People wishing to live and work in the South East Asian country of the Philippines are required to apply for National Bureau of Investigation clearance to enter the country legally. The Philippines NBI clearance card is the first step in beginning the process of moving to the country as without it the individual is unable to work legally; NBI clearance can be applied for online, in person and by mail. For those in the UK and other European countries the application process for NBI clearance must be begun at the Philippines Embassy in London.

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Application process

Obtain one 5 cm (2 in) square passport style photograph; take the photo within six months of the application for NBI clearance and depict the applicant in front of a white background.

Take the passport style photo to the Philippines Embassy in London, United Kingdom and obtain a fingerprint card form FPC No. 5. Complete the form and attach the photo before submitting both to the Philippines Embassy along with a cheque or money order for the required fee.

Accept the checked and cleared fingerprint card form and passport style photo from the Philippines Embassy and place securely in an envelope. Obtain an international cheque or money order for the required notary fees and insert into the envelope with the fingerprint card form and photo. Address the envelope with the address of the Philippines National Bureau in Manila, Philippines; mail the envelope to the NBI offices.

  • Obtain one 5 cm (2 in) square passport style photograph; take the photo within six months of the application for NBI clearance and depict the applicant in front of a white background.
  • Obtain an international cheque or money order for the required notary fees and insert into the envelope with the fingerprint card form and photo.

Wait for the NBI fingerprint card form to be returned to the applicant by mail from the Philippines. Check the NBI fingerprint card form has been embossed with the NBI dry seal in the left bottom corner of the form to make it legal and valid.

TIP

When making the application it is important to check the current fees associated with making the application to the NBI office in Manila, Philippines. If an incorrect notary fee is included with the application the forms will be returned with no action taken by the Philippines National Bureau of Investigation.

The National Bureau of Investigation reports the average turn around time for mailed applications for NBI clearance from outside the country is around five days for those with no criminal convictions or flags on their application. NBI clearance is biometrics based and includes a copy of the applicants fingerprint on the completed clearance card.