1. Official sources first
Every fee, requirement and step on this site comes from the agency that runs the process, or from the law behind it:
| Topic | Where the facts come from |
|---|---|
| NBI clearance | nbi.gov.ph, the clearance.nbi.gov.ph portal and the NBI's official office locator |
| National Police Clearance | pnpclearance.ph and the PNP's official how-to guide (PDF) |
| First-time job seekers | RA 11261 and the DOLE Bureau of Local Employment's forms |
| Valid IDs and the National ID | RA 11055 and PSA/PhilSys announcements |
| TIN | The BIR's Citizen's Charter and Revenue Memorandum Circulars |
| SSS | sss.gov.ph and the SSS circulars that set the contribution tables |
| LTO | The LTO Driver's Manual on the LTMS portal and RA 10930 |
| DFA apostille | The DFA Authentication Division's FAQ and schedule of fees |
Laws are read in their full text, not summarised from news reports. Each guide lists its sources at the bottom of the page, so you can check them yourself.
2. What we do when the sources don't agree
Sometimes two official sources say different things. We don't pick one and hide the other. We say which source says what, explain which one we follow and why, and tell you where to confirm. Two examples:
- NBI Quick Renewal: nbi.gov.ph mentions clearances "after 2014", while the clearance portal's renewal banner says "October 16, 2016 onwards". We follow the portal, and the renewal guide explains the difference.
- LTO renewal fees: the LTO Driver's Manual has two fee tables that differ on the ₱100 application fee. Our renewal guide and calculator show both amounts.
3. When there's no official answer
If an agency doesn't publish something, we say so rather than fill the gap with a guess. For example, neither the NBI nor the PNP states how long a clearance is valid, so our validity pages say it's up to the office asking for it and describe what's commonly accepted.
4. When an official site can't be reached
Some government websites block visitors from outside the Philippines, or block automated access. We don't get around these blocks. Instead we use another official copy of the same information, such as the LTO's own Driver's Manual on its LTMS portal, or the law itself. Where a page relies on that kind of source, its source list says so.
5. Calculators are checked against official numbers
Our calculators use the agencies' own formulas and tables, and we test them against official examples before publishing. The SSS contribution calculator was checked against every row of the official SSS tables, and the maternity benefit calculator reproduces the SSS's own worked example to the peso.
6. Monthly checks and dated pages
- We re-check fees, requirements and steps against the official sources every month.
- Each guide shows the date it was last checked at the top.
- Every change to a fee, rule or process is logged with its date on the updates page.
7. Corrections
If something on this site doesn't match what you saw on an official portal or at a government office, please tell us. We check every report against the official source. If we got it wrong, we fix the page, update its "checked" date and note the correction on the updates page.
8. Independence
- PapelesPH is not affiliated with the NBI, PNP, LTO, SSS, BIR, PSA, DFA, DOLE or any other government agency.
- We never ask for your personal data, sell appointment slots or offer to "process" or "rush" an application.
- Our tools run entirely on your device. Nothing you type is sent to us.
- The site may show ads to cover its costs. Advertisers have no say in what we write.
Who does the work
Guides are written and checked by the PapelesPH editorial team, edited by Annatalia, following the process on this page.