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How to get a National Police Clearance (PNP)

A paper from the PNP that says you have no criminal record in the police database across the whole country. It is different from the local police clearance you get at a city or town hall, which only covers that one place.

National Police Clearance (PNP)
Official seal of the Philippine National Police, Philippine government work, via Wikimedia Commons

The three ways to get it

Online

Partly

For a first time application this is partial. You register, book and pay online, but fingerprints and photo must be done in person.

Renewal can be fully online: log in to the same account, choose renewal without appearance, upload a 2x2 photo and a selfie holding your ID, and download the clearance from your account when it is ready.

  1. Go to pnpclearance.ph and click Register if you are new, or Login if you already have an account.
  2. Fill up the registration form, submit, then sign in.
  3. Click Edit Profile, complete your personal details and save.
  4. Click Clearance Application, pick your purpose, pick your date and pick the police station you want.
  5. Save the appointment. The system gives you a reference number.
  6. Click the pay button. You are sent to the Landbank ePayment portal. Pick Cash Payment for GCash, Maya, 7-Eleven or Bayad Center.
  7. Keep the payment confirmation slip or the electronic official receipt.
  8. Go to your chosen police station on your appointment date for fingerprints, photo and signature.

Walk-in

Not on its own

The in-person part is required, but the booking cannot be done at the counter. Some stations turn people away if the name does not match a booked slot for that day.

  1. There is no pure walk-in. You must register and book on pnpclearance.ph first.
  2. Once you have a reference number and a paid receipt, go to the police station you picked on your appointment date.
  3. Show your one valid government ID, your proof of payment and your reference number.
  4. Have your fingerprints, photo and signature taken.
  5. Wait for your name to be called for checking or for the release of your clearance.

Representative

Not on its own

Plainly: No for the fingerprint and photo step. The Clearance Certification module is the official path for people who truly cannot appear, and it is still done from your own online account, not by a relative applying under your name.

  1. You cannot send anyone to take your fingerprints and photo for you on a first time application.
  2. An authorization letter or Special Power of Attorney does not work for the biometrics step.
  3. If you are working or based abroad, use the Clearance Certification option on the same website instead. You upload a 2x2 photo, a selfie holding a government ID, a photocopy of your passport, proof that you are an OFW, and a copy of an ID with your Philippine address.
  4. The same Clearance Certification path exists for bedridden people, people applying for probation or bail, and for a person who has died.

What to bring

  • An account on pnpclearance.ph
  • Your appointment reference number
  • Your proof of payment or payment confirmation slip
  • One valid ID from the government
  • For first time job seekers: a First Time Job Seeker certification from your barangay, plus one valid ID
  • For renewal without appearance: a 2x2 photo and a selfie of you holding a valid government ID

The details

Who can apply

Any Filipino 18 years old or older who can make an account on the PNP clearance website and show a valid government ID. Filipinos based abroad, bedridden people, people applying for probation or bail, and the family of a person who died use a separate Clearance Certification form on the same site.

Cost

P150.00 clearance fee, as stated in the PNP's own application guide. On top of that is a convenience fee that changes with the payment channel you pick (usually about P10 to P30).

First time job seekers get it free one time under Republic Act 11261. In June 2026 the PNP proposed raising the fee to P200.00 (P150 base, P30 documentary stamp tax, P20 for inflation), but no start date has been announced, so P150 plus convenience fee is still what you pay as of 31 July 2026.

There is no rush or express fee.

How long it takes

Same day at the police station on your appointment date, usually under an hour once your turn comes. Online renewal without appearance takes a few days, then you download the file from your account.

How long it lasts

Commonly treated as 6 months from the date it was issued, and the printed certificate carries its own validity date.

Tips

  • The National Police Clearance and your city or town police clearance are two different papers. Read the job posting carefully so you do not pay twice for the wrong one.
  • You must pay first before you appear. Turning up at the station with no paid receipt means you are sent home.
  • Save your login and your NPC account. Renewal from that same account can be done without going back to a station.
  • The P200 fee is only a proposal as of July 2026, not the real price yet. If a fixer asks for P200 or more, ask for the official receipt.

Not verified

The research could not confirm these against an official 2026 source. Phone the office before you travel.

  • the PNP does not publish a national validity rule on pnpclearance.ph. Many employers ask for one issued in the last 3 months.
  • PNP does not publish a fixed number of days for online renewal.

Sources