What other countries refer to as police clearance or certificate is equivalent to Philippine NBI clearance, a similar certificate with more comprehensive coverage. Even charges taken to court, including traffic violations that were later dismissed, can also appear on an NBI clearance. In other words, if you're required to obtain a police clearance from your country of nationality (i.e., the Philippines), you must get an NBI clearance. Where to get a police clearance while abroad depends on whether your destination country requires police clearance from your current country of residence, country of nationality, or both. For instance, the US State Department's Foreign Affairs Manual1 explains that applicants who are 16 or older are required to submit a police certificate from his/her current country of residence where he/she has lived for more than 6 months. These same applicants are also required to present a police certificate from his/her country of nationality (if different from the country of current residence), where he/she also lived for more than 6 months. In this case, the applicant must obtain two police certificates--one from the current country of residence and another from the country of nationality. For example, suppose you're an OFW who has been working in Saudi Arabia for many years and is now applying for an immigrant visa to the US. In that case, you must obtain a police certificate (or its counterpart) in Saudi Arabia. Since you're originally from the Philippines before going to Saudi Arabia, you must apply for an NBI clearance (the Philippine equivalent of a police certificate). Again, what other countries call a police certificate is the same as what Filipinos know as the NBI clearance. Now that we've clarified the difference between a police certificate from your country of residence (for OFWs, this is the country where you currently stay or work) and police clearance from your country of nationality (i.e., the Philippines), let's now discuss how to obtain the latter. Getting an NBI clearance depends on whether the person applying for a permanent residence/immigrant visa currently resides in the Philippines or outside the Philippines2. Getting an NBI clearance is relatively more straightforward in the Philippines. Follow the instructions in this guide, and you'll get the NBI clearance exactly when you need it. If you're abroad, on the other hand, you may still get an NBI clearance in the Philippines with or without an authorized representative. For more information, read this.