Most people who need an NBI clearance should not pay a service for it. If you are in the Philippines, apply directly at clearance.nbi.gov.ph — that is the official process and it works. If you are abroad but have a parent, sibling, or friend in the Philippines who can go to an NBI office for you, ask them. That is how most Filipinos overseas do this, it is entirely proper, and it is cheaper than we are.
This page is for the narrower case: you are outside the Philippines, you have nobody who can go for you, or you have a HIT that needs to be resolved on the ground. Here is an honest comparison so you can tell which situation is yours.
The Three Ways to Get NBI Clearance from Canada
If you’re a Filipino living in Canada and need an NBI clearance, you have three routes. Two of them do not involve us at all.
- DIY (Do It Yourself) — Ask someone in the Philippines to go to NBI on your behalf, pick up the clearance, and ship it to you
- Apply direct by mail — Write to the NBI Head Office in Manila yourself. IRCC lists this as a way to apply, and states that where the requestor lives outside the Philippines the certificate is mailed rather than collected in person
- Use a service provider — Pay a company like NBI Renewal Canada to handle everything remotely
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada publishes the official routes: online or in person at any NBI office in the Philippines, in person at your nearest Philippine Embassy or Consulate, or by mail to the NBI Head Office. On collection it says: “NBI Clearance certificates must be picked up in person, unless the requestor is residing outside the Philippines, in which case the NBI Clearance certificate will be mailed.”
So you do not necessarily need someone in the Philippines. What you need is patience with a process that runs on international post, and a Form No. 5 that is filled in and stamped correctly the first time. That is the honest position, and it is where our value actually sits — not in access, but in handling.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Factor | DIY | NBI Renewal Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Who handles the application? | You (via nbi.gov.ph) or your contact in PH | We handle it — you just submit your details |
| Someone needed in the Philippines? | Yes — to go to NBI office, wait in line, pick up | No — we have staff in Manila |
| NBI government fee | Set by the NBI — see clearance.nbi.gov.ph for the current amount. Modest, and you pay it separately. | Included in our price |
| Courier, Philippines to Canada | $40–80 CAD per shipment (LBC, FedEx, DHL) | Included — we ship in batches, so the cost is shared |
| Courier, Canada to Manila (only if you have no one in PH and must mail Form No. 5) | ~$100 CAD — a second full leg | Included — same batch |
| If there’s a HIT (namesake match)? | You resolve it with the NBI yourself — may need legal documents, notarization | You resolve it with the NBI. We can often help — a separate service, quoted case by case, only where we can see a realistic path, and never charged unless you ask |
| Processing time | 4–8+ weeks depending on your contact’s availability | 15–20 Philippine working days, or 5–10 on Express, once we have everything |
| Status updates | You follow up with your contact | We update you at every step |
| Total cost (renewal) | ~$50–90 CAD (fees + courier + favors) | + HST, plus delivery from /bin/zsh (Toronto pick-up) to (tracked) |
| Total cost (first-time) | ~–260 CAD (fees + Form No. 5 + fingerprinting + two courier legs) plus your own time | ~–265 with Toronto pick-up, ~–355 shipped both ways — see the breakdown below |
| Risk of delays | High — depends on your contact’s schedule, NBI office lines, courier delays | Low — established process, 10,000+ clearances since 2016 |
First-time applications: the honest numbers
Renewals are simple — one fee, one shipment. First-time applications are not, and the figure most services quote leaves out the parts that travel. A first-time application involves up to three separate document movements before your clearance reaches you.
| Component | Amount | Who charges it |
|---|---|---|
| Our processing fee | Us | |
| Leg 1 — blank Form No. 5 sent to you | tracked, or /bin/zsh collected in Toronto | Us |
| Leg 2 — your stamped Form No. 5 back to us | roughly –25 tracked | You, directly — we don’t charge or arrange it |
| Leg 3 — your finished clearance to you | , or /bin/zsh pick-up | Us |
| Fingerprinting at an RCMP-accredited agency | –75 | The provider |
| Realistic all-in, Ontario, shipped both ways | ≈ –355 incl. HST | |
| Collected in Toronto at both ends | ≈ –265 incl. HST |
Sending your completed Form No. 5 onward to NBI Manila is covered by our fee — that leg you never pay for separately.
Doing it yourself, you face most of the same costs: you still need the Form No. 5, you still need fingerprints, and you still have to get the form to Manila and the certificate back. Realistically that lands around –260 plus your own time.
So on a first-time application the saving is real but modest. We are not going to pretend otherwise. If cost is what decides it for you, the gap is small enough that you should do whichever you prefer.
Where the value actually is
It is not access, and it is not price. It is that we run this process every day and know where it fails. The Form No. 5 route has several points where an application stops: a form filled in incorrectly, fingerprints taken somewhere that is not RCMP-accredited, a missing stamp, a package that goes astray with no tracking. The stamp is the one that catches people most often, and it sends you back to the beginning.
Plenty of our first-time clients tried on their own first and came to us afterwards. We would rather say that plainly than oversell. If you are inclined to do it yourself, do — the routes above are real and many people complete them without trouble. We are here for the case where you would rather not find out the hard way.
What the DIY route costs from abroad
The clearance itself is cheap. The NBI’s own fee is modest — it was priced for someone standing in Manila. What makes the from-abroad route expensive is that the paperwork has to physically travel:
Direct costs you’ll pay
- NBI fee: set by the NBI — check clearance.nbi.gov.ph for the current amount
- International courier: $40–80 CAD (LBC Express, FedEx, or DHL from Philippines to Canada)
- Local transportation: ₱200–500+ for your contact to get to NBI office and back
- If there’s a HIT: Additional NBI visits, possible legal documents, notarization fees — costs vary widely
Indirect costs people forget about
- Your contact’s time: Half a day or more at NBI office (long lines are common)
- Coordination stress: Time zone differences, messaging back and forth, following up
- Multiple trips: If there’s a HIT or missing documents, your contact may need to return to NBI 2-3 times
- Immigration deadline risk: If your PR application has a deadline and your contact is delayed, you may miss it
Realistic total for a DIY renewal, with someone helping you in the Philippines: $50–90 CAD in direct costs, plus their time.
Why shipping is the real cost — and how batching changes it
If you have nobody in the Philippines, the paperwork has to travel in both directions: your fingerprinted NBI Form No. 5 has to reach Manila, and the issued clearance has to come back to you.
A one-way courier between Toronto and Manila runs about $100. Two legs, so roughly $200 in shipping alone — to move one sheet of paper, twice. That is what makes the from-abroad route expensive, and it does not get cheaper by being careful.
We ship in batches. Instead of one courier round trip per person, documents move to and from Manila in consolidated shipments, and the cost divides across everyone in the batch. That is the whole economic basis of this service — not access, not speed, not anything you could not arrange yourself. It is simply a cost that only comes down at volume, and one person cannot reach that volume alone.
It is also why the numbers look the way they do: one leg of that courier costs more than our entire service fee. A renewal is $99 + tax, which covers the NBI government fees, the Manila-side submission, and pickup at our Toronto office. A scanned copy is emailed to you free on every order, whatever delivery option you choose — you are never paying us to receive your clearance.
When you should not hire anyone — including us
We would rather you kept your money. Do it yourself if:
- You are in the Philippines. Apply directly at clearance.nbi.gov.ph. There is no reason to pay anyone.
And if you are abroad, DIY still works well when:
- You have a reliable family member or friend near an NBI office who’s happy to help
- You’re not on a deadline (no pending immigration application)
- You’ve done it before and know the process
- You’re comfortable coordinating across time zones
When Our Service Makes More Sense
- You have an immigration deadline — PR application, ITA response, IRCC document request
- No reliable contact in the Philippines — or you don’t want to burden family
- You got a HIT — namesake or derogatory record that needs legal resolution
- First-time applicant — the process involves fingerprinting, Form 5, and multiple steps
- Peace of mind — you want it done right, on time, with status updates
- You value your time — the cost difference is minimal, but the time and hassle savings are significant
What Our Clients Say
We’ve processed over 10,000 NBI clearances since 2016. Many of our clients came to us after trying the DIY route first:
“I asked my cousin to get my NBI clearance and it took 2 months. When I needed a renewal the next year, I used NBI Renewal Canada and had it in 2 weeks.”
“My application had a HIT and my family didn’t know what to do. NBI Renewal Canada handled the resolution and got my clearance issued.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I apply for NBI clearance online from Canada?
You can start the application on nbi.gov.ph, but someone in the Philippines still needs to pick up the physical clearance. NBI does not ship internationally. Our service handles the entire process including pickup and delivery to Canada.
Is $99 really all-in for a renewal?
Almost. Our $99 + HST renewal price includes the NBI government fee, processing, handling, and pickup at our Toronto office. A scanned copy is emailed to you free on every order. Delivery within Canada is a separate fee — $39 for tracked Xpresspost nationwide, $49 (Ontario) or $89 (elsewhere) for UPS, or $10 for regular mail. We do not recommend regular mail: it is untracked and uninsured, and if it goes missing a reprint is $25 + tax plus the cost of shipping it again. No hidden charges — but delivery is not one of the inclusions.
What if I get a HIT on my NBI clearance?
A HIT means your name matches someone in the NBI database. This is common with Filipino names. If you’re doing it yourself, resolving a HIT can be complicated and may require legal documents. Our team handles HIT resolution with legal support from JCA Law Office.
How long does DIY really take?
If everything goes smoothly — your contact goes to NBI, no HIT, ships immediately — you could have it in 4–6 weeks. But delays are common: NBI office lines, your contact’s schedule, courier delays, HITs. Many DIY attempts take 6–10 weeks. Our renewal service takes 15–20 Philippine working days once we have your complete requirements and payment, or 5–10 on Express.
I need NBI clearance for my Canadian PR application. Should I DIY or use a service?
If you have a pending PR application or an Invitation to Apply (ITA), we strongly recommend using a service. Immigration deadlines are strict — you typically have 60 days to submit documents after an ITA. A DIY delay could jeopardize your PR application. We’ve processed NBI clearances for thousands of PR applicants and understand the urgency. Need help with your immigration application too? JCA Law Office handles all Canadian immigration programs.
Can the Philippine Consulate process my NBI clearance?
No. The Philippine Consulate in Toronto (or any Canadian city) issues NBI Form 5 for first-time applicants but does not process, issue, or release NBI clearances themselves. The clearance must be obtained from NBI headquarters in Manila. If you use our service, where we’re able, we help arrange Form 5 as a courtesy, subject to availability, and the entire application is handled remotely.
If the from-abroad route is your situation
If you have someone in the Philippines who can go for you, use them — it is the cheaper option and we would tell you the same thing on the phone. If you do not, this is what we are here for. Over 10,000 clearances processed since 2016.
Questions? Email info@nbirenewal.ca or visit our FAQ page.