How to apply for the NAPOLCOM exam, step by step, from the online form to your Notice of Admission.
The single most common way to miss a NAPOLCOM sitting is to register online, receive a confirmation, and assume the application is done. It is not. NAPOLCOM's online system schedules you; the regional office processes you. This guide walks the application in the order it actually happens, using the dates NAPOLCOM published for the 2026 sittings, so that each step is done in the window it belongs to and nothing is left for a window that has closed.
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Exam guide
How to Apply for the NAPOLCOM Exam: Online Registration to Notice of Admission
Short answer
Applying is two steps, not one. First, register online through the NAPOLCOM Online Scheduling System during the five-day window, which gives you an appointment date. Second, go to your regional office on that date with your documents and ₱400 to complete the application in person. Only then is a Notice of Admission issued.
Quick facts
- Step 1
- Online registration (5 days, opens 12:00 noon)
- Step 2
- On-site processing at your regional office
- Where online
- napolcom.gov.ph → NOSS (napolcom-noss.org)
- Fee
- ₱400, paid at the office
- Output
- Notice of Admission with your venue
Primary keyword: how to apply napolcom exam
Key takeaways
- Online registration only books your appointment. The application is completed in person.
- The registration window is five days and opens at noon on the first day. Appointment slots at the busy regional offices go on day one.
- Screenshot and print the appointment notice; it is your ticket into the regional office.
- Bring every document on the list. An incomplete set means a return trip inside a processing window that may be closing.
- Your Notice of Admission names your testing center and room. It is the only authoritative source for where you sit.
Before you start: the three things to have ready
Registration is short and the system is busy on its first day, so have three things ready before the window opens: an email address you check, your details as they appear on your birth certificate and ID, and a decision about which regional office you will process at. The regional office is chosen at registration, and it is where you will physically go, so choose the one you can reach on a weekday, not the one nearest the address on your ID.
Source: the Philippine News Agency's report on the NAPOLCOM online scheduling system
Step 1: online registration through the NOSS
NAPOLCOM's online system is the NAPOLCOM Online Scheduling System, reached from napolcom.gov.ph or directly at napolcom-noss.org. It opens at 12:00 noon on the first day of the registration window and closes on the fifth day. For the October 2026 sitting the window was 17 to 21 August 2026; for April 2026 it was 16 to 20 February.
- 1
Open the system when the window opens
Go to napolcom.gov.ph and follow the examination link, or go straight to napolcom-noss.org. Choose the examination you are applying for: the PNP Entrance Examination for civilians and temporary patrol officers, or the appropriate promotional class for serving officers.
- 2
Fill in the electronic application form
Enter your personal details exactly as they appear on your PSA birth certificate and government ID. A mismatch between the form and the documents is the most common reason an application is bounced at the office.
- 3
Choose your regional office
Pick the regional office where you will complete processing. This decides where you physically go, and in most regions also which testing centers you can be assigned to.
- 4
Submit and save the notice
The system issues a notice with your on-site processing date at the regional office. Screenshot it and print it. Only applicants holding a confirmed appointment are entertained at the office.
Day one matters. Appointment slots are allocated as people register. The regional offices serving NCR, CALABARZON and Central Luzon see the highest volume and their early processing dates go on the first day. A later registration is still valid, but your processing date may fall at the end of the period.
Source: the Philippine News Agency's report on the NAPOLCOM online scheduling system, the Philippine Information Agency's report of NAPOLCOM's 2026 examination schedule
Step 2: on-site processing at your regional office
On your appointment date you go to the regional office you chose. For the October 2026 sitting the processing period ran from 18 August to 17 September 2026; for April it ran from 18 February to 20 March. Staff evaluate your documents, you fill out the examination application form and the information card, and you pay the fee.
- The printed or electronic online registration notice with your appointment date.
- Two recent passport-size coloured photos, white background, with a name tag.
- One valid government-issued ID showing your date of birth.
- Your PSA birth certificate (security paper) or an LCR copy authenticated by the PSA.
- Your transcript of records with CHED special order, or your diploma or certificate of graduation.
- ₱400 for the entrance examination (₱400 to ₱600 for the promotional classes).
Where the offices are. Every region has one NAPOLCOM regional office, and two of them are not where you might expect: the CALABARZON office is inside Camp Vicente Lim in Calamba, and the MIMAROPA office is also in Calamba on the Luzon mainland. The testing-centers pages on this site carry the address of each office.
Source: the Philippine Information Agency's report of NAPOLCOM's 2026 examination schedule, the Philippine News Agency's report on the NAPOLCOM online scheduling system
Step 3: the Notice of Admission
When your application is accepted you receive a Notice of Admission. It names your testing center and room for exam day and is the document you must present to be admitted. Read it the day you get it: your venue may be in a different city from your regional office, and in the island regions it may be on a different island.
If anything on the notice is wrong, your name, your date of birth, the examination you are sitting, go back to the regional office before the processing period closes. A correction after exam day is far harder than one before it.
Source: NAPOLCOM's press release on examination-day reminders
Step 4: exam day
Bring the Notice of Admission, a No. 2 pencil, a black ballpen and a valid ID with your photo and signature. Wear a plain white t-shirt or white polo shirt, dark pants and shoes; examinees not in the prescribed attire are not admitted. Leave phones, gadgets, calculators and review materials at home: possession of a phone or gadget inside the testing center is grounds for disqualification. Arrive early, because the gate closes at the announced time and does not reopen.
Source: NAPOLCOM's press release on examination-day reminders
After the exam
Results are posted on NAPOLCOM's website about two months after the sitting. Passers receive a Certificate of Eligibility by mail; those who did not pass receive a Report of Rating. The eligibility is what you then present when you apply to the PNP for appointment as Patrolman or Patrolwoman, which is a separate process with its own stages.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I register for the NAPOLCOM exam?
Online, through the NAPOLCOM Online Scheduling System, reached from napolcom.gov.ph or directly at napolcom-noss.org, during the five-day registration window. There is no walk-in registration; the office processes only applicants with an online appointment.
Can I pay the fee online?
No. The ₱400 fee is paid at the regional office during on-site processing. NAPOLCOM's announcements describe no online payment.
I missed the registration window. Can I still apply?
Not for that sitting. NAPOLCOM does not extend the five-day window or accept late applications. The next sitting's window opens about two months before its exam date.
What if my name on the online form does not match my birth certificate?
Fix it at on-site processing, before the Notice of Admission is issued. Bring the documents that show the correct details. A mismatch discovered after the exam can delay or void your result.
Now find your floor.
Forty questions across all four subtests, forty minutes, and a per-subject breakdown against the 80.00 pass mark.
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