TL;DR: Which office you approach depends on the record. The school registrar holds the permanent record, report card, good moral certificate and diploma; a college registrar holds the transcript; the Schools Division Office picks up records of closed schools; DepEd regional offices handle authentication for records going abroad. The biggest surprise for most parents is that between public schools you do not request a Form 137 at all: under DepEd Order No. 54, s. 2016 the receiving school requests it through the Learner Information System and parents are expressly not allowed to hand-carry it. Public schools are not authorised to charge parents for transmitting records; private schools may charge published, receipted, cost-based fees.
"How do I request my school records" is really several different questions with different answers, and the wrong starting office costs weeks. This guide routes each record to the office that holds it, sets out the deadlines DepEd imposes, and separates the fees that are legitimate from the ones that are not. For the individual documents, we have dedicated guides to the Form 137 or SF10, the difference between Form 137 and Form 138, the transcript of records and the certificate of good moral character. We are not a government portal, so where an official issuance or office governs, we point you to it.
Which Office Holds What
| Record | Who holds it | Who requests it | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| SF10 / Form 137 (permanent academic record) | School registrar of the school last attended | The receiving school, through the Learner Information System, for public-school transfers | No parent charge in public schools; transmittal charged to school funds |
| SF9 / Form 138 (report card) | Class adviser, issued through the school | Parent or learner, from the school | Free in public schools |
| Certificate of Good Moral Character | School (guidance office or registrar) | Learner or parent | Free in public schools; private schools may charge a published fee |
| Diploma | School | Learner or parent | Replacement copies may carry a private-school fee |
| Transcript of Records (college) | College or university registrar | Student or graduate, in person or by authorised representative | Set by the institution; ask for the schedule of fees |
| CAV for records used abroad | DepEd regional office for basic education; CHED for higher education | Learner or graduate | Agency fee; then a separate DFA apostille fee |
| Records of a closed school | Schools Division Office with jurisdiction; CHED Regional Office for closed colleges | Learner or graduate | Varies |
| ALS records | The schools division ALS office and the school where the learner tested | Learner | Free in the public system |
Disclaimer: fees, forms and office assignments change, and private institutions set their own schedules. Confirm with the office concerned before travelling or paying anything.
The Rule Most Parents Do Not Know
For a public school transfer, the parent is not the courier. DepEd Order No. 54, s. 2016, the Guidelines on the Request and Transfer of Learner's School Records, sets the process out as a school-to-school transaction:
- The receiving school enrols the learner in the Learner Information System.
- The originating school is notified automatically through its dashboard.
- The originating school's registrar prepares the Permanent Record and transmits it, updating the system with the date sent.
- The receiving school confirms receipt in the system.
- If nothing arrives and the first grading period passes, the receiving school notifies the Schools Division Office.
And the provision that surprises people: "Learners and/or their parents or guardian are not allowed to hand-carry the Permanent Records (Form 137) to the receiving school." The reason is document security. A permanent academic record that travels in a backpack is a record that can be altered.
What this means for you. Enrol the learner and give the new school the exact name, address and school ID of the previous school. Then follow up with the new school's registrar, not the old one, because the request is theirs to make and theirs to chase.
The Deadlines DepEd Sets
- Before the end of the first grading period. Receiving schools must secure the Permanent Records of all incoming learners by then.
- Thirty days from the first day of attendance for learners who transfer during the school year.
- One month after system notification. If nothing has been received by then, the receiving school follows up.
- Escalation to the Schools Division Office once the first grading period has passed with no record.
Separately, government offices operate under the service standards in Republic Act No. 11032, the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018, which amended the Anti-Red Tape Act: simple transactions in three working days, complex ones in seven, and highly technical ones in twenty, with the applicable standard published in each office's Citizen's Charter. If a division or regional office is handling your request, its Citizen's Charter is the document to ask for.
What May and May Not Be Charged
Public schools. DepEd Order No. 54, s. 2016 provides for the cost of transmitting records to be charged against school funds, naming school MOOE, canteen funds, PTA funds and alumni funds. It does not authorise charging parents. On top of that, DepEd Order No. 41, s. 2012 states that in no case shall non-payment of voluntary school contributions or membership fees be made the basis for non-admission, non-promotion, or non-issuance of clearance to a student.
Private schools. A private school may charge reasonable, cost-based fees for additional certified copies, certifications or courier transmittal, but the fee should be published in the student handbook or a registrar circular, and it should be receipted. Two habits protect you: ask for the amount in writing before you commit, and never hand over money without an official receipt.
Records going abroad. CAV and apostille fees are separate agency charges and are legitimate. Budget for both stages, not just the first.
When the School Will Not Release Them
Refusal is a different problem from delay, and whether it is lawful depends entirely on the reason given. Non-payment of voluntary contributions is never a valid ground. A student's own unsettled obligation to a private school falls under a separate rule set with its own conditions and its own escalation path. Work out which one you are actually in before arguing, and see our guide on when a school withholds your records for the distinction and the route through the Schools Division Office or the CHED Regional Office.
When the Records Do Not Exist Any More
Fire, flood, a closed school and simple loss are all common, and none of them are dead ends. Records of closed schools are meant to be turned over to the Schools Division Office with jurisdiction, and there is an established reconstruction process. It is slow, and it moves faster when you arrive with evidence: old report cards, an ID, a diploma, names of teachers and classmates, the years attended. Our guide to lost school records covers the reconstruction route in detail.
Before You Go: A Short Checklist
- Know exactly which document you need. A transcript, a permanent record and a report card are three different things with three different holders.
- Bring valid identification, and an authorisation letter plus a copy of the requester's ID if someone is going on your behalf.
- Bring the details of the previous school, including its full name, address and school ID.
- Ask for the Citizen's Charter if a government office is handling it, and note the committed processing time.
- Get a receipt for anything you pay, and get the fee schedule in writing first.
- Follow up with the requesting school, not the sending one, for public-school transfers.
Ready to find the right school? Browse schools or compare programmes, tuition and reviews across hundreds of Philippine schools on SchoolFinderPH.
Sources
- DepEd Order No. 54, s. 2016 — Guidelines on the Request and Transfer of Learner's School Records
- DepEd Order No. 48, s. 2017 — Policy and Procedural Guidelines on the Certification, Authentication and Verification of Basic Education School Records
- TeacherPH — Guidelines on the Request and Transfer of Learner's School Records
- Republic Act No. 11032 — Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018 (briefer)
- SchoolFinderPH — Form 137 (SF10): How to Request It
- SchoolFinderPH — When a School Withholds Your Records
- SchoolFinderPH — Lost School Records: What to Do
