Cleared In Less Than 3 Hours | NBI Clearance Online Application

Seriously, this is not a late April Fools’ joke.

The local National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has begun a stricter adherence to their online clearance application that started on April 1, 2015. I learned of it when I visited their Quezon City Hall unit last Tuesday afternoon, thinking that there would be less people by that time since it was nearing vacation time on the call of Holy Week holidays. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Luckily, I still had the following day to do it.

When I reached home, I logged on to their site and registered myself. After getting my reference number, all I had to do was wait until I could return to Quezon City Hall.

Next day, I arrived late; instead of reaching the place by 6AM, I got to the clearance unit way past 7AM. In retrospect, it was a good move because there weren’t many people that day.

Past 730AM and this was the number of people in front of me (and there were less at the back).

Once I paid at the cashier, I lined up along with the other online applicants. While that took a while longer, I texted with Jake as my brain was silently hoping I would not get a hit from the system. Thankfully, that was what happened. So that was one less possible hassle to think about!

Unbelievably, that’s the bulk of the applicants.

Last step was having the clearance printed. With that over, I went on my way back home. I finished just a few minutes before 10AM so, instead of going home, I changed my mind went to the mall. Less than three hours of waiting. Not bad for April Fools’ Day.

Just to review, here are the steps with tips for new NBI Clearance Online Application

1. Go to their website http://clearance.nbi.gov.ph/ and register yourself.
2. When you’ve finished making your account, fill in the needed information for your clearance.
3. Do not worry if you do not have a webcam at home. Local clearance units are equipped with webcams that would take your photo there. Note though: it is not clear to me if they would accept—or not—the photos taken at home.
4. Choose the date and time when you want to get your clearance.
5. Choose the branch where you want to get your clearance.
6. Select what type of clearance you need: local or abroad. Also, click to what subtype you require.
7. Do not worry about choosing paying online, through a bank, or wherever. Just choose one of the four options. All you need at this point is to get a reference number, which you will need to prove your application exists in their system.
8. Have that number printed and bring it with you on your appointment.
9. Have your online clearance application printed as well. And do not worry that it does not look like the others. They’ll accept it, whatever it looks like.
10. You can pay through any of the four options the online system provides; though you have to pay for an additional fee, that’s one less line you have to make at the clearance unit.
11. You could also pay at the NBI branch where you made your appointment; no other fees to pay save for clearance and the printing but you’ll still have to queue for payment, which could be a hassle.
12. Wear decent casual clothes and shoes that could bear with the hours of waiting. No sleeveless shirts for men. You may have to take off any headgear for the photo-taking.
13. Line up to have your previously encoded information verified and your photo and fingerprints taken. Double-check whatever you wrote there because there may be an additional fee if you want to correct any wrong item after it has been printed.
14. Hope that you do not get any hit in their system.
15. If you get a hit because of a namesake or an actual summon or warrant of arrest, it would take lot longer before you get your clearance. They’ll tell you when you’ll get it, if ever you will. (Insight to this: uniquely name your offspring—less likely to have namesakes.)
16. Prepare Php 5.00 for printing fee.

I hope that, when you get your NBI Clearance, it would as hassle-free as mine was.