Foreign nationals living in the Philippines get an NBI clearance through the same online system as Filipinos: register on clearance.nbi.gov.ph, book an appointment and pay ₱155–₱160. At the NBI, you show your passport and ACR I-Card instead of Philippine IDs, and you have your photo and fingerprints taken.
Two things work differently. In Metro Manila, book the NBI Clearance Center on United Nations Avenue in Ermita, Manila, the office that handles foreign applicants. And don’t expect to leave with the clearance: foreign applicants are usually given a release date, often one to two weeks later.
| Who it’s for | Foreign nationals who live, or have lived, in the Philippines |
| Apply | Online at clearance.nbi.gov.ph, then in person |
| Where, in Metro Manila | NBI Clearance Center, NBI Clearance Building, United Nations Avenue, Ermita, Manila (Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM) |
| Where, elsewhere | Your nearest NBI regional or district office, after calling to confirm it takes foreign applicants |
| Bring | Your passport and ACR I-Card, the originals plus photocopies |
| Fee | ₱155–₱160 (₱130 plus a ₱25–₱30 e-payment charge) |
| Release | Usually on a later date given to you at the NBI, often one to two weeks after your visit |
| Already left the Philippines | Apply from abroad with NBI Form No. 5 through a Philippine embassy or consulate |
We are not the NBI or the Bureau of Immigration. This is an independent guide. The NBI publishes little about foreign applicants specifically, so if your situation doesn’t fit what’s here, call the NBI clearance helpdesk at (02) 8524-1277 or 0939 150 2880 before you go.
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When foreigners need an NBI clearance
You need one when an office in the Philippines, or a country you’re moving to, asks for proof that you have no criminal record here. The most common reasons are:
- Bureau of Immigration applications. When you convert to a 13(a) spouse visa or a student visa from inside the Philippines, the BI’s checklists ask for an NBI clearance if you file six months or more after your first arrival. For the spouse visa, each dependent aged 15 or older needs one too.
- Work and study. Some employers and schools include it in their requirements.
- Moving to another country. Countries such as Canada, Australia and the United States ask for police certificates from countries where you’ve lived for a set period, and for the Philippines that’s the NBI clearance.
If a checklist asks for a “police clearance from the Philippines”, it usually means the NBI clearance. When in doubt, ask the office that wants it.
Requirements for foreign applicants
- Your passport, the original, plus a photocopy of the data page and of your latest visa or entry stamp
- Your ACR I-Card, the original, plus a photocopy of the front and back
- Your reference number and proof of payment from the online application
Both documents should be valid on the day of your appointment. You don’t need an ID photo, because the NBI takes your photo at the appointment.
If you don’t have an ACR I-Card
The Bureau of Immigration issues the ACR I-Card to foreign nationals whose authorized stay goes beyond 59 days, so short-stay visitors usually don’t have one yet. If that’s you, call the NBI before you book and ask what the office will accept with your passport.
Dual citizens and former Filipinos
Dual citizens under RA 9225 are Filipino citizens, so they apply the regular way, with two valid IDs, which can include a Philippine passport. Former Filipinos who are now citizens of another country, and haven’t reacquired Philippine citizenship, apply as foreign nationals with their foreign passport.
Can foreigners get it free?
No. The free clearance under RA 11261, the First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act, is only for Filipino citizens, so foreign nationals pay the regular fee.
Where foreign nationals apply
In Metro Manila
Book the NBI Clearance Center at the NBI Clearance Building on United Nations Avenue, Ermita, Manila. It’s open Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and it’s the office that handles foreign applicants in Metro Manila. Satellite branches in malls and city halls may not process foreign nationals, so booking one of them risks a wasted trip.
Outside Metro Manila
Call your nearest NBI regional or district office before you book. Confirm that it accepts foreign applicants, and ask how long release usually takes there, so you can plan around any visa deadline.
How to apply for an NBI clearance as a foreigner
Step 1 — Register on the NBI portal
Go to clearance.nbi.gov.ph and register with an email address and a mobile number you can use right away. The one-time password to finish your registration arrives by text or email.
Step 2 — Enter your details exactly as your passport shows them
Copy your name, birth date and birthplace from your passport. The form also asks about your family, education and work, so have your parents’ full names and birthplaces ready. If the portal asks whether you’ve had an NBI clearance before, answer no unless you have.
Given names, middle names and surnames
On Philippine forms, the middle name is your mother’s maiden surname, which most foreign passports don’t show. Put all your given names in the first-name field and your surname in the last-name field, in the same order as your passport. Don’t move a second given name into the middle-name field. If the portal won’t accept a blank middle name, follow its on-screen instructions or ask NBI staff.
Step 3 — Apply, choose your ID and book
Click Apply for Clearance, choose the purpose that matches why you need it, such as a visa or travel, and select your passport or ACR I-Card as the ID you’ll present. Then pick the NBI Clearance Center, or the provincial office you’ve confirmed, a date and an AM or PM slot.
Step 4 — Pay the fee
The total is ₱155–₱160: ₱130 for the clearance plus a ₱25–₱30 e-payment charge. The portal offers five payment channels. Without a Philippine e-wallet or bank account, the simplest is to pay cash at 7-Eleven or a Bayad Center using your reference number. Your application shows Paid once the payment goes through.
Step 5 — Go to your appointment
Bring your passport, ACR I-Card, photocopies and reference number, and dress neatly, since you’ll be photographed. Staff check your documents, then capture your photo, fingerprints and signature. Before anything is saved, read your details on the monitor and ask for corrections straight away.
Some foreign applicants are also asked to fill in a paper form and give ink fingerprints. Follow the staff’s instructions at the counter.
Step 6 — Collect it on your release date
You’ll be given a release date, usually written or stamped on your receipt. Keep the receipt, and return to the same office on that date to collect your clearance.
How long it takes, and what a HIT means
Foreign applicants rarely get their clearance on the day of their appointment. Release dates of about one to two weeks are common, and they can be longer outside Metro Manila.
If your name matches an entry in the NBI’s records, that’s a HIT, and the clearance is held while the NBI checks whether the record is really yours. Common names trigger them more often. A HIT doesn’t mean you have a record, but it can add days, so apply at least three weeks before a visa or immigration deadline.
Renewing your NBI clearance as a foreigner
An NBI clearance is valid for one year, but the office receiving it may want one issued more recently. If your previous clearance qualifies for the NBI’s online renewal, the portal lets you renew it with delivery to an address in the Philippines. If it won’t accept your NBI ID number, renew in person the same way you first applied.
For an in-person renewal, bring your old clearance with your passport and ACR I-Card. If your name or other details have changed since your last clearance, bring the document that shows the change, such as your marriage certificate.
Already left the Philippines?
If you lived in the Philippines and now need a clearance from overseas, for example for immigration elsewhere, you apply with NBI Form No. 5, the NBI’s fingerprint card. Philippine embassies and consulates process it for foreign nationals who have lived in the Philippines, not only for Filipinos.
- Get the card from the Philippine embassy or consulate that serves your area, usually by appointment.
- Have your fingerprints rolled onto it, and have the embassy or consulate certify it.
- Send it with a copy of your passport’s data page and a 2×2 photo to the NBI’s Mailed Clearance Section in Manila, or have someone in the Philippines submit it for you.
By mail, the NBI fee is ₱200, and the NBI processes the application within about five working days of receiving it, plus mailing time both ways.
Using your clearance in another country
If the clearance is going to an office abroad, check whether it has to be authenticated first. Offices in Apostille Convention countries may ask for a DFA apostille, while non-member countries such as the UAE also require legalization by their embassy. Some offices accept the clearance as it is, so follow the receiving office’s instructions.
Mistakes that slow down foreign applications
- Booking a satellite branch in Metro Manila instead of the NBI Clearance Center.
- Entering a second given name as your middle name.
- Bringing an expired passport or ACR I-Card.
- Applying a few days before a visa deadline. Leave at least three weeks.
- Losing the receipt with your release date on it.
FAQs: NBI clearance for foreigners
Yes. Foreign nationals apply online at clearance.nbi.gov.ph like everyone else, then appear in person with their passport and ACR I-Card for their photo and fingerprints.
At the NBI Clearance Center, NBI Clearance Building, United Nations Avenue, Ermita, Manila, which is open Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Satellite branches may not process foreign nationals.
Your passport and your ACR I-Card, both valid, with photocopies of the passport data page, your latest visa or entry stamp, and both sides of the ACR I-Card.
It’s usually not released on the day of your appointment. You get a release date, often one to two weeks later, and a HIT on your name can add more time.
The same as for Filipinos: ₱155–₱160, which is ₱130 plus a ₱25–₱30 e-payment charge. The free clearance for first-time jobseekers is only for Filipino citizens.
Yes. Have your fingerprints taken on NBI Form No. 5 through a Philippine embassy or consulate, then mail it to the NBI in Manila with the ₱200 fee, or have someone in the Philippines submit it for you.
No. The NBI clearance shows whether you have a criminal record in the Philippines. A BI clearance certificate comes from the Bureau of Immigration and covers your immigration record. Some applications ask for both.
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