NBI Clearance | The Process

If you’re done searching for a job and signed you’re contract with a company, next step would be furnishing all the necessary requirements. These are the government mandated requirements: SSS, TIN, PhilHealth, Pag-Ibig or HDMF and NBI Clearance. All of these requirements are bit tedious to process because a lot are requesting for forms and clearances prior starting your job. I wrote this post to make your life easier and set your expectations before proceeding to your servicing branch. Here are some points to consider in requesting for an NBI clearance. 

I processed my clearance yesterday, Feb. 6, 2015 at Robinsons Metro East. Aside from requesting the clearance at the NBI Offices, you can also check any Robinsons Malls near your area if they have NBI booth that process clearances. If YES, congratulations! Before proceeding to your servicing branch, first, you NEED to furnish an NBI form online, this is to make the process faster (according to them). You can visit: http://clearance.nbi.gov.ph/. No internet at home? No worries, there are some booths (mostly near the mall) that process the online registrations but expect for: “Price is Gold,” I paid 50 pesos for printing, labor and 3 minutes online encoding. I don’t know if those booth owners are paying their business taxes. DTI and BIR, please do your job.

Before I leaving the house, I brought a backpack with water, umbrella, sun glass, pens, papers, 345 pages book, iPod, and some documents for validation (if applicable). I was on the line at 6:03 AM, there was no numbers given yet, just followed the line. The line started at the edge of Marcos Highway, expect for the fast moving vehicles and pollution. I started reading my book when the sun started rising. 

We left Marcos Highway at 6:59 AM, walked on the footbridge and proceeded to Robinsons parking area. It was a bit challenging because we walked on the stairs up to Level 5, good luck to those with health and physical problems. Wash room is available. There were two sets of chairs, the black and beige. Upon arriving to the parking, since the black chairs were already occupied, we sat on the beige chairs but the guard forced us to vacate and instead sat on the floor – so we did! According to him, those chairs are for people who already made their payments at the payments centers. I was reading my book while waiting but my ears were actively listening to people around me. I noticed, people ask questions to other on the line and others would answer it too, based on their previous NBI experience. Then others would share their stories to that group, different branch, different process and different cases – as a result, the person who asked questions was confused if what to follow. Pwede naman kasing mag-tanong dun sa guard on duty, pinapahirapan pa ang buhay.

We were at the parking area for couple of hours; the NBI booth will open during mall hours, so the mall opened at 10 AM. We were expecting that process will start, but it didn’t. 10:10AM, the guards started issuing the queue number, I got the number 130. It could have been better if they will issue those numbers upon arrival at the parking – so as the mall opens, Step 1 should also start (for those on the first line). Kagaya ng Robinsons Junction, pag-bukas ng mall ng 10AM, bigay ng number, derecho sa Step 1. Unlike Metro East, it was already  10:37 AM, when the first people on the line entered the mall for the Step 1.

One thing, bago pa ako pumasok sa sa mall, I checked on the chairs for those already paid, 25% of those beige chairs were not occupied at hindi ko  makuha yung logic nung guard kasi bakit ayaw nilang paupuin yung ibang nasa floor naka upo. Sabi nya: "Para po yun sir sa mga bayad na." Ilang oras na ang nakakaraan, wala namang masyadong tao dun sa mga upuan ng already paid. Hindi ba sila naaawa sa mga taong tumatayo - upo - tayo - upo ulit, para lang mag-circulate ang blood sa legs.

My turn, I was at the Step 1 – payment at 12:25 PM. I paid 115 Pesos.  Unlike payment centers which is 140 pesos. Then waited again for Step 2 – photo and biometrics. Waiting area was already in the mall, so the cool ambiance was better than at the parking. I was reading my book. When I felt boring, I went to PhilHealth and Pag-Ibig booths, right beside NBI booth, to process some of my requirements. Then, went back to the line and start reading again. 3 PM, it’s my turn for Step 2 – photo and biometrics. After five minutes, I already got my new NBI clearance!