If this is your first job, stop paying for your documents
There is a law — Republic Act 11261, the First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act — that makes the government documents you need for a job application free the first time around. NBI clearance alone normally costs ₱130–₱200. Almost nobody uses this, and some clerks will tell you it does not exist. Here is exactly what is covered and how to claim it.
What you get, in order
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Go to your barangay hall and ask for the First Time Jobseeker certification
It is signed by the Punong Barangay or an authorised officer. To get it you must be a Filipino citizen, genuinely looking for work, a first-time job seeker, and a resident of that barangay for at least six months. The barangay certification itself is also free under the same law.
Bring an ID. If you have recently moved, this is the part that trips people up — the six-month residency is in the law, so apply at the barangay where you actually have it.
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Present it at each agency when you request a document
Show the certification before you pay, not after. Most offices will ask for a photocopy, so bring two or three.
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Use it within one year
The certification is valid for one year from its date of issue. The waiver can be used only once, and it covers one copy of each document. So plan it: get everything in one run rather than one document at a time.
What is free
Government agencies, GOCCs, local government units, and government hospitals may not charge a first-time job seeker for these:
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Barangay certification and clearance | Including the First Time Jobseeker certification itself |
| Police clearance | |
| NBI clearance | Normally ₱130–₱200 — usually the biggest single saving |
| Medical certificate from a public hospital | Laboratory tests and procedures needed for it are not covered |
| Birth certificate | |
| Marriage certificate | |
| Transcript of records, certificate of graduation or completion, diploma | From state and local universities and colleges — private schools are not covered by the waiver |
| Taxpayer’s identification card (TIN) | |
| CSC certificate of eligibility | The certificate, not the exam fee |
| PhilHealth ID | |
| OWWA certificates | |
| Mayor’s clearance (Business Processing and Licensing Office) | |
| Prosecutor’s clearance | |
| Municipal and regional trial court clearances | |
| MARINA certificates | |
| TESDA national certificates and certificates of competency | For those who have completed TESDA competency assessment |
What is not free
Being clear about the limits, so you are not arguing for something the law does not actually give you:
Who counts as a first-time job seeker
Broader than most people assume. You qualify if you are a Filipino citizen actively looking for work — locally or abroad — and you are any of:
- a degree or associate-degree graduate
- a technical-vocational course completer
- a K-12 graduate
- out-of-school youth
- not employed, and not in education or training
- a student on leave
- a student who intends to work while enrolled
If the clerk says no
This happens often enough that a senator has publicly had to press agencies not to delay these “gratis” documents. Usually it is not malice — the person at the window has not been briefed. Stay polite, be specific, and name the law.
Three things that make this work:
- Name the law by number. “RA 11261” is specific and checkable. “I heard it’s free” is not.
- Ask for the supervisor, not louder. The front desk often cannot approve a waiver; the supervisor can.
- Print the law and bring it. One page, in your bag. It ends the conversation faster than any argument.
If you are still refused, that office is not following the law. You can raise it with the agency’s own public assistance desk, or with DOLE on 1349.
Read it yourself
You do not have to take our word for any of this, and you should not have to:
- Republic Act No. 11261 — full textThe law itself, including the list of covered documents and the exclusions.lawphil.net → RA 11261
- DOLE: First Time Jobseekers ActDOLE’s own plain-language summary of the coverage and requirements.car.dole.gov.ph → First Time Jobseekers Act
Next
The rest of the benefits you are owed
SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, and what your deductions actually buy you — written for the worker, not for the employer.
Applying to government?
Government applications are free too, and the PDS is where most of them fail. Section-by-section help with the current form revision.