Cross-agency guides
Questions that cross agency boundaries, or where the issuer is not a national agency at all.
A barangay clearance comes from roughly 42,000 individual barangays. A valid-ID list spans the PSA, DFA, LTO, SSS, PHLPost, PNP and COMELEC at once, and those agencies do not agree with each other.
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benefitsAdoption in the Philippines: No Longer a Court CaseRA 11642 moved domestic adoption out of the courts to the NACC. Cases are decided in 60 calendar days, with no adversarial proceedings.documentsAffidavit of Loss: Who Needs One and What It CostsAn affidavit of loss is a notarial act, not a form. LTO, BIR and BI each require one, and Philippine posts abroad price it off a single US $25.00 rate.legalAffidavit of Support: Where It Is Actually RequiredAn affidavit of support is a sworn undertaking to fund someone's travel or stay. DSWD requires one for a minor's travel clearance, with proof of capacity.taxesAmilyar: 1% or 2%, Plus 1% for SchoolsReal property tax is up to 1% of assessed value in provinces, 2% in Metro Manila cities, plus a 1% Special Education Fund levy. Late payment adds 2% a month.civil registryAnnulment, Nullity and Legal Separation ComparedThree different remedies with three different results. Annulment has grounds that prescribe; nullity under Article 36 does not. What the Family Code says.servicesAnti-Red Tape Act: 3, 7 and 20 Working DaysEvery government office must act within 3, 7 or 20 working days. Miss it and the application is deemed approved. What RA 11032 gives you.clearancesBarangay Clearance: Why No National Fee ExistsIssued by roughly 42,000 individual barangays, so no national fee is published. What national agencies do say about accepting a barangay certification.legalBarangay Protection Order: How to Get OneA BPO is issued by the Punong Barangay on the day you file, effective 15 days. A court TPO runs 30 days. Who can file and what RA 9262 penalises.businessBMBE Registration: No Income Tax Under ₱3M AssetsA Barangay Micro Business Enterprise is exempt from income tax and from the Minimum Wage Law. Assets must stay under ₱3,000,000, excluding the land.permitsBuilding Permit: 15 Days to Issue, 1 Year to StartThe Building Official issues a building permit within 15 days of fee payment. It expires if work does not start within 1 year or stops for 120 days.businessBusiness Permit Renewal: January 20 and the 25%Local taxes are due within the first 20 days of January. Miss it and the LGU may add a 25% surcharge plus 2% a month, with interest capped at 36 months.employmentCaregiver Salary Abroad: What Governments PublishCanada publishes CAD 20.50 an hour, Japan 338,200 yen a month, the USA USD 35,800 a year and Australia an award floor of A$1,307.80 a week.employmentCaregiver Salary in Canada: CAD 20.50 an Hour MedianJob Bank puts the median for a home support worker at CAD 20.50 an hour, from CAD 17.05 in Newfoundland to CAD 37.61 in Nunavut.employmentCaregiver Salary in Japan: 338,200 Yen a MonthMHLW puts a full-time care worker on 338,200 yen a month in September 2024, up 13,960 yen on the year. Basic pay is only 192,660 yen of it.employmentCaregiver Salary in the USA: USD 35,800 MedianBLS puts the median home health and personal care aide wage at USD 35,800 a year, or USD 17.21 an hour, on May 2025 data.identificationCedula: ₱5.00 Basic, and the Law Behind ItThe community tax is ₱5.00 plus ₱1.00 per ₱1,000 of income, capped at ₱5,000. Corporations pay ₱500.00 plus up to ₱10,000. Due by the last day of February.benefitsCHED Scholarship: TES Pays ₱20,000 to ₱27,000The Tertiary Education Subsidy pays ₱20,000 a year at state universities and ₱27,000 at private HEIs, with extra grants for PWDs and licensure exams.assistanceChild With Autism: The PWD ID and School RightsNo Philippine law names autism, but a child with autism is a PWD and a learner with disability, which means a PWD ID, free assessment and an IEP.employmentCruise Ship Hiring: Zero Placement Fee Is the LawA cruise ship job is a seafarer job, so RA 12021 bans placement fees outright. Only 4 document costs may lawfully be charged to you.employmentDomestic Helper Salary Abroad: The USD 500 FloorDMW raised the minimum for Filipino domestic workers from USD 400 to at least USD 500 in August 2025. It applies wherever you are deployed.employmentDomestic Helper Salary in Hong Kong: HK$5,100The Minimum Allowable Wage for foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong is HK$5,100 a month for contracts signed on or after 30 September 2025.benefitsDTI Consumer Complaint: The 2-Year DeadlineA consumer claim prescribes in 2 years. Arbitration officers can fine ₱500.00 to ₱300,000.00 plus ₱1,000.00 for every day a violation continues.benefitsECCD Law: RA 12199 Repealed the Early Years ActRA 12199 repealed RA 10410 on 8 May 2025 and moved the ECCD Council to DILG. RA 8980 was already repealed in 2013. Both are still widely cited.documentsExtrajudicial Settlement: Rule 74 and the 2 YearsRule 74 lets heirs divide an estate without going to court, if there is no will and no debts. It needs a bond, publication for 3 weeks, and 2 years of exposure.businessFire Safety Inspection Certificate: Fees and RulesThe FSIC is a prerequisite to your business permit. The Fire Code charges 0.1% of a new building's value, capped at ₱50,000.00, split across two payments.benefitsFirst 1000 Days: What RA 11148 Entitles You ToRA 11148 splits the first 1,000 days into stages: 270 days prenatal, 28 days newborn, 180 days of infancy, then to 24 months. Each carries services.employmentFirst Time Jobseekers: The Fees RA 11261 WaivesRA 11261 waives government fees on 10 pre-employment documents, once, on a barangay certification. Passports and driver's licences are not among them.recordsForm 137 Is Now SF10: The Permanent RecordForm 137 is now School Form 10, the Learner's Permanent Academic Record, renamed by DepEd from SY 2017-2018. Which format applies to which grade.moneyGovernment Loans Compared: What Each PublishesPag-IBIG and SSS both lend to members. What each publishes about eligibility, term and contribution, with the rates left where the agencies declare them.moneyGovernment Savings Programmes: The Published TermsMP2, Regular Savings and WISP compared on what each publishes: term, maturity and where the rate is stated. No recommendations and no invented returns.legalKatarungang Pambarangay: Settle It Before CourtMost disputes must go through the barangay lupon before any court will hear them. No lawyers allowed, 10 days to repudiate, 6 months to enforce.permitsLocational Clearance: Who Issues Yours, and WhyEO 72 devolved locational clearance to cities and municipalities in 1993. All projects are presumed locally significant unless the NEDA Board says otherwise.benefitsMandatory Baby Vaccines: What RA 10152 SaysRA 10152 makes basic immunization mandatory and free to age 5, covering 9 disease groups. It repealed PD 996 and carries no penalty of its own.civil registryMarriage Licence and Civil Wedding RequirementsA marriage licence is valid 120 days nationwide. The notice is posted 10 consecutive days, and couples aged 18 to 21 need parental consent.businessMayor's Permit: One Form, and the 20-Day LimitRA 11032 requires one unified form, issues sanitary and zoning clearances with the permit, and deems your application approved if the LGU misses its deadline.benefitsMental Health Act: Your Rights Under RA 11036RA 11036 gives service users 20 named rights, requires written informed consent, and fines discrimination from ₱10,000.00 to ₱200,000.00.benefitsNewborn Screening: The 24-Hour to 3-Day WindowRA 9288 requires newborn screening after 24 hours of life but not later than 3 days from delivery. Refusal is allowed in writing on religious grounds.employmentNurse Salary Abroad: What 7 Governments PublishSeven destinations publish nurse pay officially, from a A$32.09 hourly award floor in Australia to a USD 97,550 median in the United States.employmentNurse Salary in Australia: A$32.09 an Hour MinimumThe Nurses Award sets a registered nurse level 1 floor of A$1,219.50 a week, or A$32.09 an hour, effective 1 July 2026. Level 5 tops out at A$71.23.employmentNurse Salary in Canada: CAD 43.27 an Hour MedianJob Bank puts the national median for a registered nurse at CAD 43.27 an hour, from CAD 27.00 in Quebec to CAD 71.57 in Nunavut.employmentNurse Salary in Germany: EUR 4,310 Gross a MonthDestatis puts skilled hospital nursing staff on EUR 4,310 gross a month in April 2024, above the EUR 3,978 average across all German occupations.employmentNurse Salary in New Zealand: NZ$77,667 to NZ$109,407The Health NZ and NZNO collective agreement puts a new graduate nurse on NZ$77,667 and step 7 on NZ$109,407 from 2 March 2026.employmentNurse Salary in Singapore: S$5,276 Median a MonthMOM puts the median gross wage for a registered nurse at S$5,276 a month, with the middle half running from S$4,261 to S$6,835.employmentNurse Salary in the UK: NHS Band 5 Starts at £32,073A newly qualified NHS nurse starts on Band 5 at £32,073 and tops out at £39,043, on the Agenda for Change scales effective 1 April 2026.employmentNurse Salary in the USA: USD 97,550 Median a YearBLS puts the median registered nurse wage at USD 97,550 a year, or USD 46.90 an hour, on May 2025 data. The lowest tenth earn under USD 68,940.permitsOccupancy Permit: 10 Groups and the 30-Day RuleNo building may be used until the Building Official issues a Certificate of Occupancy, within 30 days of final inspection. PD 1096 sets 10 occupancy groups.housingPag-IBIG Acquired Assets: The Discount Schedule30% off for cash in 30 days, 20% for up to 12 months, 10% over 30 years. Bulk buyers at ₱10M and up get 40% to 45%.benefitsPhilHealth Maternity Care: The Unbundled 2026 RatesCircular 2026-0006 splits the Maternity Care Package into antenatal, intrapartum, postpartum and referral, with rates from ₱150.00 to ₱14,700.00.legalPhilippine Lemon Law: 12 Months or 20,000 kmYour Lemon Law rights run 12 months or 20,000 km, whichever comes first, and open after 4 failed repair attempts for the same complaint.benefitsPWD ID: 20% Discount and VAT ExemptionPersons with disability get at least 20% off plus VAT exemption on medicines, medical fees, transport, food and funerals. The ID comes from your mayor.assistancePWD Monthly Benefits: What Actually ExistsThere is no national monthly cash allowance for PWDs. What exists is free PhilHealth, an SSS or GSIS disability pension for contributors, and LGU programmes.businessSanitary Permit: Who Needs One, and the 6-Month ClockPD 856 requires a sanitary permit across 11 trades, from food to funeral homes, with an inspection every 6 months and a health certificate for every worker.employmentSeaman Salary: The ITF Minimum Scale by RankAn AB's minimum basic wage is US$690 a month from 1 January 2026, or US$1,212 with leave and 104 hours of overtime. A master's is US$4,083.moneySending Money Home: Why the Fee Is Not the CostThe advertised fee is the smaller half. Most of what a sender loses is the margin between the provider's rate and the mid-market rate.benefitsSenior Citizen Cash Benefits: Pension and Cash GiftsIndigent seniors get at least ₱1,000 a month. Cash gifts of ₱10,000 come at 80, 85, 90 and 95, and ₱100,000 at 100, claimable within one year.benefitsSenior Citizen ID: 20% Discount and VAT ExemptionA resident citizen aged 60 or over gets 20% off plus VAT exemption. The OSCA ID and purchase booklet are issued free and honoured nationwide.identificationSIM Card Registration: The Law and the PenaltiesEvery SIM sold in the Philippines is deactivated until registered. Registration is free, 17 IDs are accepted, and false information carries ₱300,000.legalSmall Claims Court: Up to ₱1,000,000, No LawyerThe small claims ceiling is ₱1,000,000.00 and appeals are prohibited. Courts must devote a day a week to small claims, with at least 5 cases per hearing day.identificationSolo Parent ID: The 10% and the 7 DaysRA 11861 gives solo parents a ₱1,000 monthly subsidy, a 10% discount with VAT exemption on baby needs, 7 days paid parental leave and automatic PhilHealth.documentsSpecial Power of Attorney: The 15 Acts in Art 1878Article 1878 of the Civil Code lists 15 acts that need a special power of attorney. A general one will not do, and for land an oral authority is void.propertyTax Declaration: What It Is, and What It Is NotA tax declaration is a sworn statement of value filed with the assessor for tax. It is listed in the name of anyone with legal interest, so it is not a title.identificationValid IDs Philippines: Who Accepts WhatPNP accepts 26 IDs and needs one. COMELEC accepts 14 and refuses a police clearance. PHLPost splits primary and secondary. The lists compared side by side.legalWarrant of Arrest: How One Issues, and WhenA judge has 10 days from the filing of the information to find probable cause. The warrant is then executed within 10 days, with a report due 10 days after.employmentWork Abroad Without Experience: The Real RoutesEPS Korea takes applicants with no agency and no placement fee. DMW lists 134,322 job orders. Here is what is published for first-time applicants.employmentWorking in Australia: A$26.44 an Hour MinimumAustralia's National Minimum Wage is A$26.44 an hour from 1 July 2026. But most employees are covered by an award, and the award rate is what applies.employmentWorking in Japan: The Minimum Wage Is PrefecturalJapan has no single minimum wage. It runs from ¥1,023 to ¥1,226 an hour by prefecture, with a national weighted average of ¥1,121.employmentWorking in New Zealand: NZ$23.95 an Hour MinimumNew Zealand's adult minimum wage is NZ$23.95 an hour from 1 April 2026. Migrant workers get the same minimum employment rights as New Zealanders.employmentWorking in Taiwan: NT$29,500 a Month MinimumTaiwan's minimum wage is NT$196 an hour and NT$29,500 a month from 1 January 2026. What the wage law guarantees, and the Philippine side of getting hired.employmentWorking in the UK: £12.71 an Hour From April 2026The UK minimum wage depends on your age and whether you are an apprentice. From April 2026 it is £12.71 for workers aged 21 and over.