PRC Requirements 2026: Documents, Fees & How to Apply
PRC requirements are the documents, qualifications and fees the Professional Regulation Commission asks for before you can take a licensure exam or register as a professional in the Philippines. They apply to fresh graduates, repeaters, overseas applicants and former Filipino professionals. Know them before your appointment and you save yourself a second trip to the PRC office.
Who Can Take a PRC Licensure Exam?
You must be a Filipino citizen of good moral character, hold the degree your profession requires from a school recognized by the government, and have no final conviction for an offense involving moral turpitude. Each profession’s own law adds extra rules, including the minimum age.
Foreigners can apply only if their country gives Filipinos the same privilege (reciprocity). Dual citizens and recognized Filipino citizens can apply with proof such as a Certificate of Allegiance, a valid Philippine passport, a Voter’s ID, or an Identification Certificate from the Bureau of Immigration or DFA. Most baccalaureate exams cost ₱900 to file.
How Do You Apply for the PRC Exam Online?
You file through LERIS PRC (Licensure Examination and Registration Information System), then finish at a PRC office.
Step 1: Which List Applies to Your Profession?
Open the List of Requirements page on prc.gov.ph and find your board. The basic documents are only the starting point, and a list that works for a CPA applicant can be incomplete for an architect.
Step 2: How Do You File on LERIS?
Go to online.prc.gov.ph, log in or create an account, choose your exam, fill in the application, pay the fee shown and secure an appointment slot.
Warning: Enter your details only on the official PRC website. Look-alike pages on social media exist.
Step 3: What Happens at Your Appointment?
Go to the Application Section of your PRC Regional Office or one of its Offsite Service Centers. Hand over your documents for checking, and you receive your Notice of Admission (NOA). Many boards want the original and a photocopy, so bring both.
Why this matters: No NOA, no exam. PRC also posts room assignments on its Room Assignment page, so check yours a few days before the exam.
When Is the Filing Deadline?
Each exam has its own window in PRC’s yearly Schedule of Licensure Examinations. PRC released the 2026 schedule on November 17, 2025, so watch the website around this time of year. Treat deadlines as final, and book your appointment as early as you can.
What Documents Does Every PRC Exam Applicant Need?
PRC’s FAQ lists the same basic set for every licensure exam:
Specific boards may require more, so your profession’s list always comes first.
About the cedula: Older PRC pages listed a Community Tax Certificate. The current FAQ does not, although the Geology list still asks for the latest one. Bring it if LERIS or your Regional Office asks.
What Are the PRC Requirements for Each Profession?
These examples come from PRC’s published lists. Your own board’s list has the final word.
Profession | Added to the basic documents | Fee |
|---|---|---|
Accountancy | Valid NBI Clearance. Refresher course TOR after 2 failures | ₱900, or ₱450 conditioned |
Architecture | NBI Clearance, diploma, 2 years of diversified experience (logbook), affidavit from a registered architect mentor | ₱900 |
Civil Engineering | NBI Clearance, 2 Certificates of Good Moral Character (first timers) | ₱900 |
Criminology | NBI Clearance, RTC Clearance, CHED CAV (first timers), diploma, 2 Good Moral Certificates | ₱900 |
Dentistry | NBI Clearance valid at least 6 months on filing date | ₱1,300 |
Professional Teachers (LET) | Elementary: BSEEd/BEEd. Secondary: BSEd with major and minor, or an arts and sciences degree with at least 18 units of Professional Education | Standard fee |
Librarians | NBI Clearance, 1 Good Moral Certificate | ₱900 |
Agriculture | 2 Good Moral Certificates, BS Agriculture or related degree with required subjects | ₱900, or ₱450 conditioned |
Nursing, pharmacy, medicine and other allied health boards publish their own sheets, often with internship or learning experience records. Open your board’s page before you assume anything.
Which Professions Need an NBI Clearance?
Not all of them. PRC’s lists ask for one in accountancy, architecture, civil and chemical engineering, criminology, dentistry, interior design, librarians and geology, among others. The agriculture, fisheries and landscape architecture lists do not show one. Where a list sets a validity rule, the clearance must be valid for at least six months on your filing date.
Who Can Issue Your Certificate of Good Moral Character?
Usually your barangay, church, school or employer, but it depends on the board. Criminology asks for certificates from the barangay and the school Dean. Some boards need one certificate, others two.
How Much Is the PRC Exam Fee?
Exam type | Fee |
|---|---|
Baccalaureate degree | ₱900 |
Non-baccalaureate degree | ₱600 |
Conditioned or removal exam | ₱450 |
Dental Technician and Hygienist | ₱1,000 |
Dentistry (per the PRC list) | ₱1,300 |
Ocular Pharmacology | ₱1,500 |
Documentary stamps cost extra, so check the total LERIS shows before you pay.
What Are the PRC Requirements for Repeaters?
Conditioned applicants and repeaters apply again through LERIS and upload the required documents. Once the system tags the application as complied, you can print your NOA. Customs Broker repeaters can skip filing in person under Resolution No. 1935 (s. 2024), if they meet all four of its conditions.
When Do You Need a Refresher Course or a Rest Period?
Board | Rule |
|---|---|
Accountancy | Refresher after 2 failures |
Agriculture | Six-month refresher after 3 failures |
Criminology | Refresher after 5 failures (effective July 4, 2022) |
Dentistry | Six-month refresher after 3 failures within 5 years |
Geodetic Engineering, Landscape Architecture, Certified Plant Mechanic | One-year rest after 3 failures |
Tip: Plan your retake around these rules, not only the next filing window.
Can Foreigners or Overseas Applicants Apply?
Yes, with conditions. Foreign nationals need reciprocity between their country and the Philippines. Documents issued abroad need an Apostille or Philippine Embassy authentication, plus an official English translation if needed. A foreign degree needs a CHED Certificate of Equivalency.
If you live abroad, a representative with a Special Power of Attorney can file for you. You still must appear in person for your NOA at least one week before the first exam day. OFWs can also take the Special Professional Licensure Examinations (SPLE) abroad, announced on the PRC website.
What Can You Bring on Exam Day?
PRC’s reminder of October 2, 2026 says:
Questions? Email [email protected] or [email protected].
What Are the PRC Requirements After You Pass?
You still need to take your oath and register.
How Do You Register as a New Professional?
Registration runs through LERIS. You need a screenshot of the system-generated Registration Form and a valid government ID. Real Estate Brokers and Appraisers add a surety bond or certificate of employment, and some engineering and design boards add a membership fee receipt.
Item | Baccalaureate | Non-baccalaureate |
|---|---|---|
Registration fee | ₱600 | ₱450 |
Annual renewal fee | ₱450 | ₱420 |
Total | ₱1,050 | ₱870 |
PRC releases the Certificate of Registration and Professional Identification Card on your registration date.
Is Oathtaking Required?
Yes. Register for oathtaking in LERIS to get your Oath Form with a QR code. At face-to-face oathtaking, PRC scans it to tag your attendance, and without the tag you cannot continue with initial registration. If you miss your schedule, send a written request for a special oathtaking to your Professional Regulatory Board.
What Does Renewal Cost?
PIC renewal is ₱150 a year (₱450 for 3 years) for baccalaureate professions and ₱140 a year (₱420 for 3 years) for non-baccalaureate ones. Renewing more than 20 days after your birth month adds ₱30 or ₱28. A duplicate PIC costs ₱250, a replacement Certificate of Registration ₱300, and updating your professional data ₱225.
Comparison Table: Choosing the Best Way to File
Method | Who it suits | What you do | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
LERIS plus Regional Office appointment | Most applicants | Apply online, pay, submit documents | Standard route; NOA issued after checking |
Offsite Service Center appointment | Applicants near one | Same LERIS steps | Pick the venue when booking |
Representative with SPA | Applicants abroad | Representative files | You appear in person for the NOA |
SPLE overseas | OFWs | Apply under the SPLE announcement | Dates set per announcement |
So, filing through LERIS and booking the earliest slot is the best method because it secures your seat and leaves time to fix document problems.
Tips for Meeting the PRC Requirements Without Stress
Request your TOR early. Schools get busy before deadlines. Ask for the remark and scanned picture in one request.
Use your profession’s list. A document one board never asks for can be mandatory in another.
Book the earliest slot. PRC itself urges applicants to avoid the rush.
Match names on every document. If LERIS flags a records mismatch, follow its instructions and call your Regional Office.
Check NBI validity. An old clearance will not pass where six months of validity is required.
Bring photocopies. Copy everything you submit, including your NOA.
Learn the retake rules first. A refresher or rest year changes your timeline.
Save every receipt. Keep LERIS screenshots and paper receipts.
Pack the night before. A transparent envelope, a labelless bottle, nothing else.
PRC Contact Information
Carlos Reyes (Legal Researcher & Content Writer)
Francisco Javier is a legal researcher and content writer specializing in the Philippine PRC and LERIS system. He helps professionals navigate licensure exams, registration, PIC renewal, certifications, and other PRC services.
FAQs
Final Thoughts
PRC requirements are not hard, but they punish small mistakes. A TOR without the right remark, an expired NBI or a missed deadline can cost you a whole exam cycle. Open your profession’s list, collect every document early and book your appointment the day your filing window opens. I really suggest filing through LERIS and treating the PRC website as your only source of truth. Rules change, so confirm your list once more before your appointment.
