First Time Job Seeker Certificate in the Philippines

What it is

Under Republic Act 11261, government offices, local governments and government hospitals do not charge a first-time jobseeker for the clearances, IDs and certificates usually needed to get a job. (car.dole.gov.ph)

The barangay certification is your proof. The Punong Barangay or an authorized officer signs it to say you have lived in the barangay for at least six months and are applying for a job for the first time. (calabarzon.dilg.gov.ph)

The free documents include the barangay certification and clearance, police clearance, NBI clearance, a medical certificate from a public hospital, birth and marriage certificates, school records from state and local universities and colleges, and the TIN card. (car.dole.gov.ph)

Also covered: the CSC certificate of eligibility, PhilHealth ID, mayor's clearance, prosecutor's and court clearances, and some MARINA and TESDA certificates. (car.dole.gov.ph)

Who asks for it

Offices ask you to show it to get their document free. The City of Imus, for example, asks first-time jobseekers for the barangay certification and the oath of undertaking. (cityofimus.gov.ph)

How to get it

You qualify if you are a Filipino citizen looking for work in the Philippines or abroad for the first time, as certified by the barangay where you live. (car.dole.gov.ph)

Graduates, technical-vocational completers and K-12 high school graduates can use it. So can out-of-school youth, people not in work or school, and students on leave. (car.dole.gov.ph)

At the barangay you sign an Oath of Undertaking in front of a barangay official. It does not need to be notarized. (ble.dole.gov.ph)

If you are at least fifteen but under 18, a parent or guardian also signs the oath to give consent. (ble.dole.gov.ph)

In the oath you promise to tell the barangay once you get a job. (ble.dole.gov.ph)

Where to go

At the NBI, bring the barangay certification on the barangay's letterhead, dry sealed and signed, with two valid government IDs, and use the First Time Job Seeker lane. The NBI clearance is then free. (nbi.gov.ph)

How long it lasts

The benefits last one year from the day the barangay certification is issued. (car.dole.gov.ph)

You can use it only once, for one copy of each document. (car.dole.gov.ph)

Be careful

It does not cover licensure exam fees, the Philippine passport, DFA authentication, the career service exam or a driver's license. (car.dole.gov.ph)

You cannot use it if you already benefit from the JobStart Program under R.A. No. 10869. Never use the certification for fraud or help anyone fake one. (ble.dole.gov.ph)

Where this comes from

Every fact above was read on an official page, linked beside it; we last checked them on October 27, 2026. Fees and times change: the official site has the final word. We are not the Punong Barangay of the barangay where you live and cannot apply for you, see your application or speed it up.

car.dole.gov.ph · calabarzon.dilg.gov.ph · cityofimus.gov.ph · ble.dole.gov.ph · nbi.gov.ph

Other papers job applications in the Philippines ask for