All about Barangay Clearance

A Barangay Clearance is what you need to prove that you are of good moral character—that you have no pending civil or criminal case that is known by your barangay or that no one has filed a complaint against you.

The Barangay Clearance is different from a Barangay Certificate or ID. The purpose of the certificate is to approve what you are aiming to get, like putting up a business.

The clearance is a document proving that you are a good person. Today, we will show you how to get a Barangay Clearance.

We will also discuss the most commonly asked questions about it. We will also show you an example of barangay clearance or a sample of barangay clearance in this article.

What is a Barangay Clearance?

A Barangay Clearance is a document that the Barangay Captain issues to people who need it for employment. This document proves that you are of good moral character. It also follows that you live in that barangay. Every employee, at one point or another, will have to get a Barangay Clearance. However, most people who work informally will not need it anymore. Some examples of people who do not need it are those who have blue-collar jobs.  If you apply for a job in a corporation, the government, or any formal institution, you will need a Barangay Clearance.

5 Purposes of Barangay Clearance

Here are the 5 importance of barangay clearance:

1. Certification that you have good character
2. Certification that you are a law-abiding citizen
3. Certification that your employer when you apply for a job
4. Certification that you can give to a potential business partner
5. Certification that you can provide to banks and other financial institutions

Take note that the clearance is nothing more than evidence that you are a good person. Some companies or government institutions may ask you for a clearance and a certificate. For example, if you are applying for a business permit, you need to get both clearance and a certificate.

The same thing goes if you apply for a license to own a gun. You need both the clearance and the certificate. The clearance proves that you have no case, while the certificate is an approval from your Barangay Captain that you are indeed worthy of owning a gun.

How much is Barangay Clearance?

The Barangay Clearance is typically free, but not all barangays do this. Some charge money for as little as 20 pesos.  On the other hand, the Barangay Clearance can only be issued if you have a cedula or Community Tax Certificate, which you must get from the Municipal Hall first.  How much does a cedula cost? It depends on how much you earned the previous year. If you apply for a cedula, you must fill out a form.

Read about
How to Get a Cedula – Community Tax Certificate in the Philippines

In this form, you must declare your previous year’s earnings. Then, the government officer will calculate how much you have to pay for the cedula. Many people declare false earnings, and this is wrong. If you are a business person, you cannot do this, as the government will also look for your tax returns. You must be honest, as this money goes to the government’s fund collection, which they use for infrastructure projects.

Barangay Clearance Validity

The validity of a Barangay Clearance is one year from the date of issuance. You must get a new one once the clearance has already expired. The barangay clearance expiration may not be listed in the document, but the issue date is what will tell you when it will expire.

Getting an ID with Your Barangay Clearance

It depends. Some companies may issue an ID to you with only your Barangay Clearance. However, most government institutions do not recognize it as a document to get a valid ID. You may use the clearance to get a police clearance, NBI clearance, etc.  Usually, the Barangay Clearance is the first kind of clearance you need for anything. If you need a government ID, police clearance, or employment ID, you may be required to submit a barangay clearance.

What Are the Barangay Clearance Requirements?

Here are the things you need to get a Barangay Clearance:

• Cedula
• Accomplished barangay clearance application form
• Proof of payment for the clearance

Some Barangay Captains may ask for other documents if they do not know you or where you live. An example is proof of billing. Most of the time, they will not do this. As you get a clearance, the officer will ask you some questions just to ensure that you really are living in that barangay.

How to Get Barangay Clearance in the Philippines

To get a Barangay Clearance, you simply have to go visit your Barangay Captain at his office. If he is not there, you may visit him at his house for his signature once you have the document. In this section, you will learn more about clearances.

5 Steps in Securing Barangay Clearance

• Step 1: Go to the municipal hall and pay your cedula
• Step 2: You must visit your Barangay Captain at the Barangay Hall;
  you must speak to the officer if the captain is not there.
• Step 3: Fill out the Application Form – (1)
• Step 4: Pay the Barangay Clearance Fee
• Step 5: Get the Barangay Clearance and sign the logbook

Where to get barangay clearance? Can I get barangay clearance anywhere? No, you can only get it from your Barangay Hall. Do not work with fixers, as it is illegal. In the Philippines, a a fixer is someone who charges you money. In exchange, he will process the government document for you. This, of course, is illegal. You must not work with them because the money you pay does not go to the government’s funds.

Barangay Clearance Online

There is no method to get a Barangay Clearance online. There is no barangay clearance online registration because a barangay is only a small administrative part of the government. There is no national system for it.  On the other hand, there is a method to get an NBI Clearance online. You just have to go to their website and schedule an appointment. The actual pick-up of the document will still be physical, not online.

What are the differences between barangay clearance, police clearance, and NBI clearance?

Here are the main purposes of these clearances: 

Barangay Clearance

This is proof that you have no cases in the barangay. It merely vouches to the reader of the document that you have good moral character, and that you are not a problem person. This document, however, is only showing that you are a good person within your barangay. 

What if you will apply for a job at another barangay? Do you need to get clearance from that barangay, too? 

No, you do not have to do that. You must only get a Barangay Clearance from the barangay where you live, not the barangay where you will work.

Police Clearance

This is proof that you have no cases in the city or municipality. It means that no cases are filed against you in that municipality. What if you are applying for a job in another municipality? Do you need a police clearance from that municipality? It depends on your employer.

Typically, the police clearance in your own municipality or city will do. Some employers, however, want to make sure you have no record in their city, so you need to get a new one. The validity of the police clearance is only six months.

NBI Clearance

The NBI clearance is proof that you have no cases at a national level. This document proves that you have no criminal case in the entire country. It is also proof that you have no case that is under investigation. 

The problem is that the NBI clearance, like the police clearance, cannot tell if there is a civil case against the person who has it. It is only a clearance for criminal cases.

Read about
How to Get NBI Clearance in the Philippines