Could someone who has been through the K-1 interview in Manila give us some guidance, please? My fiance has already received her NBI Clearance and the notation says "No Criminal Record." BUT...the K-1 instructions included in the packet which the USE sends out read, "An official letter of explanation from the NBI is required if an NBI Clearance has any of the following notations: 'No Criminal Record,' 'No Criminal Conviction,' 'No Pending Case,' or 'With Derogatory Record.'" Since my fiance's NBI Clearance does have the notation "No Criminal Conviction," we are in the process of trying to secure this letter of explanation, but the NBI in Cebu has told her that the NBI in Manila is where she has to get this letter from. Is that true, or can the NBI in Cebu issue that letter? We are equally puzzled as to why the USE would need a letter of explanation anyway, since "No Criminal Conviction" would seem to be self-explanatory. So we need the counsel of someone who has already gone through the interview in Manila. Is this letter necessary and does my fiance have to go to Manila to get it?

Thanks for your help.

TimR

Tim,

I called the NBI at 523-8231 local 5499. "No Criminal Record" or "No Criminal Conviction" could mean, among other things, that a case may have been filed which did not result in a conviction. So US Embassy would need the letter from the NBI to explain the notation.

According to NBI, its Manila office is the only office authorized to issue the letter and your fiancee has to personally get the letter for interview purposes. She would need to bring her NBI clearance, the embassy checklist, and court records she may have regarding a case she may have been involved in (could be as simple as quarrel with neighbors that reached the court). She can receive the letter in one day.

For comparison, my NBI clearance had the notation "No Derogatory Record".

PW

Tim,

When your fiancee applied for an NBI clearance, she should have stated the purpose as FOR TRAVEL ABROAD as this is what the US Embassy will want to see on the clearance. I suggest that your fiancee apply again for an NBI clearance in Cebu and specify that this is for travel abroad. I was able to get mine with a stamp of FOR TRAVEL ABROAD.

Normally, without specifying such, the default notations would show..NO CRIMINAL RECORD.

Hope to have shed some light on your predicament.

Maria

Good advice. What a smart lady

If anyone would like more Philippines specific visa help, see my signature

ditto - this is what Claudeth did and had no problems with the NBI clearance at the embassy

Good luck

Hey, thanks everybody, for all of your help. Churchita got a new NBI clearance yesterday and it is for travel abroad, with the notation "No record on file." I hope this is sufficient now. We are still waiting patiently for her interview to be scheduled. USE in Manila received all of our files on 9/11/06. We were hoping to have her over here for Christmas, but maybe it will be January. Anyway, thanks again.

TimR

Lilia's NBI is dated July 5 and states "No derogatory record". Also states for foreign travel. It is valid for one year. I expect our interview to be in January. Does this all sound correct? I don't want her to get to interview and have to re-schedule because of some minor "slip-up".

I just received documents from my asawa today - color copies of her new passport bio page, NBI, police certificate and barangay clearance.

Her NBI states for "travel abroad", which is good, and "no record on file", which is good, but does NOT have her right thumb print on this in the lower right corner, which I assume is bad. It states "not valid without dry seal and thumb print" in lower left corner. In this state I don't believe NVC or the embassy will accept. Correct assumption?

Her police certificate is a long sheet, with hand typed info and hand written signatures, etc. It includes both her right and left thumb prints. There is a space for an ID photo, about the size of a passport photo. Should there be a photo pasted to this? It also has a neat stamp (15 piso) in the lower left corner with a serial number on it, and some initials, and ink scratches on all four sides extending into the surrounding sheet of paper. Is this a fee payment stamp and a means of proving it was attached if it falls off? Should I leave this as is or apply a small piece of tape to it?

She also has sent me her barangay clearance, which I don't need for NVC DS-230 submittal.

Thanks for any assistance and clarification.

What is the "police certificate"? The K1 instructions say NBI clearance and police clearance for foreign countries lived-in. Do we also need to get a Phil police clearance or brngy clearance in addition to NBI?

Sorry for the mis-phrasing. The official document titles are NBI Record Clearance, Police Clearance and Barangay Clearance. You won't need the barangay clearance for anything USCIS, NVC or US Embassy. It's needed for business purposes typically, but it states "This certificate is being issued upon request of the interested party for whatever legal purpose it may serve". It's a declaration that the person is known to the barangay official and is of good character and has never been charged or convicted of any offense. It's a locally orginated certificate.

Hi,
you wrote:

"I just received documents from my asawa today - color copies of her new passport bio page, NBI, police certificate and barangay clearance."

I thought the NBI certificate was the same thing as the police record?????

Am I wrong? Do we need to get yet another certificate(police)

If your fiancee/spouse has never lived in another country for 6 months, the NBI Clearance is all she needs, nothing more.

If they ask for a explanation of the NBI clearance how is a new NBI clearance going to help? I would think they still would want to know why it was that way in the first place. You might want to make sure otherwise you are just wasting time.

NM thought you already had the interview.....diff person.

Wow, what a lucky find! Ghie was asking me just yesterday on the phone about this, and I told her to call the NBI office and ask them. Then I read these posts! Thanks alot everyone and God Bless! Stacy

Taking a look at Jenalyn's NBI clearance I noticed that while it does NOT have any of the four remarks that require an NBI letter of explanation. It does say under remarks: "No record on file". and then at the bottom it states: "For travel abroad"

Anybody have a thought to whether this would be acceptable?

And, the clearance is valid for one year, any thoughts on whether it should be dated extremely close to the interview date, or should a date of April 26, 2006 be OK, assuming a Dec. 5 interview?

It seems like I'm obsessing on the smallest details at this point, but its in my nature.

Thanks.

>Taking a look at Jenalyn's NBI clearance I noticed that while it does NOT have any of the four remarks that >require an NBI letter of explanation. It does say under remarks: "No record on file". and then at the >bottom it states: "For travel abroad"
>
>Anybody have a thought to whether this would be acceptable?

Yes, I believe that is perfectly acceptable. When I got my own clearance and one for my wife, the booth attendant asked what country we were getting the visa for, and so the note on ours says TRAVEL U.S.A., but that I think is just icing on the cake... travel abroad is what the embassy ask for. The notation on ours is No Derogatory record. But I think No record on file is fine for the embassy, requiring no additional explanation.

Valid for one year is good for the embassy according to the data I recall on the web site. But clearances are relatively cheap (P150) and easy to get if you live close to one of the outlet thingys, so why not get another to fuel your obsession?

That's what I was thinking, but from what I'm told the NBI is very crowded, busy, and lots of "smelly" people there. Kind of grossed-her out the last time. But the things we do for love I tell her.

Visiting a government institution is not a task to be undertaken lightly here, I agree.

But the NBI does actually have some little cool kiosk outlets, rather advanced for the Philippine government, one in Greenbelt (Makati) for example, another in Ortegas' megamall. The surroundings there, while not palatial, are certainly better than the dreaful Taft Headquarters. And she can have the good excuse to do a little shopping so the trip won't be completely wasted.

getting an NBI clearance you need to go to NBI Carriedo... I went there last Friday and I got the Clearance before 8:30...

Hi Elizabeth: I notice your signature says you got packet four already and you had also gotten a pre-interview note too. I have received NOTHING, yet my interview date is a few days before yours. Did the packet 4 arrive by normal mail? If so, i am betting the postal guys lost mine. That would be the THIRD lost mailing for this single visa application... I am so tired of this...

my fiance just got her NBI Clearance and it says the same thing. we're both OK.
she had to get one for her job two years ago, so it was one thing i hasn't concerned about.

DaveHorton, i just browsed the USE website and found this: http://usembassy.state.gov/manila/wwwh3023.html
, on the bottom part it shows links where u can download appropriate appoinment package if you already have interview appoinment but not received a package from USE yet. I suggest u to download this so u'll get prepared while waiting for the one that USE sent u on mail. Since you already have ur sked for ur medical exam you can as well get ur packet at St. Luke's.

Excellent, thank you for that link!!

Her NBI clearance means she has no criminal record on file. Every NBI clearance has the "For Travel Abroad". You have no problem with it. If the date is bothersome, just have her get a updated one.