An NBI clearance is valid for one year from its issue date. The rule is the same for new applications and renewals, and for every purpose, from local jobs to visas.
The catch is that the office you give it to can be stricter. Some employers and embassies only accept a clearance issued in the last few months, even if yours hasn’t expired, so check their written requirements before you submit or renew.
| How long it’s valid | One year from the issue date printed on it |
| Renewals | Each new clearance gets its own full year |
| After a HIT | The year starts when the clearance is finally issued |
| Stricter rules | Some employers and embassies want one issued in the last few months |
| Renewing early | Allowed any time, and nothing is wasted |
| Renewing after expiry | Same process and fee; there’s no late fee |
| Apostilled clearances | The apostille doesn’t extend the clearance’s validity |
We are not the NBI. This is an independent guide. The office that asks for your clearance decides what it accepts, so its written requirements come first.
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How the one-year validity works
It starts on the issue date: The year counts from the day the clearance is issued, not the day you applied or paid. A clearance issued in March 2026 is good until March 2027.
A HIT doesn’t shorten it: If your name matches a record in the NBI database, you’re asked to come back after about 5–10 working days. Your clearance is issued on that later date, and the year starts then. Here’s what a HIT on your NBI clearance means.
Every renewal gets a fresh year: A renewed clearance is a new clearance with its own issue date. Whether you renew online, in the eGovPH app or at a branch, the new one is valid for a full year from the day it’s issued.
When a valid clearance can still be rejected
The NBI’s one year is the most a clearance can last. The office receiving it can set a shorter limit of its own, and its rule is the one that counts.
Employers and agencies: Some ask for a clearance issued within the last few months, often three or six. The limit is usually in the job posting or the list of requirements. If it isn’t, ask HR before you renew.
Embassies and immigration: Immigration offices set their own rules too. Canada’s immigration department, for example, wants a police certificate less than six months old if you still live in the Philippines. Our guide to the NBI clearance for Canada explains its other rules.
Apostilled clearances: An apostille certifies your clearance for use abroad; it doesn’t extend it. If the office abroad wants a recent clearance, renew first and then apply for the apostille. Here’s how to get your NBI clearance apostilled.
How to check when your clearance expires
Look for the issue date printed on your clearance. It’s valid for one year from that date, so mark the expiry on your calendar when you receive it.
If you don’t have the paper
Check any photo or copy you kept, including copies you gave an employer. If the original is gone, here’s what to do about a lost NBI clearance.
When to renew
| Your situation | When to start |
|---|---|
| Routine local use | A few weeks before it expires, or as soon as an office asks for a newer one |
| Job hunting | Once it’s older than the limit employers in your field ask for |
| Renewing online with delivery | At least two weeks before you need it. Delivery takes 3–7 working days in Metro Manila and Luzon, and 7–10 in the Visayas and Mindanao |
| Using it abroad | Several weeks ahead, to allow for the DFA apostille and any embassy steps |
| Your name is common | Add 5–10 working days in case of a HIT |
Renewing early doesn’t waste anything
You can renew whenever you need a newer clearance. The new one gets its own full year from its issue date, so the only cost of renewing early is the fee.
There’s no penalty for renewing late
An expired clearance is renewed the same way, for the same fee. There’s no late fee and no separate process.
Which way can you renew?
You have three options, and which one you can use depends on your last clearance and whether your details have changed.
Online, with delivery: If your last clearance was issued after 2014 and none of your details have changed, you can renew your NBI clearance online with the NBI ID number printed on it and have the new one delivered.
In the eGovPH app: Verified eGovPH users can renew in the app and pick the clearance up or have it delivered, without the NBI ID number. Here’s how to renew your NBI clearance on eGovPH.
At a branch: If your name, civil status or other details have changed, renew at a branch and bring the PSA document for the change. Our guide to renewing at an NBI branch covers what to bring.
Changes that rule out online renewal
- A new surname, for example after marriage or annulment
- A change in civil status
- A corrected birth date, birthplace or name spelling
- A last clearance issued in 2014 or earlier
What an expired clearance can still do
Not much. Offices that ask for an NBI clearance want a valid one, and those that accept it as an ID generally want it unexpired too.
Keep it anyway. The NBI ID number printed on it is what online renewal asks for; here’s how the NBI ID number differs from the reference number. A photo of the old clearance works just as well.
FAQs: NBI clearance validity
One year from the issue date printed on it. The rule is the same for new applications and renewals.
Yes. A renewed clearance is a new clearance with its own issue date and a full year of validity.
No. The year starts on the day your clearance is actually issued, after the HIT is cleared.
Yes, any time. The new clearance gets a fresh year from its own issue date, so nothing is wasted.
No. There’s no late fee. You renew it the same way and pay the same amount as for an unexpired one.
The office has a stricter limit of its own, such as a clearance issued within the last few months. Its written requirements take priority over the NBI’s one year.
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