerprints, and electronic signature.

The officer should show your encoded details for verification. Read everything before approving it. This is the best time to stop a typographical error from reaching the printed clearance.

Follow the branch dress code for the official photograph. The NBI advises against tank tops, shorts, and slippers.

6. Receive the clearance or follow the hit instructions

If there is no hit, the clearance is generally printed after verification and biometrics.

If there is a hit, the NBI’s current guide says manual verification ordinarily takes about five to ten working days, but the actual return date given by the branch controls. A more complicated quality-control review may take longer. Keep the claim slip or written return instruction.

Examine the clearance immediately. Check:

Complete name and name order;
Birth date and place of birth;
Civil status;
Address, if shown;
Photograph and identifying details;
Issue and validity dates; and
Security features, including the NBI dry seal where applicable.

Free clearance for first-time jobseekers

Republic Act No. 11261, the First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act, waives the NBI Clearance fee for a qualified first-time jobseeker. The benefit may be used only once.

Use the dedicated NBI first-time-jobseeker portal, not the ordinary paid application route. Bring:

The original barangay certification identifying you as a first-time jobseeker;
The required oath of undertaking; and
Two accepted IDs or certificates.

The NBI Citizen’s Charter requires the barangay certification to be on official barangay letterhead, dry-sealed, and signed by the punong barangay or an authorised barangay officer. DOLE’s implementing guidance generally requires the applicant to have been a barangay resident for at least six months.

The statutory waiver does not cover every government transaction. Among the exclusions are passport applications, PRC professional licensure examinations, Civil Service examinations, and driver’s-licence applications. Beneficiaries of JobStart or another law granting the same exemption are also excluded from the duplicate benefit.

The DOLE operational guidelines state that an NBI Clearance obtained under the first-time-jobseeker benefit is valid for one year. For any clearance, also check the dates printed on the certificate and the receiving employer or agency’s lawful recency requirement.

Renewal is not the same as correction

The NBI offers online renewal and delivery for applicants with a clearance issued from 2014 onward when their personal information has not changed. The portal will display the applicable clearance, service, and delivery charges.

Do not use simple online renewal to carry forward information you know is wrong. If your name, civil status, birth information, or other material detail must change, follow the new-application or branch-assisted process so the NBI can verify the supporting documents and capture updated information if required.

How to correct personal information

Before booking or payment

Use the profile’s edit function, save the corrected information, and review it again before generating or paying for a transaction. Do not create multiple accounts merely to work around an error; duplicate profiles can create additional identity-matching problems.

If a protected field cannot be edited, contact the NBI before paying.

After payment but before biometrics or printing

Bring documents showing the correct information and report the error to the officer at the selected branch before biometric capture or approval. Do not approve the data-verification screen while an entry remains wrong.

Because the NBI does not publish one universal rule covering every post-payment edit, the branch may determine whether it can amend the existing transaction or whether a new application is necessary. Do not pay a second time unless the NBI directs you to do so.

After the clearance has been printed

Contact or return promptly to the issuing branch. Bring:

The incorrect clearance;
Reference number, appointment record, and payment receipt;
Two accepted original IDs;
Your previous clearance, if relevant; and
The official document proving the correct entry, such as a PSA birth or marriage certificate, court order, or civil-registry annotation.

Ask for written instructions or a service-request reference. The NBI has not published a nationwide correction deadline, guaranteed same-day correction, or automatic fee waiver for every printed error. The required process can depend on whether the error came from the applicant, the encoding or printing process, or an underlying government record.

If the underlying civil-registry record is wrong

The NBI cannot use an informal request to change a legal civil-registry entry that itself requires an official correction.

Clerical or typographical errors and certain changes to a first name may be handled under Republic Act No. 9048. Republic Act No. 10172 extended the administrative process to specified patent errors involving the day or month of birth and recorded sex. Substantial corrections may require the appropriate court proceeding.

Correct the source record through the local civil registrar, consul general, PSA, or court process that legally applies. Then present the corrected or annotated official document to the NBI. Whether a correction is merely clerical or legally substantial is fact-dependent.

How to address a wrong record or recurring hit

A typographical error on the clearance is not the same as an inaccurate derogatory-record match.

If a hit concerns someone else:

Attend the scheduled quality-control verification.
Bring complete identity documents, including records that distinguish you by birth date, middle name, birthplace, parents’ names, address, or other identifiers.
Bring previous NBI clearances if available.
Ask what further document or verification is needed and obtain a written return date.

If the hit concerns a case that was dismissed, withdrawn, archived, terminated, or decided:

Identify the exact court, prosecutor’s office, case number, charge, and disposition.
Obtain certified records directly from the issuing office. Depending on the case, relevant documents may include the resolution, dismissal or acquittal order, entry of judgment, certificate of finality, or certification showing the present case status.
Submit only the documents requested by NBI quality control and retain certified copies or scans.
Ask the NBI to record the request and provide a follow-up reference.

A dismissal does not necessarily erase the historical fact that a case existed, and the NBI cannot alter an official court record merely because an applicant disputes it. The appropriate result depends on the actual disposition and the documents supplied.

The Data Privacy Act generally requires personal information to be accurate and gives data subjects a right to dispute errors. However, that right is not a shortcut around a court order or another correction process required by law. The National Privacy Commission’s rectification guidance expressly recognises this limitation, and Section 19 of the Data Privacy Act also contains an exception concerning information used only for criminal, administrative, or tax investigations.

Evidence to preserve

Keep secure copies of:

Your portal profile before and after correction;
The reference number and QR code;
Appointment confirmation;
Official receipt and payment confirmation;
IDs and civil-registry documents presented;
Current and previous clearances;
Claim slips and return-date instructions;
Certified court or prosecution records;
Emails sent to and received from the NBI; and
The date, branch, window, and name or position of the officer who handled the concern.

Do not post an unredacted clearance, birth certificate, passport, reference number, or court record on social media. These documents contain information that can be misused for identity fraud.

Common mistakes to avoid

Using an unofficial application website or paying a fixer;
Sharing an OTP, password, or full identity document;
Omitting part of a compound given name;
Confusing a middle name with a middle initial or second given name;
Selecting the wrong birth date or civil status;
Paying before reviewing the profile;
Approving the branch verification screen despite an error;
Using online renewal when personal information has changed;
Assuming a hit means conviction—or assuming it is harmless without verification;
Bringing photocopies but no original accepted IDs;
Submitting uncertified screenshots of a court result when certified records are requested; and
Waiting until an employment or visa deadline before addressing a recurring hit.

When legal help is urgent

Consult a Philippine lawyer promptly if:

Quality control appears to concern your own unresolved criminal case;
You know or reasonably believe that a warrant of arrest may exist;
The NBI identifies a case number that belongs to you but you do not know its status;
A court disposition is incomplete, inconsistent, or difficult to obtain;
The correction requires a legal change of name or substantial civil-registry correction;
The NBI continues to attribute another person’s record to you despite adequate proof; or
An employer or agency treats a mere hit as proof of guilt.

The NBI has reported instances in which warrants were confirmed during clearance quality control and applicants were arrested. Do not ignore a known case or attempt to conceal your identity. Obtain advice about the case and the proper lawful response.

If you are arrested, detained, or questioned as a suspect, Article III, Section 12 of the 1987 Constitution and Republic Act No. 7438 protect your right to remain silent and to competent and independent counsel. If you cannot afford counsel, one must be provided. A waiver of these custodial rights must be in writing and made in the presence of counsel.

Official contacts

For current procedures or a correction that the portal cannot handle, use the NBI’s official contact page:

Clearance inquiries: (02) 8524-1277
Mobile: 0939 150 2880
Email: nbiclearance@nbi.gov.ph
NBI Clearance Center: United Nations Avenue, Ermita, Manila
Published operating hours: Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Verify contact details on the official page before sending personal information.

Applicants outside the Philippines

A new overseas applicant may obtain NBI Form No. 5 from a Philippine embassy or consular office. The form must be completed without erasures and fingerprinted at the embassy, consulate, or nearest police station. The officer taking the rolled fingerprints must sign, state the officer’s designation, and place the office seal on the form.

Attach a recent 2×2 photograph with a white background and a copy of the passport biodata page. The completed application may be mailed to the NBI or submitted through an authorised representative.

The NBI’s overseas application instructions currently state:

Mailed applications are sent to the Mailed Clearance Section, NBI Clearance Building, UN Avenue, Ermita, Manila 1000;
The stated mailed-application amount is ₱200, consisting of the ₱130 clearance fee and ₱70 mailing cost;
A representative must register the application online, choose the NBI Main Clearance Center, and pay using the generated reference number;
Processing takes a maximum of five working days after receipt of complete documents, excluding delivery time; and
Only clearances issued from 2014 onward qualify for overseas renewal; older clearances are treated as new applications.

Consular, courier, foreign-postage, authentication, or currency-conversion costs may be separate. Confirm the current requirements with the relevant Philippine post and the NBI Mailed Clearance Section before sending original documents or money.

Frequently asked questions

Can I obtain a standard NBI Clearance entirely online?

A new ordinary application still requires personal appearance for photograph, fingerprints, signature, and identity verification. Eligible renewals without changes may use online renewal and delivery.

Can I walk in without registering or paying online?

The NBI office locator instructs ordinary applicants to apply and pay online first. The first-time-jobseeker Citizen’s Charter recognises assisted registration counters, but availability may differ by branch.

Does a hit mean I have a criminal record?

No. It means further verification is required. It may result from a similar name, but it may also concern an actual case or warrant. Follow the return and quality-control instructions.

Can NBI correct my PSA birth certificate or legally change my name?

No. Correct the underlying civil-registry entry through the legally authorised civil registrar, consul, PSA, or court process, then submit the corrected official record to the NBI.

Can a dismissed case be deleted immediately?

Not necessarily. Present certified records showing the exact disposition and follow the NBI’s quality-control process. Whether the database entry should be corrected, supplemented, or retained depends on the official record and applicable law.

Is there a fixed processing time for every correction?

No nationwide correction period is published for every type of error. Simple errors identified before printing may be resolved at the branch, while identity conflicts, court-record verification, or civil-registry issues can take longer.

What if I lose my clearance?

Ask the NBI whether the particular transaction remains eligible for reprinting. If not, apply for a new clearance or use the renewal option if eligible. Do not assume a photocopy will be accepted.

How long is the clearance valid?

Follow the validity dates printed on the certificate. A receiving employer, licensing body, embassy, or other agency may lawfully require a more recently issued clearance for its particular transaction. NBI clearances issued under the first-time-jobseeker benefit are expressly treated as valid for one year under the applicable operational guidelines.

Disclaimer

This article provides general Philippine legal information, not legal advice for a particular case. NBI procedures, branch practices, payment-channel charges, and documentary requirements may change. Confirm transaction-specific instructions through the official NBI portal or the issuing branch. Sources were checked as of 2 August 2026.