If you prefer to apply for a postal ID at one of the PHILPOST branches in malls, then I think you’ll get valuable information from this page. We chose to get our postal ID from SM North EDSA; it wasn’t an easy process for us because of things we didn’t know beforehand. And now, I’d like to provide you guys information that will help you avoid the inconvenience that we had gone through. 🙂 We think the PHILPOST website may not be updated with the list of requirements for application.
Following is the list of documents you need to bring to the SM North EDSA capturing station, applicable to both application and renewal of postal ID:
Photo of Postal ID requirements at SM North EDSA
2 accomplished postal ID application forms
Birth certificate, 2 valid IDs, or passport
Barangay clearance, proof of billing, NBI clearance, or police clearance
Marriage contract if you are a married woman
Photocopy of all documents except the postal ID application forms
Cost of Postal ID at SM North EDSA
At PHLPOST in SM North EDSA we were charged P504.00 for each postal ID, which is the same cost listed in the PHLPOST website FAQ.
During application for Postal ID at SM North EDSA
Once your documents are verified as valid and complete, the PHLPOST staff will take your photo, digital signature, and digital fingerprints. Such a waste that they have digital signature and fingerprint scanners but don’t have photocopy machines. It must be the lack of space in their spot.
Delivery of your postal ID
At SM North EDSA PHLPOST, there’s no rush processing and you need to wait 10-15 working days. On the postal ID application form you should be able to choose whether you’d like it to be delivered to your home address or work address.
Update: One of us received her postal ID early. We applied together for postal ID at SM North EDSA on January 27. Expected delivery date was within February 8 to 14 but she received it on February 6, 2 days earlier than expected.
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Applying for postal ID at SM North EDSA was very inconvenient for us because the requirements listed in their website did not match the ones that PHLPOST SM North EDSA was asking from us. Read on to find out what happened.
Inconvenience #1 at PHLPOST SM North EDSA:
Inconsistent list of requirements versus what’s listed on their website
In the Philippine Postal ID website it is said that you only need 1 ID if you are presenting your birth certificate, UMID card, driver’s license, or passport… but it’s NOT TRUE. Fake news po yaan, at least at the PHLPOST SM North EDSA branch. I presented my SSS UMID to the PHLPOST staff but she said they need a total of 2 valid IDs if the ID I’m presenting is not my birth certificate or passport. We told the staff that their website says we need no other valid ID if presenting a UMID. She insisted that they are only following the memorandum passed on to them, which states that applicants are required to present 2 valid IDs if not able to present bring birth certificate or passport.
Inconvenience #2 at PHLPOST SM North EDSA:
Website doesn’t say you need to photocopy your documents; PHLPOST SM North EDSA will require you to photocopy somewhere out there because they don’t have photocopy machine
We tired ourselves out walking from building to building at SM North EDSA to look for photocopy service. National Bookstore’s was closed at that time. If you need to photocopy something in that mall, go straight to either Western Union at the Hypermarket or FAX PARCEL PRINT. FAX PARCEL PRINT also provides lamination service.
Inconvenience #3 from PHLPOST in general
PHLPOST provides inconsistent information to people, an example being the previously mentioned issue with my SSS UMID card for identification. Another example is that I messaged the Postal ID Facebook page to ask if I would be allowed to use a utility bill that’s under my husband’s name as proof of my current address. Unfortunately, they said that the utility bill needs to bear my name. I wasted time preparing other docs that would prove my residency at my current address, only to find out at PHLPOST SM North EDSA that I am allowed to use a utility bill bearing my husband’s name! Geez.
What the postal ID looked like:
Anyway, here’s what my postal ID is like. Of course I pixelated private information including my face 🙂 Most people and establishments who require valid ID honor this.
Not that I remember exactly what the NBI Clearance renewal/application was like when I last tried to get one (4 years ago) but I can say that the current process is not so bad because Step 1 (filling out the application form) and Step 2 (payment) can already be done online.
After completing the online processes, you may then visit any NBI Clearance branch to go through Step 3 (biometrics scanning) and Step 4 (release). Of course, you may also do Step 1 and 2 right there in the NBI Clearance branch too, but I highly recommend that you do it online to avoid an even longer waiting time. Those who do not have Internet access at home may use computers at the main branch in United Nations, Manila for free.
By the way, NBI Clearance is one of the requirements to get a Postal ID so you might as well look into applying for it. We applied for our Postal ID at SM North EDSA.
If you plan to apply for NBI Clearance at Robinson’s Place Ermita branch in Manila too, scroll down and check out my Step 3, because I’m going to show a few photos of what that NBI branch looks like. 🙂
First thing you need to get a new or renewed NBI Clearance online is to get an account at nbi-clearance.com. Login if you already have one, or register if you don’t have any yet.
Fill out all necessary details then when you see the screen below, click on “APPLY FOR CLEARANCE”:
“Application” page of NBI Clearance online registration
Enter the name of the ID that you will show the NBI staff when you go to their branch, for example “SSS UMID” or “PSA copy of birth certificate”. I was surprised that the NBI staffs did not ask for any ID when we renewed our NBI Clearance. Could it be because they’re not strict about renewals?
Then you will reach a page with a calendar – it’s the NBI Clearance appointment system.
Appointment schedule calendar at nbi-clearance.com
If you choose AM, you may go to the NBI branch of your choice any time before noon. And if you choose PM schedule, you may arrive anytime after noon before the closing time of your NBI branch, which in my case at Robinson’s Place Ermita was 5PM. The NBI Clearance branch at Robinson’s Place Ermita is located at Basement 1 or “Basement Parking”, which is reachable via a stairway beside National Bookstore (Enter via Sta. Monica Street or Padre Faura entrance.
You’ll notice that there are less remaining slots for AM schedules than PM, but the difference is not significant.
Step 2: Pay online for you NBI Clearance
My mom and I renewed our NBI Clearance for “local employment” and “ID purposes” and each costed us P140. The base price is P115 for the NBI Clearance only, and added to this is additional P25 fee for online payment.
Instructions for online payment:
A payment page will open. Select preferred ONLINE BANKING OPTION then follow instruction.
You will be provided a REFERENCE NUMBER.
Pay your fee to the selected Payment Channel using your REFERENCE NUMBER.
Go to TRANSACTION PAGE and print Application Form.
Initially, I was trying to pay for my NBI Clearance application via online banking at 11:31PM. But I couldn’t proceed with payment because according to the NBI Clearance online system, online banking payment is only available until 11:30PM daily! It was frustrating because it was only a minute past the cutoff. I was able to pay the next day without any problem anyway.
By the way, you should enter your “reference number” as “remark” on your online money transfer. Enter nothing else aside from the reference number.
Step 3: Fall in line at your NBI Clearance branch for biometrics, Robinson’s Place Ermita in my case
The branch that we chose for our NBI Clearance application is Robinson’s Place Ermita in Manila City. If Robinson’s Ermita is the same branch you’d like to go, then I can show you a few photos.
This is the entrance to the Basement Parking. Find it beside National Bookstore near Padre Faura or Sta. Monica entrance:
Entrance to the basement of Robinson’s Ermita, Manila. Downstairs is where you will find a NBI Clearance branch
If unsure, don’t hesitate to ask someone at the information booth about the location of NBI at Robinson’s Ermita.
Feb. 6, 2017 (Monday) at 2:20PM – Long queue at Robinson’s Ermita for NBI Clearance application
Once you are downstairs at Robinson’s basement, you’ll see that this area is “Lingkod Pinoy Center”. Some of the other government services you’ll find there are for SSS, Philhealth, and Pag-IBIG.
Ask a guard where you should fall in line after registering and paying online. The guard should ask you to enter the parking area and find the queue (there are seats!) for NBI Clearance. What you are actually going to fall in line for in that area is the NBI Clearance Center’s biometrics scanning.
A guard will call 2-3 rows at a time for another queue, closer to the biometrics scanning counter. At first, the progress was quick. Each batch of about 30 people were done in 10 minutes. But when it was nearly our turn, instead of 10 minutes waiting after the previous batch was called, we were called 40 minutes after! 🙁
When our batch was called to fall in another line, it was in this place:
Queue in NBI – Robinson’s Ermita branch for biometrics
There were no seats here, but the queue should be processed quickly because the NBI staffs at the counter — though a bit mean when dealing with some applicants, move very quickly. Maybe there was technical problem earlier, that’s why our batch took 40 minutes to be called instead of 10 minutes. There are 2 biometrics capture counter, but you fall in only 1 line. Whichever counter finishes with an applicant first will call on to the next one in line.
And oh, I hope you don’t get discouraged in choosing Robinson’s Ermita as your branch just because I said that the staffs were kind of mean. In my experience in getting an NBI Clearance (this was my 3rd time), the NBI staffs who attend to biometrics are always intimidating no matter which branch it is. I understand that it might be due to stress though. We can only imagine how many applicants they handle everyday.
Observe the people before you – do they present any ID to the staffs with their application forms? In our case, none of the people who went before us presented any ID — only application forms. If you see the same thing then hand over your application form to the NBI staff and simply prepare your valid ID for easy access, just in case the NBI staffs as for it.
The NBI staffs capture biometrics data such as finger prints (all fingers), signature, and photo — all in digital form! Hurray for using technology. 🙂
Step 4: Release of NBI Clearance
To the left of the 2 NBI biometrics counters is the “RELEASE” counter. Go straight there UNLESS the person who assisted you at biometrics counter said you need to come back at a later date to claim your NBI Clearance — this means you got a “hit”. A hit means your name matched another person with the same name and NBI needs more time to verify if you have a clear record with them.
“Hit” me baby one more time! Story of my adult life: I can never get my NBI Clearance in one visit to an NBI branch.
I applied for NBI Clearance on Feb. 6 (Monday) and can only claim it on Feb. 17 (Friday) — that’s a total of 11 days! The heck?
You see, I know someone with a very unique foreign-sounding name and yet he got a “hit” with NBI! We were thinking, what if getting a hit doesn’t really mean you have the same name as someone else, but the NBI staffs just don’t feel like releasing your NBI Clearance right away? Or what if it’s NBI’s way of reducing printout loads during busy days?
The things I liked about the current NBI Clearance process are these:
NBI Clearance application/renewal can be partially done online, reducing the time we need to spend falling in long lines in NBI branches
Availability of NBI Clearance payment via online banking such as BPI Express Online, BPI Mobile Banking, BDO Online Banking and more.
And of course, because I like complaining: Things I hate about the current NBI Clearance process as of February 2017:
NBI staffs that capture biometrics data are mean and intimidating, at least in the NBI branch at Robinson’s Place Ermita. I think that if they smiled more, it will be a win-win situation: applicants will feel more “at ease”, and the NBI staffs themselves will somehow feel good to because I think that smiling — even when a bit forced, can help one feel relaxed.
Unexpected long waiting time before biometrics data capture
Being employed in the Philippines requires that we contribute to Home Development and Mutual Fund (HDMF) / Pag-IBIG Fund. If you are about to be employed and had been previously employed with another company, your new employer might require you to submit Pag-IBIG Contribution Printout as one of their pre-employment requirements.
As of this time, you won’t be able to check your Pag-IBIG contributions online (unless you’re an OFW who is contributing to Pag-IBIG Fund) but what you should to for your Pag-IBIG Contribution Printout is go to the Pag-IBIG branch where your records and contributions are being kept. Now, the next question is how do we know which Pag-IBIG branch is keeping our contributions? Follow my steps.
How to get Pag-IBIG Contribution Printout
Verify the branch location where your current employer is sending your contributions. You have 2 options:
Ask your HR for the Pag-IBIG branch location, or
Ask a Pag-IBIG Member Relations Officer via online chat for your “contributions details” which should include your branch location How to inquire about basic contribution details via Pag-IBIG Fund Chat:
Once inside the actual chat page, type CONTRI and press Enter key. The chat page should look like this:
The Pag-IBIG chat system will automatically ask for the a few details. Simply type your response and press Enter key for each question, just like when you’re chatting with a person 🙂 These are the required Pag-IBIG details from you: Full Name (including Middle Name), birth date, previous employer, current employer, and Pag-IBIG Number.
Once you provided the necessary details, a member relations officer will be there. He/she will provide to you the basic details of your Pag-IBIG Fund contributions, like this:
Member Relations Officer (10:21 AM): Thank you for patiently waiting. Kindly refer below for the details of your contributions:
YOUR CURRENT COMPANY
22 Monthly Savings from 201504 – 201613
MAKATI II Branch
YOUR PREVIOUS COMPANY
21 Monthly Savings from 201307 – 201503
MAKATI II Branch
Member Relations Officer (10:24 AM): Do you have further questions or concerns Ma’am?
Now you know the Pag-IBIG branch where you need to get your Pag-IBIG Contribution Printout, which is “MAKATI II Branch” in our example above. If you’re not sure about its exact address, simply ask the Pag-IBIG member relations officer for it.
Don’t forget to thank the Pag-IBIG member relations officer for assisting you! 🙂
Go to your branch to request a Pag-IBIG Contribution Printout
Now that you are sure of which Pag-IBIG branch is receiving your contributions, go ahead and visit that branch to request a Pag-IBIG Contribution Printout. If like mine, your Pag-IBIG Fund remittance is in Makati II branch, go to Justine Bldg. along Gil Puyat (Buendia) Avenue. Go to the Information Center at the ground floor to get a printed queue number. Wait for your number’s turn on the screen. You will be served at one of the following counter numbers: 4, 5, 6, or 7.
Other notes
Pag-IBIG Contribution Printout is also known as “Employee Statement of Accumulated Value” or ESAV. This printout shows the member name, Pag-IBIG ID number, TIN, employer ID, employer name, employer address, membership type, number of contributions, currency, employee contribution, employer contribution, “dividends”, and of course, the total accumulated value.
Cedula is a requirement for a place that I’d like to rent. To me, it’s not easy to get because the barangay hall near my address (Santa Cruz, Manila) doesn’t issue Cedula, and the city hall is not close enough to my house for me to avoid being absent from work. I’m assuming city halls only operate on weekdays. I might update this post when (or “if”) I am able to go to Manila City Hall to get Cedula. If I don’t update it, either I submitted a different tax-related document for the place I’m renting, or I totally forgot. Hehe!
Our barangay hall does not issue Cedula
For a couple of days I planned to ask someone at the barangay hall on my address’ street if they issue Cedula, but always failed to stop by because I was too shy to approach the men standing by the entrance to the barangay hall. I have no idea whether they’re barangay officials who are dressed very casually, or just bystanders (tambay). 😆
Maybe you think it’s weird that I’m wondering if the barangay hall is issuing Cedula. Well, that’s because that barangay hall on our street looks a bit shady. Its entrance is placed along a dark, narrow street (eskinita) with numerous men standing by the entrance. And that barangay hall is very tiny… it could be just around 15 square meters, or even smaller! And all around that barangay hall, there are many catcallers (mga nambabastos ng babae sa kalsada).
Today I knew I had to muster up some courage to go there and ask someone no matter what. And I did stop by our barangay hall. Aha! There was only one guy sitting by the entrance. I asked him if he knows if that barangay hall issues Cedula. Lucky, it looked like he is an official, or at least affiliated with the barangay so he knew the answer. Sadly, the answer is NO, the barangay hall on our street does not issue Cedula, just like I thought. He told me I should go to the Manila City Hall to get my Cedula, and said sorry. I thanked him as I left the narrow street… with my anxiety kicking in. Ugh! Now I have to be absent from work for at least half a day to get my Cedula. 🙁
Getting a Cedula at Manila City Hall
For now, I’m refering to this blog post getting my cedula @ manila city hall. Thanks to the author for sharing her experience, at least I have an idea what to do should I go to Manila City Hall to get my Cedula.
Update, November 20, 2016: I went to Manila City Hall 2 days ago (Friday) to get Cedula. There are 2 types of Cedula: class A and class B. Class A is for employed, while class B is for unemployed. The staff asked me to fill out only the following fields: full name, birth date, birth place, address and my signature. He didn’t ask for my income, and charged me 68 pesos total. But he printed my name in wrong spelling, even my street address is in wrong spelling. I’m pretty sure I spelled those out correctly when I filled out the form. Manila City Hall should instruct their staff to properly copy words exactly as filled out by citizens! Ugh. The thing is, I only noticed the incorrectly spelled name when I was already home. Now don’t go blaming me, I woke up extra early that day and was feeling sick and groggy, so left Manila City Hall right after I took a glance at my Cedula. What a waste of time. I hope my Cedula still gets accepted by the company who requested it. There’s only one missing letter in my name anyway. 🙁
I really didn’t plan to apply for an SSS UMID (Unified Multi-Purpose ID). One day I heard some office mates were about to apply for such ID and I decided to tag along. 😀
On January 7, Tuesday, we left the office at 12:15 PM for SSS Makati branch in Ayala Avenue, and finished the process at 2:15 PM.
First thing we did at the SSS Makati office was fill out the UMID Card Application Form.
Then we fell in line, to the lane they called “fast lane”, if I remember correctly. We provided valid IDs during the processing. They also took photo of us for the SSS UMID card.
My SSS UMID was delivered at home on February 7. So, it took 1 month for the delivery of SSS UMID. My mom received the item for me and the delivery person didn’t ask her for an ID or authorization letter.
For the past two years, I worked from home as web developer for a foreign company. And now, I am having office-based employment for the first time. I already did office-based work before for 7 months, but that was only internship, not yet employment.
After some time and effort, I received some job offers from companies in various places – Makati, Ortigas, and Quezon City. I wanted to avoid Makati, dreading the wearisome commute that I already experienced during internship, but the offer I accepted is actually from the company at Makati. The position they offered me is what I think would best help build me up for my career goals, and so I decided to just overlook the difficulty in commute. After all, difficulty is part of life. 🙂
The pre-employments in the company where I’m about to work are as follows: (more…)
