National Police Clearance – Online Appointment & Registration

Philippine National Police issues Police Clearance to Filipino citizens and students. The National Police Clearance is an official document to prove that you do not have any criminal record in the Philippines. To get police clearance online, you should know about the online Application Process, eligibility and other requirements.

What is National Police Clearance?

The Philippine National Police (PNP) is responsible for issuing a document to indicate that a person has zero criminal records. The procedure to obtain this document is called National Police Clearance Application Process.

The National Police Clearance is an essential document to get a job or start a business in Philippines. Not only that, you need to provide police clearance when you apply for a driving license or travel visa. With the online application system, the procedure to obtain National Police Clearance has become very easy.

Police Clearance Online

For many years, the police clearance application was available offline mode only. But the Philippine National Police Department has launched the National Police Clearance System (NPCS) to provide police clearance online to Filipino Nationals and Residents.

The National Police Clearance Online Application is very simple, smooth and faster than the offline in-person method. To save your valuable time and efforts, I strongly recommend you to apply for National Police Clearance online.

The online application process for national police clearance requires a short visit to a police station for capturing photo and fingerprint of the applicant. It takes only 10 minutes.

National Police Clearance Online Application: Steps

In order to apply for National Police Clearance Online at NPCS PNP Clearance website, you need to go through several important steps that I am sharing here.

#1. National Police Clearance Online Registration

The Philippine Police Department allows people to apply online for National Police Clearance on National Police Clearance System website portal. But to use this online service, the user registration is mandatory.

So, you have to register yourself at PNP Clearance portal before you apply for National Police Clearance Online for yourself.

Step 1: Go to NPCS PNP Clearance official website www.pnpclearance.ph

Step 2: Register for an Account as a New User. Select Register option and Verify that you are a human to continue.

Step 3: Fill up the New Applicant Registration Form. Tick the boxes to Accept Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy of NPCS System.

Step 4: Verify Your Email with Verification Link and Your Mobile Number with OTP.

Step 5: Complete Your Profile for All Required Information to Finish Registration.

#2. National Police Clearance Login

After completing the National Police Clearance registration process, you can proceed to login to NPCS website portal.

Step 1: Go to NPCS PNP Clearance website www.pnpclearance.ph

Step 2: Click on Login button and Verify you are a human to open User Login Page.

Step 3: Enter your Email and Password, then click on Sign In button.

Step 4: Your Profile Info will appear on the screen.

Step 5: Click on Edit Profile to check all your personal details and update them if needed.

#3. National Police Clearance Online Application

After updating your profile information, you can click on Clearance Application option. Here you need to provide additional information for National Police Clearance Online Application Process as per Philippine National Police (PNP) Clearance Rules.

Fill up all required information about yourself and make sure that the info and spellings are correct. Select Save/Submit button to continue your police clearance online application process.

#4. Select Type of Police Clearance

The Philippine Police Department provide two types of police clearance to citizens & residents. The first one is Local Police Clearance (LPC) and the second one is National Police Clearance (NPC).

The local police clearance is valid in a specific area/jurisdiction of respective police station. On the other hand, the national police clearance is valid in entire country.

You should select the type as National Police Clearance (NPC) to continue the process.

#5. Book Police Clearance Online Appointment

Once you submit the application form for National Police Clearance online, the next step is to book an appointment for your photo and fingerprint capture at a nearby police station.

You can choose your desired date & time from the available appointment slots and then continue to the payment page.

#6. Police Clearance Fee Payment

On the payment page, you can see your unique reference number in red color. Save the Reference Number as you will need to provide it when you go to a nearby police station for your photo and fingerprint capture.

Now, you need to make payment of National Police Clearance Fees. The fee for Police Clearance is ₱ 150 + transaction fee (as applicable).

On the payment page, you should click on PAY TO LANDBANK option. The NPCS PNP Clearance Portal provides online fee payment service through Land Bank ePayment Portal where you can pay the police clearance fees via following options.

• Land Bank Account
• GCash
• BancNet Online Banking (Partner Banks)
• Cash Payment via 7-Eleven (with CLiQQ Mobile App)

You can choose your suitable option to pay police clearance fees online or by cash. Make sure that you complete the fee payment two banking working days before your appointment at the police station.

After successful payment, save the Fee Payment Receipt and print it.

You will need to carry the fee receipt when you go for photo & fingerprint capture at the police station.

Note: If you fail to pay the fee or your fee couldn’t get credited to NPCS till the appointment date, your police clearance appointment will be cancelled. Thereafter you will have to login to PNP clearance portal again, book a fresh appointment and pay the fees.

#7. Photo and Fingerprint Capture

On your selected appointment date, you should go to the relevant police station. Don’t forget to carry a valid proof of identification for verification purposes. You should carry all the original documents mentioned below;

1. Email
2. Two Valid IDs from National ID Card, Passport, Driving License, Voter ID and Other equivalent IDs
3. Fee Payment Receipt
4. Your Reference Number

You should visit the concerned police station and meet the service executive to request your police clearance photo & fingerprint capture.

Provide required documents and follow the executive’s instructions to get your photo, fingerprint and signature captured. After the process is over, get your original document(s) back and wait for your name to be called by another service executive.

#8. Police Clearance Release by Philippine National Police

Once your photo and fingerprint are captured, you should wait for sometime. A police executive will speak up your name once your police clearance document is ready. It may take a few minutes.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) Department will immediately issue the police clearance to applicants “without Hit”. But the PNP department may ask for more documents and further verification for the applicants “with Hit”.

Without Hit [Clean Criminal Record]:

If your name does not match with any criminal in the Philippine National Police Database, it means that you have a clean record. It is called “Without Hit”, so the police department will release your police clearance document instantly.

You can collect the police clearance and exit the police station to go home.

With Hit [Possible Criminal Record]:

If your name matches exactly or partially or slightly with any criminal in the Philippine National Police Database, it is called “With Hit”. It means that you may have a criminal record in the past.

The police executive will call you up to the desk to ask for additional documents and further verification. The further verification may cause you to visit the police station multiple times and the process may take a few days.

You have to keep patience and provide required documents to finish the verification process ASAP. Once your documents and further verification prove that you do not have any past criminal record, your PNP clearance will be released, you can collect it from relevant police executive and go home.

So, this is how you can apply for National Police Clearance online at PNP clearance portal and visit the police station for photo & fingerprint capture and to collect police clearance.

The online PNP clearance process saves a lot of time and the police clearance is released instantly as long as you have a clean record.

Police Clearance Eligibility Criteria

The police clearance is required for some specific purposes applicable to three types of people living in Philippines. These people are Filipino Citizens, Expat Residents (Foreign Citizens living & working in Philippines) and Students.

The Philippine National Police Clearance Eligibility Criteria depend on the category and purpose of the applicant.

All citizens, expat residents and students who need police clearance for a valid, lawful purpose, are eligible to apply for police clearance in Philippines. Further details about Filipino police clearance eligibility criteria are as under;

Filipino Citizens:

The citizens of Philippines need police clearance when they apply for a new job, business permit, new passport, travel visa, driving license and other government services where background check is required.

Foreign Citizens (Expatriate Residents):

The foreign citizens in Philippines need police clearance when they apply for renewal of a work permit, residency visa renewal and other services.

Students:

The students need police clearance when they apply for a scholarship, take part in a special program (exchange program) or inter-school tournament or going to a school/college trip or when the school/college authorities demand a student’s background check with a written request.

Required Documents for Police Clearance

To get a Police Clearance, you need various documents at several stages.

To apply for National Police Clearance online, you must have following documents/details.

• A Valid Email
• An Active Mobile Number
• Filipino Citizenship or Residency Visa or Student Visa

When you go to the police station for photo and fingerprint capture, you must have following documents.

• Your Clearance Application Reference Number
• Police Clearance Fee Payment Receipt
• Two Valid IDs

To get Philippine National Police (PNP) Clearance, you must have two valid IDs from the list of IDs mentioned below.

• AFP ID
• Alien Certificate of Registration
• BFP ID
• BJMP ID
• Birth Certificate
• GSIS UMID
• IBP ID
• LTO Driving License
• Marina ID
• National ID
• OFW ID
• Pag-IBIG ID
• Passport
• PCG ID
• PhilHealth ID
• PNP ID
• PRC ID License
• PWD ID
• School ID with the Registration Form
• Senior Citizen ID
• SSS ID
• TIN ID
• Voter ID

Types of Police Clearance

There are mainly two types of police clearance available in Philippines. Here I am going to explain about each police clearance type in brief.

A. Local Police Clearance

The local police clearance document issued by the local police station to indicate that the applicant/person does not have any criminal records in the past in a specific area/jurisdiction.

B. National Police Clearance

The national police clearance document is issued by the police station linked to National Police Clearance System (NPCS). The national police clearance indicates that the applicant/person does not have any criminal record in the past in any part of the country.

National Police Clearance Processing Time

The Philippine National Police Department has developed an online national police clearance system (NPCS) to cut the processing time.

Online Application

If you apply for PNP clearance certificate via online application, it will take only 10 minutes to register, login and complete the application process by booking an appointment to a nearby police station.

After completing online application process, you need to visit the selected police station on given date & time for your photo and fingerprint capture. It will take 10 minutes to finish the process and release your police clearance document.

So, you need to spend 10 minutes for online application and 10 minutes for photo & fingerprint capture at the police station. The total processing time for your police clearance online application is 20 minutes.

Walk-in Application at Police Station

The walk-in application for PNP clearance is available at all National Police Clearance System (NPCS) linked police stations. You can walk-in to such a police station with required documents and fees to apply for national police clearance offline.

It may take 30 minutes to 1 hour time to complete the application form, identity verification, fee payment, photo & fingerprint capture and background check in police database. On completion of all steps, the police executive will issue your police clearance.

So, the offline application processing time for national police clearance can be 30 minutes to 1 hour. It may take even longer if there are several people in a queue at the police station before you reach there.

National Police Clearance Validity and Renewal

The National Police Clearance comes with a validity of six months. After six months, the applicant can apply for police clearance again with a fresh application. Because the PNP clearance is non-renewable.

National Police Clearance v/s Local Police Clearance

Both the national police clearance and local police clearance are important documents for Filipino Residents. But they have some differences that you must know before you apply for any of them.

Feature	National Police Clearance	Local Police Clearance
Issuing Authority	It is issued by the Philippine National Police Department.	It is issued by the Local Police Department.
Online Application	The applicant can apply online for National Police Clearance via PNP Clearance portal. It is also available via offline application at NPCS linked police stations.	The applicant has to apply offline by visiting a nearby local police station.
Need and Importance	It is an important document to apply for a new job, firearm registration, bank transaction and others.	It is an important document for a new job in the local area covered by the local police station. It is also important for Barangay Clearance and opening a bank account.
Coverage Area	It is valid in all the cities and villages covered by National Police in entire Philippines country.	It is valid in a specific area/jurisdiction covered by the local police station which has issued the police clearance.
Clearance Validity	Philippine National Police (PNP) Clearance is valid for six months from the date of issue.	Local Police Clearance is also valid for six months from the date of issue.

National Police Clearance and NBI Clearance

The national police clearance and NBI clearance are similar yet different things. I have already explained about National Police Clearance and Local Police Clearance, now let me tell you how NBI Clearance is different from National Police Clearance.

The National Bureau of Investigation, Philippines provides a national clearance document known as NBI Clearance. It is similar to national police clearance but the issuing authority is NBI and not the Philippine National Police.

• The NBI Clearance Application Process is available online at clearance.nbi.gov.ph.
• The NBI Clearance is issued by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
• The NBI Clearance has a validity of six months to one year.
• The NBI Clearance is renewable.
• The applicant with an expired NBI clearance issued after 2014, can apply to renew it online.
• The NBI Clearance is required for major job applications and certificate applications as well as starting a business, higher studies at abroad, giving a civil service exam and getting a government issued ID document in Philippines.

The bottom line:

The national police clearance online process offers a faster way to get your police clearance than the traditional offline method.

You can follow the comprehensive guide shared above to apply for PNP clearance online, book your appointment and visit the police station to get your fingerprint & photo captured and collect the police clearance document.

In case you still have a question or doubt, you can ask it in the comment section. Our team will check your question and reply with an appropriate answer in 24 to 48 hours.

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