Tag: legal documents

Business clearance application at Barangay Bangkal, Makati City
I visited the barangay hall at Bangkal to apply for business clearance. Let me share in this blog entry what it was like.

Please note that this is for a new sole proprietorship business.

Requirements to apply for business clearance at Barangay Bangkal, Makati
- Filled out green form, “business clearance application and data sheet”
- DTI certificate of business name registration with application form, or SEC REG with articles of inc. and by laws
- Contract of lease or certificate of title
- Payment (300 for the plate and a variable value depending on the capital; Read on for approximate costs)
After inquiring about the business clearance requirements, I asked for a green form that I could fill out at home.

This is what the green application form of Bangkal’s barangay hall looks like:

Business clearance application process at Bangkal’s Barangay Hall

These are the simple steps to take during application for a business clearance from the barangay hall:
1. Assessment of documents
2. Payment
3. Printing and Release
Assessment of documents for business clearance from the barangay hall

I asked around the barangay hall where I should head to for business clearance application. They pointed me to a desk with a label “barangay clearance”.

The lady in the desk assessed my documents and began filling out the bottom-left portion of my green form. My barangay clearance fee was 650 pesos, based on the capital amount that I declared. The business plate costed me 300 pesos. As a newbie business person, I’m not sure if I also need to renew the plate yearly. Then there’s this 100 pesos “inspection fee” — what inspection did I pay for? Their inspection of my docs? Yeah, I know I should have asked them earlier. They gave me a number for queuing at the last step of the application, as well as the total amount to be paid. The total amount that I was charged was 1050 pesos. Oops, I only brought 500! 🤣I asked for the closest ATM in the area and they pointed me to the BDO ATM at Evangelista St., which was less than 5 minutes away from the barangay hall.

Payment for business clearance at Bangkal Barangay Hall

There weren’t too many people in the queue for the barangay hall’s cashier, fortunately. I was surprised to see a staff of a supermarket that I frequently visit paying for their barangay clearance renewal. I *accidentally* saw that they were charged 2020 pesos for the renewal. My eyes were very active at that time so I also accidentally saw that another guy was charged a total of 1050 pesos, same as mine, but with a different breakdown. His clearance fee was 850, business plate was 100, and inspection fee was 100. Why is his business plate only 100? Is it because he’s already renewing? Anyway, I made sure that I got my official receipt before leaving the cashier.

Printing and Release of business clearance at Bangkal Barangay Hall

If there was a long wait during my application for a business clearance, this was when it happened though it wasn’t so bad because I was just sitting down, awkwardly, with other people in the queue. Awkward isn’t so bad because I’m used to it. Who arranged those chairs so close to one another?! 🤣The lady in the printing and release desk asked for my queue number and documents, as well as the official receipt from the cashier.

After a while she handed me my business plate. I rejoiced deep inside while keeping my poker face on. It’s the first time I ever held one! Luh, ang babaw.

The next thing handed to me was a “Barangay Business Registration and Clearance” document, signed by the barangay captain. Speaking of barangay captain, his name is Mario and the official Facebook page of Barangay Bangkal seems to have a lot of Super Mario pictures. 😂

Ahhh! Finally I am another step closer to my goal of paying tax for my small business. Makes me wonder where tax really goes because I’m not happy with our country anymore…

Before leaving the barangay hall…

Before you leave the barangay hall, make sure you received the following:
- Official Receipt
- Business Plate
- “Barangay Business Registration and Clearance” document
Thank you Bangkal Barangay Hall for the approachable staff and painless process!

Next step: Mayor’s Permit

To get your Mayor’s Permit, one of the major requirements is Locational Clearance.
January 2, 2020
How to get marriage certificate in the Philippines online from PSA (NSO)

I requested a copy of my PSA (formerly NSO) Marriage Certificate last Monday and received it today, on a Saturday afternoon. I was required to present 1 valid ID and submit a photocopy of it to the person who delivered my PSA Marriage Certificate.

Online request for PSA Marriage Certificate

On August 19, Monday, I requested a copy of my PSA Marriage Certificate online. It’s for my application for Japan visa so that’s the info I entered before clicking the “Submit” button. Then, I filled out the Marriage Details, Name of Husband, and Maiden Name of Wife. I was also asked if I had any of the following done to my marriage certificate: correction of entry, annulment, court hearings, supplemental, or legal separation… I just clicked the “None” button. And then, I had to fill out information on “Who is requesting for this Marriage Certificate?” which should match the receiver’s name in the valid ID to be presented when the marriage certificate is delivered. Upon checkout for the online ordering of my PSA Marriage Certificate, I provided my contact info, delivery address, and number of copies of the certificate. This is the point where one could add the name of authorized representatives if the owner will not be the one to receive the marriage certificate. If you are opting for this, make sure to print the LOA (Letter of Authorization).

Payment for my PSA Marriage Certificate online order

You may pay online using a credit card or GCash, or by bank transfer. I chose to use GCash.

Before sending payment for my marriage certificate, the status of my order was like this:

August 19, 2019, 10:22 am
Status
Waiting for Payment Confirmation from Payment Provider

After entering my GCash mobile number, I received an SMS asking for my GCash pin for confirmation.

Few minutes later, the status of my order was updated into the following:

August 19, 2019, 10:28 am
Status
Paid via GCash

NSO Processing

The next day, the status of my PSA marriage certificate online order became “processing”:

August 20, 2019, 1:34 am
Status
Submitted to NSO for processing

Delivery of the PSA Marriage Certificate

5 days after my online order, I received the following SMS at 7:34 AM:

Good morning. Please be advised that your requested PSA (NSO) document is for delivery anytime today. Kindly prepare the recipient’s original & photocopy of the valid ID as well as the Letter of Authorization with original & photocopy of the valid ID from the person issuing the letter (if applicable). For inquiries, pls call PSAHelpline at 737-1111. Thank you.

I checked the status of my order online and saw the following:

August 23, 2019, 4:01 pm
Status
For Delivery

Oooh, so it was already marked as “for delivery” since the day before!

At 12:59PM the delivery person texted me, asking me to prepare my valid ID and a photocopy of it. I was surprised that he asked me for a photocopy too. Previously, when I requested PSA (NSO) certificates, the delivery staff didn’t even check for valid IDs sometimes. I re-read the requirements at the PSA website and found this:

What are the necessary requirements to be presented when receiving the documents upon delivery?

If the person receiving the document is the owner or any of the Authorized persons(legal spouse, father, mother, son or daughter), he/she should present a signed valid original ID and submit a photocopy to the courier.

If the receiving party is not one of the authorized persons, he/she needs to present the following:

> Original signed letter of authorization (LOA) from the certificate owner/authorized persons (legal spouse, father, mother, son, or daughter)
> To present a valid original ID of the owner/authorized persons (legal spouse, father, mother, son, or daughter)
> A photocopy of the valid ID of the owner/authorized persons (legal spouse, father, mother, son, or daughter)
> A photocopy of the valid ID of the authorized representative

Oops! My bad, I didn’t check for the changes in the rules. I’m super lucky we have a printer with photocopy function at home. Otherwise, the marriage certificate would probably be re-delivered on another day because I don’t think we have any photocopy service near our home.

The delivery person arrived at our place around 1:45PM. He asked me to sign a document for receipt. He told me that PSA became more strict recently so they now require a photocopy of the valid ID, aside from presenting the actual ID to the courier. I was told that a lot of clients have been frustrated about this new requirement, and that one of the delivery persons was slapped by a customer before because he could not provide a photocopy of a valid ID. Ouch! But PSA really won’t allow us to receive the certificate anymore without submitting a photocopy of the ID, for data security purposes.

August 24, 2019
NBI Clearance online registration 2017 (Robinson’s Place Ermita and other branches)
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. 🙂

NBI Clearance online registration 2017 Requirements
- Personal information (online form)
- Payment (over-the-counter or online)
- 2 Valid IDs (In Feb. 2017 we tried to renew our NBI Clearance without presenting an ID and it was a success!)
- NBI Clearance fee (P140 for local employment when paid online, as of Feb. 2017)
My NBI Clearance online registration in 2017 at Robinson’s Place Ermita branch

Step 1: Register online at nbi-clearance.com

Login / registration page at nbi-clearance.com

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:
1. A payment page will open. Select preferred ONLINE BANKING OPTION then follow instruction.
2. You will be provided a REFERENCE NUMBER.
3. Pay your fee to the selected Payment Channel using your REFERENCE NUMBER.
4. 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:
1. NBI Clearance application/renewal can be partially done online, reducing the time we need to spend falling in long lines in NBI branches
2. 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:
1. 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.
2. Unexpected long waiting time before biometrics data capture
February 8, 2017
NBI Clearance Center – Application, Renewal, Price, Requirements 2017
2017 Update: Do steps 1 and 2 online, and do steps 3 and 4 at an NBI Clearance branch of your choice!
1. Fill out NBI Clearance application form online
2. Pay for your NBI Clearance online
3. Register your biometrics (photo, signature, thumb marks) for your NBI Clearance
4. Claim your NBI Clearance at Release area
I just applied for NBI Clearance renewal at Robinson’s Ermita this February 2017. The worst part is having to come back after 11 days because of a “hit”.

2015 Update: part of NBI Clearance process can now be done online!

The old NBI Clearance process was long and mostly manually done: fill-up form, data check, payment at cashier, data encoding, photo & fingerprint capture, and finally, the printing of NBI Clearance.

But now, they compressed the processes in 3 steps:

The new process begins with Online registration, appointment, and e-payment, which we can do without visiting an NBI branch. For our Photo & fingerprint capture, we then go to an NBI branch. Printing of NBI Clearance is done after the photo and fingerprint capture.

Much simpler process, right? If you have any trouble, you may contact with NBI Clearance staff via the following numbers during work hours (Monday to Friday, 9AM to 5PM). They were taken from NBI Clearance website on October 4, 2015:
GLOBE NUMBERS: 09179999421 / 09179999418
SMART NUMBERS: 09204129999 / 09995699964

And just a comment – Wow, 8 hours lang sila? Ang convenient siguro ng 9 to 5 lang nasa office.

How to register online for NBI Clearance in 2015?

First, you need to fill up the online form like in the screenshot below. Don’t forget to click the checkbox for “I ACCEPT TERMS OF SERVICE”.

NBI Clearance sign up form online. Click to enlarge

After clicking the Sign Up button, you will be taken to a new page. In this page, you can set your picture. You can upload a photo from your computer, or take a photo straight from your webcam. If you want to take a photo with your webcam, you must first click “Allow” when your web browser asks permission to activate your webcam.

To set your photo, click on the “Change Photo” button on the top right part of the page. It’s up to you, you can choose “take picture” with your webcam right then and there, or upload photo from your computer if you have a nice photo of yourself saved in there. 🙂

When you’re in that page, it’s time to complete your personal details. All fields with an asterisk (*) are required.

Now, enter your birth place and citizenship under “Application Information”.

Under “Contact Details” section, you are required to enter your complete “Address” and “Mobile” number.

And under “Family Background” section, you must enter your father’s name, his birth place, your mother’s name, and her birth place.

Finally, under “Other Information” section, you need to enter your Educational Attainment (kung ano’ng natapos mo), occupation, religion, height in centimeters (Note: 1 foot = 30.48 cm, 1 inch = 2.54 cm), weight in kilograms (Note: 1 pound = 0.453592 kg), complexion, and identifying marks (e.g. mole or scar on cheek).

When you have entered info on every required field, click the “Save Information” button.

If you’re okay with all the information you entered, you may now apply for an NBI Clearance. Click “APPLY FOR CLEARANCE” button on the top right of the page.

A box for your confirmation will pop up. Select NEW or RENEW under Application Type. If you already received an NBI Clearance before, choose RENEW. If this is your first time, choose NEW. For the Presented ID field, enter the name or ID number of the valid ID that you plan to present. This can be your passport number, driver’s license number, voter’s ID, postal ID, SSS, GSIS, PhilHealth, Senior Citizen number, etc. Click the button to submit.

Done? Now we go to the billing process. The NBI site reminds us the following:

Your REGISTRATION CODE or REFERENCE NUMBER will be provided after you select your PAYMENT OPTION.

Your REFERENCE NUMBER shall be your GATE PASS when you enter NBI Clearance Centers.

To avoid inconvenience and long lines, please pay your NBI CLEARANCE FEE using your REFERENCE NUMBER at the selected PAYMENT OPTION. If you wish to pay over-the-counter at NBI, please bring your unpaid REFERENCE NUMBER for auto-encoding.

We can pay for the NBI Clearance outside NBI Clearance centers, but we can also pay over-the-counter at NBI. Please be informed that an additional service fee of 25 pesos to be charged if you pay outside NBI OFFICE. Of course most people won’t choose to pay right there at NBI to avoid long lines. There are many options for payment, such as over-the-counter bank deposit, online bank deposit, Globe G-Cash (if system is up), or any Bayad Center.

When you click on the payment method of your choice (in my case, “BANKS ONLINE”), NBI Clearance website reminds us this:
A REMINDER

Once you click PROCEED TO PAYMENT here are the next steps:
1. A payment page will open. Select preferred ONLINE BANKING OPTION then follow instruction.
2. You will be provided a REFERENCE NUMBER.
3. Pay your fee to the selected Payment Channel using your REFERENCE NUMBER.
4. Go to TRANSACTION PAGE and print Application Form.
5. Bring Application Form to NBI Center for photo image and fingerprint capture.
It’s time to click “Proceed to Payment” button.

I don’t know which payment center is most convenient to you, but I’ll give you an example on how you can pay via BPI Express Online.

The following screenshots shows you the payment gateway they use. If you want to use a BPI Express Online account, your transaction may look like this:

Following screenshot shows Payment Instructions for BPI ExpressOnline or Mobile account:

You will use the reference number that NBI’s system gave you as you do Fund Transfer via BPI Express Online.

A message from the NBI Clearance site after payment process:

Thank you for using NBI ONLINE APPLICATION SYSTEM!

To see the status of your REFERENCE NUMBER and application please go to TRANSACTION PAGE.

If you need more assistance please feel free to contact or text:

GLOBE NUMBERS:
09179999421 / 09179999418

SMART NUMBERS:
09204129999 / 09995699964

Or send an email using CONTACT US PAGE.

Now, make sure you have paid for your NBI Clearance through the method of your choice. Track your transaction status by visiting the Transaction page.

And of course, don’t forget about your NBI Clearance REFERENCE NUMBER and 2 Valid IDs on your appointment date!

So, how was it? 🙂 Feel free to share with us your experiences when you have tried to apply for NBI Clearance with the help of the Internet. 🙂

NBI Clearance Application in June 2013 Ever Gotesco Mall Recto

Let me share with you my experience in getting an NBI Clearance this year 2013.

I paid via GCash and entered my details online at NBI-Online.com before booking a schedule and going to the NBI Clearance Center at Ever Gotesco Mall, Recto.

(more…)
June 1, 2011