NBI Offices and Delivery: Where to Go, What It Adds
National Bureau of Investigation · clearances
Quick answer
NBI runs a Main Office plus Clearance Centers covering Regional, District and Satellite Offices, split by whether they have a Quality Control Interviewer. Counter service is published at 15 minutes 13 seconds with no hit. Delivery adds ₱200.00 inside NCR or ₱350.00 outside.
Last verified
Where these figures come from
About these figures: the numbers below come from NBI's official published sources: National Bureau of Investigation | Citizen's Charter Handbook 2025 (1st Edition) (https://nbi.gov.ph/uploads/2025/04/2025-CITIZENS-CHARTER-HANDBOOK-1st-EDITION.pdf, retrieved 2026-08-31); NBI | How to Apply for NBI Clearance (https://nbi.gov.ph/how-to-apply-nbi-clearance/, retrieved 2026-08-31). Agencies change fees and rates without notice, so confirm with NBI before you rely on them. Last verified: 2026-08-31.
Where you apply changes the wait far more than it changes the price. The clearance itself is ₱160.00 everywhere; delivery and the office tier are what move.
What delivery costs
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Clearance fee | ₱130.00 |
| Electronic payment convenience fee | ₱30.00 |
| Subtotal | ₱160.00 |
| Delivery within NCR | ₱200.00 |
| Delivery outside NCR | ₱350.00 |
| Total, delivered within NCR | ₱360.00 |
| Total, delivered outside NCR | ₱510.00 |
| Total, picked up | ₱160.00 |
Delivery outside NCR at ₱350.00 costs ₱190.00 more than the entire clearance transaction.
How long delivery takes
| Destination | Delivery time |
|---|---|
| Within NCR | 5 working days |
| Outside NCR | 7 to 10 working days |
NBI states this excludes holidays, Saturdays and Sundays. Add the 24-hour readiness check first, so a delivery outside NCR realistically lands 8 to 11 working days after payment. That is arithmetic on NBI’s published figures.
The office tiers
| Tier | What the charter covers |
|---|---|
| NBI Main Office | External services including clearance processing and issuance |
| NBI Clearance Centers | Regional Offices, District Offices and Satellite Offices |
| Clearance Centers with a Quality Control Interviewer | Handle WITH HIT applications on site |
| Clearance Centers without a Quality Control Interviewer | Route WITH HIT applications differently |
The distinction matters if your name draws a hit: a centre with an interviewer can complete the interview where you are.
Published counter times
| Application | Published total | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Clearance center, NO HIT | 15 minutes 13 seconds | ₱160.00 |
| Clearance center, WITH HIT | 25 minutes 33 seconds | ₱160.00 |
| First-time jobseeker, NO HIT | 15 minutes 13 seconds | Free of charge |
| First-time jobseeker, WITH HIT | 25 minutes 33 seconds | Free of charge |
| Online renewal, main office route | 1 day, 12 minutes and 38 seconds | ₱160.00 |
| From abroad, courier with prepaid pouch | 8 working days 52 minutes 38 seconds | ₱160.00 |
| From abroad, authorized representative | 8 working days 50 minutes 38 seconds | ₱160.00 |
Free issuance for a first-time jobseeker runs under RA 11261, on a barangay certification. The NBI clearance requirements guide covers it.
If your name gets a hit
| What NBI publishes | |
|---|---|
| Return date | A scheduled date 8 working days later |
| Quality Control Section interview | Timed at 10 minutes 20 seconds |
| Extra payment | None |
| Typical wait on NBI’s how-to-apply page | 5 to 10 working days |
Pick-up against delivery
| Route | Where you collect | Cost | Wait after payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online renewal, pick-up | The releasing section at the NBI Clearance Building, United Nations Avenue, Manila, only | ₱160.00 | The 24-hour check, then 38 seconds at the window |
| Online renewal, delivery within NCR | Your address | ₱360.00 | 5 working days plus the 24-hour check |
| Online renewal, delivery outside NCR | Your address | ₱510.00 | 7 to 10 working days plus the check |
| Walk-in at a clearance center | The same centre | ₱160.00 | 15 minutes 13 seconds on a clean record |
If you live near a clearance centre, the walk-in at 15 minutes 13 seconds is faster than every delivery option and costs the least. The NBI clearance online guide covers booking one.
Where foreigners apply
New foreign applicants can only apply at the NBI Main Office on U.N. Avenue, Manila, or at any NBI Regional or District Office, and must do the application manually. The additional requirement is the original and a photocopy of a valid passport, secured from their embassy.
Applying from outside the country
| Route | Published total | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Courier with a paid application and prepaid pouch | 8 working days 52 minutes 38 seconds | ₱160.00 |
| Courier with enclosed payment | Published as its own service | ₱160.00 |
| Authorized representative | 8 working days 50 minutes 38 seconds | ₱160.00 |
| NBI’s mailed-clearance page figure | Maximum 5 working days from receipt of documents | ₱200.00, being ₱130.00 plus ₱70.00 mailing |
The NBI clearance abroad guide covers Form No. 5 and the consulate step.
What the clearance is used for
| Where | Requirement |
|---|---|
| DFA apostille | The original with dry seal, verifiable online; a personal copy is not accepted |
| Pag-IBIG claims | Accepted as a valid ID |
| Pag-IBIG membership | Accepted as a valid ID |
| PSA requests | Not on PSA’s own list, but commonly held alongside |
An apostille adds ₱100.00 at the regular rate, released after 5 working days, or ₱200.00 expedited after 2 working days. So an NBI clearance apostillised for a foreign employer runs ₱260.00 or ₱360.00 picked up, which is arithmetic on two agencies’ published fees.
What this page does not cover
NBI does not publish, in the charter pages read for this guide, a list of clearance center addresses, which centres have a Quality Control Interviewer, opening hours, the courier company handling deliveries, what happens to an undelivered certificate, or the clearance’s validity period. None of those are stated here.
Related
The NBI clearance requirements guide covers the fee breakdown and IDs, the online guide the application, the renewal guide the online renewal route, and the abroad guide applying from overseas.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does delivery add?
- ₱200.00 for door-to-door delivery within NCR and ₱350.00 outside NCR, on top of the ₱160.00 clearance and e-payment fee. That makes ₱360.00 delivered inside NCR and ₱510.00 outside.
- How long does delivery take?
- 5 working days within NCR and 7 to 10 working days outside NCR, excluding holidays, Saturdays and Sundays. Add the 24-hour readiness check before that.
- What kinds of NBI office are there?
- The charter is organised as the NBI Main Office and NBI Clearance Centers, the latter covering Regional Offices, District Offices and Satellite Offices. Clearance Centers are split again into those with a Quality Control Interviewer and those without.
- How long does the counter take?
- The charter publishes 15 minutes 13 seconds for a NO HIT application at a clearance center and 25 minutes 33 seconds for a WITH HIT application. The main office online-renewal route is published at 1 day, 12 minutes and 38 seconds.
- Can I pick it up instead of paying for delivery?
- On the online renewal route, yes, but only at the NBI Clearance Building, United Nations Avenue, Manila. The charter states printing and issuance on that route are done on-site there only, or through door-to-door delivery.
- Where do foreigners apply?
- New foreign applicants can only apply at the NBI Main Office on U.N. Avenue, Manila, or at any NBI Regional or District Office, and must do the application manually.
- What if my name gets a hit?
- You return on a scheduled date 8 working days later, and a referral to the Quality Control Section adds an interview timed at 10 minutes 20 seconds. There is no extra payment. NBI's how-to-apply page describes the typical wait as 5 to 10 working days.
- Do first-time jobseekers pay?
- No. Under RA 11261 a first-time jobseeker certified by their barangay gets the clearance free of charge, with the same published counter times.