To put your married surname on your NBI clearance, update your details in your NBI account and visit a branch with your PSA marriage certificate. Online renewal and the eGovPH app can’t change a name, so this always takes one branch appointment. It costs the usual ₱155–₱160, and if there’s no HIT you get the new clearance the same day.
The change is your choice, though. Philippine law lets married women keep their maiden name, so you only need this guide if you’ve decided to use your husband’s surname.
| Do you have to change it? | No. Using your husband’s surname is optional |
| Where | One NBI branch appointment. Online renewal and eGovPH can’t change names |
| Key document | Original PSA marriage certificate |
| IDs | Two valid IDs; ones in your maiden name are normally fine |
| Name format | Husband’s surname as your last name, maiden surname as your middle name |
| Cost | ₱155–₱160 (₱130 + ₱25–₱30 e-payment charge) |
| Release | Same day if there is no HIT; about 5–10 working days if there is |
We are not the NBI. This is an independent guide. Apply and pay only through clearance.nbi.gov.ph.
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Should you switch to your married name at all?
You don’t have to. The Civil Code says a married woman may use her husband’s surname, and the Supreme Court has confirmed that this is an option, not a duty. Your current clearance also stays valid until it expires, whatever your civil status.
What matters more is that your documents agree with each other. Before you update anything, check which name your passport and main IDs show:
| Your situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Your passport is still in your maiden name, and the clearance is for a visa or an overseas job | Keep your maiden name on the clearance for now so the two documents match |
| Your passport and IDs already show your married name | Update your NBI clearance to match them |
| You’ve decided to keep your maiden name | Nothing to change. Keep renewing as usual |
Decide once and stick with it. Under the New Philippine Passport Act, a married woman can switch her passport back to her maiden name only once, and her other IDs are then expected to show her maiden name too. Changing back and forth creates exactly the mismatches you want to avoid.
What you need
- Your original PSA marriage certificate, plus a photocopy in case the branch asks for one. This is the document that proves your new surname.
- Two original, unexpired government IDs. They can still be in your maiden name, because the marriage certificate links your two names. Check which IDs the NBI accepts before you go.
- Your reference number and proof of payment, which you get when you apply online.
- Your old NBI clearance, if you still have it.
If your PSA marriage certificate isn’t ready yet
After the wedding, the person who married you files the marriage certificate with the local civil registrar, which then sends it on to the PSA. It usually takes a couple of months, sometimes longer outside Metro Manila, before the PSA can issue a copy.
In the meantime you can get a certified copy from the local civil registrar, but don’t assume the NBI will accept it. Email clearance@nbi.gov.ph or call (02) 8524-1277 before you book. If you need a clearance urgently, it’s simpler to get one in your maiden name now and update it once the PSA copy is out.
If you married abroad
Report the marriage to the Philippine embassy or consulate first. Once the report reaches the PSA, you can order a PSA copy and use it like any other marriage certificate. If you’re still living abroad, the clearance itself goes through the embassy too. See our guide to getting an NBI clearance from abroad.
If your name is misspelled on the marriage certificate
Compare your name on the marriage certificate with your birth certificate, letter by letter. The NBI goes by your documents, so a spelling error there ends up on your clearance. Our guide on how to fix a mistake on your NBI clearance explains when the civil registry record has to be corrected first.
How to enter your married name on the NBI form
The usual Filipino format moves your maiden surname into the middle-name slot. For example, Maria Reyes Santos who marries Juan Cruz becomes Maria Santos Cruz:
| Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Last name | Your husband’s surname | Cruz |
| First name | Your given name, unchanged | Maria |
| Middle name | Your maiden surname (your father’s surname) | Santos |
| Civil status | Married | Married |
If your passport or other updated IDs show your married name in a different format, follow them, so your documents match. The form also asks for your spouse’s details in the family background section, so have your husband’s full name and birthplace ready.
How to change your last name on your NBI clearance, step by step
Step 1 — Log in to your NBI account
Go to clearance.nbi.gov.ph and log in with the account you used before you married. You don’t need a new account for a new surname. If you forgot your password, use the password reset on the login page.
Step 2 — Update your applicant information
Click Edit Information and fill in your name as shown in the table above. Change your civil status to Married, add your husband’s details and click Save Information.
If the portal won’t let you save the new surname, or you can’t get back into your old account, register a new account under your married name instead. Do it before you pay, and use only that account from then on.
Step 3 — Apply for clearance and book a branch
Click Apply for Clearance. When the pop-up asks which ID you’ll bring, choose one you actually have, even if it’s still in your maiden name. Then pick a branch, a date and an AM or PM slot.
Step 4 — Pay the fee
Pay ₱130 plus the ₱25–₱30 e-payment charge through any channel the portal lists, such as GCash, Maya, 7-Eleven or online banking. Save your reference number. Once your transaction shows Paid, you have a 15-day grace period if you can’t make your slot.
Step 5 — Go to the branch
Staff check your PSA marriage certificate and IDs against the details you entered, then take a new photo, your fingerprints and your signature.
Before printing, you’ll be asked to check your details on a screen. Make sure your husband’s surname is in the last-name slot, your maiden surname in the middle-name slot, and your civil status says Married.
If there’s no match in the NBI database, you get the clearance the same day. A new surname can bring a new match, though, because someone else may share your married name. That’s a HIT on your NBI clearance, and it usually means a return date 5–10 working days later.
After your clearance shows your married name
Your NBI record now carries your married name. Next year, if nothing else has changed, you won’t need a branch visit: you can renew your NBI clearance online and have it delivered.
Update your other IDs in the same format when you can, so your passport, National ID and NBI clearance all tell the same story.
Going back to your maiden name
After an annulment or a declaration of nullity, or if your husband has died, you can return to your maiden name on your NBI clearance. A widow may also keep her husband’s surname if she prefers. The branch process is the same, but you bring a different document: the PSA marriage certificate annotated with the court decision, or your husband’s PSA death certificate. Our standard renewal guide lists the documents for each kind of change.
FAQs: changing your last name on your NBI clearance
No. Using your husband’s surname is optional, and your current clearance stays valid until it expires. Update it when you want your documents to show your married name.
No. Both reuse the details already in your NBI record. A name change always needs one branch visit with your PSA marriage certificate.
Normally, yes. Your PSA marriage certificate links your maiden and married names. Bring the ID you selected in the online form.
No. Log in to your existing account and edit your details. Register a new account only if the portal won’t save the change or you can’t get into the old one, and do it before you pay.
The PSA copy of the Report of Marriage filed through the Philippine embassy or consulate. A foreign marriage certificate on its own may not be accepted, so report the marriage first.
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