How to Correct a Mistake on Your NBI Clearance Application

How you fix a mistake on your NBI clearance depends on when you catch it:

• Before you pay: log in and edit your applicant information. Free and quick.
• After you pay, before your appointment: keep your appointment and point out the error at the verification step. Bring your PSA birth certificate.
• After it’s printed: tell the releasing window before you leave the branch. If you find it later, contact the NBI before you apply again.

In every case, the NBI goes by your documents, so your PSA document is your proof. If the PSA record itself is wrong, fix that first (see below).

When you notice it	What to do	Good to know
Before payment	Edit your details in your NBI account	No extra cost
After payment, before your visit	Go to your appointment; ask the officer to correct it at verification	Bring your PSA birth certificate
At the branch	Check every letter on the monitor before printing	Last chance before printing
After printing	Tell the releasing window, or contact the NBI	You may have to apply again
PSA record is wrong	Correct it at your local civil registrar first	Under RA 9048 / RA 10172

We are not the NBI. This is an independent guide. When in doubt, ask the NBI directly: (02) 8524-1277, 0939 150 2880 or clearance@nbi.gov.ph.

Jump to:

1. You haven’t paid yet: edit your details online

This is the easy case. Nothing has been locked to a payment yet.

1. Log in at clearance.nbi.gov.ph with the same account.
2. Open your applicant information and use the edit option (Edit Information).
3. Correct the field and compare it letter by letter with your PSA birth certificate or ID.
4. Click Save Information, then continue to Apply for Clearance, your branch and payment.

Tip: read the summary screen before you click Apply for Clearance. See the full steps in our NBI clearance online guide.

2. You’ve paid, but your appointment hasn’t happened yet

Don’t throw away your payment. Go to your appointment as booked.

At the branch, after your photo and fingerprints, an officer asks you to look at a monitor and check that all your details are accurate. That check exists to catch errors before printing. Tell the officer what is wrong and show your PSA birth certificate.

• Bring: your reference number, proof of payment, two valid IDs and the original PSA document that shows the correct detail.
• Big errors (wrong birth date, wrong surname): email clearance@nbi.gov.ph or call (02) 8524-1277 before your appointment to ask how your branch will handle it.
• Can’t make it on the day? Once your payment shows PAID, NBI allows a 15-day grace period. See what to do if you miss your NBI appointment.

Avoid the “new account, new email” workaround. Some guides tell you to forfeit your fee and register again with a different email address. NBI gives no such instruction, and you would pay twice. Use your existing account and raise the error at verification, or ask the NBI first.

3. At the branch: the monitor check is your last chance

Before anything is printed, read these on the monitor:

• First name, middle name and surname, including suffixes such as Jr. or III
• Date of birth and place of birth
• Sex and civil status

If anything is wrong, say so before you confirm. It is much easier to fix at this point than after printing.

4. The printed clearance has an error

Found it at the releasing window? Show the staff before you leave the branch, together with your PSA document.

Found it later?

1. Don’t alter the clearance. Correction fluid or handwriting makes it invalid.
2. Contact the NBI — clearance@nbi.gov.ph, (02) 8524-1277 or 0939 150 2880 — with a photo of the clearance and of the correct PSA document. Ask whether the branch can correct it or whether you need to apply again.
3. If you have to apply again, log in to your existing account, correct your details (Section 1), book a new appointment and pay the standard fee. Bring the old clearance and the original PSA document to show the officer.

Changing your surname after marriage is not an error correction. Follow changing your last name on your NBI clearance after marriage instead.

5. When your PSA birth certificate is the problem

Sometimes the NBI clearance matches your PSA birth certificate, but the birth certificate itself has the error. The NBI goes by your documents, so correct the civil registry record first. Otherwise your clearance and your IDs will keep disagreeing.

• Clerical or typographical errors and change of first name: petition at the civil registry office where your birth is registered (or the Philippine consulate, if your birth was reported abroad) under Republic Act 9048.
• Day or month of birth, or sex (when it is a clerical error): Republic Act 10172 extends the same administrative correction to these.
• Other changes (such as a different surname or year of birth) usually go through the courts.

The PSA explains the administrative petition, its requirements and fees on its RA 9048 correction page.

Once the PSA issues the corrected or annotated birth certificate, apply for your NBI clearance with it. Order it online: how to get a PSA birth certificate.

Which document proves the correction?

What’s wrong	Bring the original
Name spelling, middle name or suffix	PSA birth certificate
Date or place of birth	PSA birth certificate
Sex	PSA birth certificate
Surname after marriage	PSA marriage certificate
Civil status after annulment or a spouse’s death	The PSA document showing the change, such as an annotated marriage certificate

You still need your two valid IDs. If your IDs show a different spelling, bring the PSA document to explain it.

Can I fix an error through online renewal?

No. Online renewal and eGovPH renewal reuse the details already on file and are meant for people with no changes. Any correction means a branch visit. See NBI standard renewal.

FAQs: correcting your NBI clearance