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How to get a Voter's Certification

A printed paper from COMELEC that proves you are a registered voter. It took the place of the old plastic Voter's ID card, which COMELEC stopped printing in 2017 and has never resumed.

Voter's Certification
Official seal of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), Philippine government work, via Wikimedia Commons

The three ways to get it

Online

Not on its own

Not available online. Some blogs talk about a digital voter's certificate portal.

Do not pay any website that claims it can mail you one.

  1. There is no COMELEC website that will send you a voter's certification.
  2. COMELEC's iRehistro website only lets you fill up and print the registration or transfer form before you go to the office. It does not give you a certification.
  3. You can check your registration record and your precinct online first, then go to the office in person to get the paper.

Walk-in

Yes

Offices are open on weekdays. During a registration period they are open Tuesday to Saturday, 8am to 5pm.

COMELEC sometimes stops giving certifications for a few days near election dates or during system work, so call the office first.

  1. Go to the Office of the Election Officer (OEO) in the city or town where you are registered.
  2. If you are registered in the province but you live in Metro Manila, go instead to the COMELEC National Central File Division in Intramuros, Manila.
  3. Ask for the request form for a Voter's Certification and fill it up.
  4. Give the form and show one valid government ID.
  5. Pay at the cashier if your office still collects the fee.
  6. Wait for your name to be called and get the printed certification. Check your name and birthday before you leave.

Representative

Partly

Call your OEO before you send someone.

  1. Ask your Office of the Election Officer first. The rule is not the same in every office.
  2. If they allow it, write an authorization letter or have a Special Power of Attorney (SPA) made, signed by you.
  3. Your representative brings that letter, a photocopy of your valid ID, and their own valid ID.
  4. Some offices will only release it to a close family member.

What to bring

  • One valid ID from the government
  • The name of the city or town where you are registered to vote
  • A request form, which you fill up at the office
  • P75.00 in cash, just in case your office still collects the fee

Fill this in before you go

Straight from the agency. Print it and bring it filled in.

The details

Who can apply

Any Filipino who is already a registered voter. You must be 18 years old or older and your voter record must be active.

If you never registered, or your record was removed, you have to register first before you can ask for a certification.

Cost

The written fee is P75.00. But COMELEC suspended the collection of this fee starting 12 February 2024, so most offices have been giving it for free since then.

Senior citizens, persons with disability, indigenous peoples and persons deprived of liberty were already free before that. There is no published rush or express fee.

How long it takes

Same day. In most Offices of the Election Officer it is printed and handed to you within the hour, if there is no long line and the system is up.

How long it lasts

The paper shows the date it was printed. News reports of the COMELEC announcement say it can act as a temporary voter's ID for one year from the issue date.

Many banks and offices want one issued in the last 6 months, so ask the office that is asking for it.

Tips

  • The plastic Voter's ID card no longer exists. COMELEC stopped printing it in 2017 and has not brought it back. If someone offers to make you one, it is fake.
  • Get it from the office where you are registered, not the office nearest your current house, unless you already moved your registration there.
  • If you need a strong ID for work, apply for the PhilSys National ID instead. COMELEC itself now lists the National ID first among valid IDs for registration.
  • Bring cash. Some offices have no card or e-wallet payment.

Not verified

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

  • COMELEC has not published a 2026 issuance that either brings the P75 fee back or removes it for good, so bring P75 in case your office still collects it.
  • COMELEC does not publish a single national expiry rule on its website.
  • no such service is listed on comelec.gov.ph as of 31 July 2026.
  • COMELEC has no single published national rule about representatives for a voter's certification. It is decided by each Election Officer.

Sources