Verifying whether a person or company has pending court cases in the Philippines isn’t as simple as typing a name into a single national database. Records are decentralized, privacy laws apply, and “pending” can mean different things at different stages. This guide explains—end-to-end—how to verify systematically and lawfully.

1) What “pending” actually means

A case is generally pending from the time it is docketed by a court until it is dismissed, archived, or resolved with finality (i.e., no further appeal or the period to appeal has lapsed). Important nuances:

Pre-case (prosecutor level): Criminal complaints at the City/Provincial Prosecutor’s Office are not yet court cases, but they’re often checked during due diligence because they frequently become court cases.
First/Second Level Courts: MTC/MTCC/MeTC (first level) and RTC (second level) handle the bulk of civil and criminal cases. Once a case gets a docket number here, it’s “pending.”
Appellate & Special Courts: Court of Appeals (CA), Sandiganbayan, Court of Tax Appeals (CTA), and the Supreme Court (SC) have their own dockets. A case may be closed in the RTC yet pending on appeal elsewhere.
Quasi-judicial bodies: NLRC, HSAC, CSC, Ombudsman, SEC and others run independent dockets. These are not courts but often included in “pending case” checks.

2) The legal landscape (why access can be tricky)

Open courts principle vs privacy: Court cases are generally public, but sensitive personal information and minors are protected. Some records are sealed or anonymized (e.g., violence against women/children, adoption).
Data Privacy: The Data Privacy Act of 2012 protects personal data. You’ll typically need consent or a clear legitimate interest to request case information, especially if you want certified copies or bulk data.
FOI limits: Executive-branch FOI rules do not automatically bind the Judiciary. Courts have their own access rules and administrative circulars.
Certification authority: Only the Office of the Clerk of Court (OCC) or the relevant clerk’s office of an appellate/special court can issue official certifications on case status for that court.

3) Where the records live (and who to ask)

Think by venue—you must check where a case would logically exist:

Criminal:
1. Prosecutor’s Office (complaints, preliminary investigation, resolutions); then
2. MTC/RTC depending on the offense’s penalty/jurisdiction.
Civil & Special Proceedings: MTC/RTC where the property/parties are located or where rules vest jurisdiction.
Appeals: CA, CTA, Sandiganbayan (for public officers), SC for last appeal.
Quasi-judicial (not courts): NLRC (labor), HSAC (housing/condo disputes), CSC (civil service), Ombudsman (administrative/criminal vs public officers), SEC (intracorporate), among others.

Because there’s no single nationwide index across all these bodies, a complete verification is inherently multi-stop.

4) The core methods (hierarchy of checks)

A) Ask the person/entity (with a sworn disclosure)

Use a Sworn Declaration of No Pending/Filed Case covering courts and quasi-judicial bodies, with penalties for misrepresentation.
Pair with government-issued ID and, if needed, a Notarized Special Power of Attorney (SPA) allowing you to verify with specific courts/offices.

B) Clearances (fast triage, not conclusive)

NBI Clearance: Indicates “hits” (possible records). A “hit” doesn’t prove a pending court case—it triggers verification with the NBI. Clean results are helpful but not definitive because:
- Not all courts or pending prosecutor complaints may reflect immediately.
- Name homonyms can cause false hits.
Police Clearance: Localized; useful but even less comprehensive than NBI.
Prosecutor’s Certification (optional): Some prosecutor’s offices issue a certification of no pending complaint/resolution upon request/consent.

C) Court-by-court verification (the authoritative route)

Identify likely venues
- Residence or business location of the person/company
- Where alleged acts occurred
- For corporations: principal office; where contracts were executed/performed
Visit or contact the OCC (of each target court)
- Provide full name (and known aliases), birthdate, address, company name, and time window (e.g., last 10 years).
- Ask for a search of docket indexes for civil, criminal, and special cases.
- Request an Official Certification of “no pending case” or a Case Status Certification if matches are found (listing case numbers, titles, and present status).
Appellate/Special Courts
- Court of Appeals: Docket/Records Section can confirm if a party is involved in a CA-G.R. (e.g., SP, CV, CR) case and its status.
- Sandiganbayan: Judicial Records Division can verify SB Crim. Case involvement for public-officer offenses.
- Court of Tax Appeals: for tax and customs-related cases (CTA Case numbers).
- Supreme Court: the Clerk of Court or Public Information Office can confirm G.R. case existence and status (note: SC typically publishes decisions; pending matters are not all visible publicly).

Tip: When requesting certifications, specify “as party, whether plaintiff/complainant or defendant/respondent/accused” to catch all roles.

D) Quasi-judicial checks (if relevant)

NLRC (labor), HSAC (real estate/condo association disputes), CSC (public servants), Ombudsman, SEC (intracorporate).
Procedure mirrors the courts: identify regional commission/venue, request docket search and status certification.

5) Typical documents and how to request them

For in-person or written requests

Valid ID of the requester
Consent letter/SPA from the subject (best practice; sometimes required)
Exact personal identifiers: complete name (and maiden name), birthdate, address, TIN/Company Reg. No. for entities
Purpose: employment, visa, procurement, M&A due diligence, litigation screening
Fees: modest search/certification fees per office; rush fees are uncommon; official receipts are issued.

Sample request language (adaptable)

Subject: Request for Docket Search and Case Status Certification I respectfully request a search of your docket for any pending civil, criminal, or special proceedings involving [Full Name / Company Name, aliases], born/registered on [DOB/Reg. date], residing/with principal office at [address], from [year] to [year]. If any cases are found, kindly issue a Case Status Certification indicating the case number, title, nature, and current status. If none, please issue a Certification of No Pending Case. Attached are: 1) valid ID; 2) notarized SPA/consent; 3) contact details. Purpose: [state purpose]. Thank you.

6) Understanding docket numbers & status terms

First-level (MTC/MeTC/MTCC) and RTC: formats vary by station (e.g., Criminal Case No. R-QZN-23-12345-CR; Civil Case No. 12345-CV).
Court of Appeals: CA-G.R. SP/CR/CV No. xxxx (special civil actions/criminal/civil).
Sandiganbayan: SB Crim. Case No. SB-xx-CRM-xxxx.
CTA: CTA Case No. xxxx or CTA EB for en banc.
Supreme Court: G.R. No. xxxx.
Common statuses: Pending arraignment, Under pre-trial, For decision, On appeal, Archived, Dismissed, Provisionally dismissed, With warrant (criminal), With TRO/PI (civil), Submitted for resolution (prosecutor/quasi-judicial).

7) Practical workflows

Minimal, fast screening (employment/tenancy)

Sworn disclosure + valid ID
NBI Clearance (and Police Clearance if local tenancy)
If something flags: targeted OCC verification where the person lives/works

Deep due diligence (executives, public contracts, M&A)

Sworn disclosure + SPA for verification
Prosecutor’s Offices (cities of residence/work & likely venues of transactions)
All local MTC/RTC courts tied to the subject’s footprint
Appellate/Special Courts if the subject is a public officer, involved in tax matters, or has nationwide litigation
Quasi-judicial bodies relevant to the sector (NLRC for employers, HSAC for real estate, SEC for intracorporate disputes)
Obtain official certifications from each office checked; assemble a verification report with annexed receipts/certifications.

8) Accuracy pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

Name homonyms: Always use middle name, DOB, and addresses to disambiguate. Ask courts to verify via party descriptors if available.
Partial checks: A certificate from one court does not cover others. Document the scope (which courts/offices you checked) in your report.
Time windows: If you only check the last 5 years, say so. Older cases may exist.
Updates: Status can change quickly (e.g., filing of information, issuance of a warrant, or dismissal). Consider cut-off dates and note them in your report.
Confidential/closed cases: Some won’t appear in public indices or will be anonymized. Courts can still certify status to authorized requesters.

9) Compliance & ethics

Legitimate interest & proportionality: Collect only what you need. Overbroad fishing can run afoul of privacy principles.
Non-discrimination: Use results fairly and consistently (e.g., in HR), with documented criteria.
Chain of custody: Keep official receipts, stamped requests, and certified true copies.
Use of data: Store securely; limit access; set retention schedules.

10) Costs, timelines, and deliverables

Fees: Typically a few hundred pesos per certification; photocopy/certification fees per page apply for case records.
Turnaround: Same day to a few business days, depending on office workload and whether files are archived/branch is busy.
Deliverables:
- Certification of No Pending Case (per court/office) or
- Case Status Certification listing docket numbers and status, plus
- Copies of pertinent orders/entries if requested and permitted.

11) Special notes for companies & cross-border use

For corporations, check under the registered corporate name and any former names/affiliates; for criminal cases, the officers are usually the named parties—screen them individually.
For immigration/visa or overseas employment, foreign authorities often accept NBI Clearance; if they require court-level proof, obtain court certifications and, if needed, have them Apostilled by the DFA.

12) Model verification checklist (adapt as needed)

Subject Info: Full name (aliases), DOB, addresses, IDs
Consent/SPA (scope: courts, prosecutor, quasi-judicial)
Clearances: NBI, Police (optional)
Prosecutor checks: cities of residence/work/incident
Courts: MTC/RTC (by geography), then CA/CTA/Sandiganbayan/SC as relevant
Quasi-judicial: NLRC/HSAC/CSC/Ombudsman/SEC (sector-based)
Certifications: obtain originals; note date of search and coverage period
Report: list each office, findings, docket numbers, statuses, copies/receipts annexed
Data protection: secure storage and retention plan

13) Frequently asked questions

Is an NBI Clearance enough? No. It’s a good screen, not proof of no pending case. Only court certifications (and relevant body certifications) are authoritative for their respective dockets.

Can I get a single nationwide “no pending case” certificate? No. You must obtain certifications per court/office checked.

Do I need the subject’s consent? Often yes, especially for copies and deeper searches. Even when not strictly required, consent reduces friction and respects privacy.

What if records are digitized? Treat any online read-outs as informational only. For official purposes, ask for certified printouts/certifications from the record-holding office.

How far back should I search? Depends on purpose. Employment screens: 5–10 years. M&A or high-risk engagements: 10+ years, plus appellate checks.

14) Bottom line

There is no single master list of pending cases in the Philippines. The gold standard is a documented, consent-backed search that combines clearances (for triage) with official certifications from each relevant court and body. Define the scope up front, collect identifiers to avoid homonyms, and produce a transparent report with dates, venues, and receipts. This is the most reliable—and defensible—way to verify pending court cases.