How Much Does a Police Clearance Cost? The Blocks Behind the Price, and Why No One Quotes a Total

Why no one can quote a total upfront

Direct answer: official fees are not ours to set, and how many copies you need, which purpose you select, and whether you get flagged for review all change the item count.

The purpose you select affects the applicable requirements - see choosing a purpose. Being flagged for review also affects the timeline and whether extra trips are needed. Different items mean different totals, so the useful question is not "what's the total" but "which items does my case trigger, and who sets each one".

What the cost is made of

Direct answer: broadly three blocks - the official fee, your own third-party costs (such as authentication and translation if the document is used abroad), and an agency's service fee if you use one.

• Official fee. Set and collected by NBI per current publication - not something any third party prices.
• Third-party costs. If the document is used abroad, authentication and translation may follow, paid to a third party, not to NBI.
• Agency service fee (if used). This is the provider's own income and should be listed separately from the two above.

A more detailed breakdown is in the NBI fee structure page (the NBI-branded, deeper version of the same logic).

What moves the number most

Direct answer: how many copies, which purpose, whether you're flagged for review, whether you need expedited handling, and whether you use an agency - these five variables mean two people can pay very differently for the same clearance.

Whether a legitimate expedite channel exists is covered in can it be expedited. If using an agency, how to verify a reasonable service fee is in vetting an agency. Being flagged for review doesn't itself add an official fee, but the extra trip costs you time and transport - an easily overlooked cost.

What to tell them so you get a real number

Direct answer: state how many copies, the purpose, whether you already know you'll be flagged, whether you need it expedited, and whether it's for local use or to be taken abroad - five points that get you close to a real figure.

Want the current official fee and process confirmed for your situation? → Yixing checks against current policy

Yixing is a privately registered consultancy in the Philippines (SEC Registration No. CS202009551; BI Accreditation No. CA-202624381-1), unaffiliated with NBI, and does not guarantee any outcome. This page contains no figures; official fees follow whatever NBI currently publishes. How to pay is covered in paying for NBI clearance.