A Police certificate is a document that certifies that you don’t have a criminal record after a background check. In most countries, It is a limited validity period document issued for 3-6 months with an expiry date.
The Police certificate (PC) is perhaps the most important document when you apply for students, child adoption, work permit, immigration, permanent residency and citizenship. This document can be requested at police authorities in your country or at consulates abroad. This document consumes month(s) of time.
Police certificates issued are different in each country and territory. They may be called under different names such as
- Police clearance certificates,
- Good conduct certificates,
- Certificate of character
- Good conduct certificate
- Criminal conviction report
- Judicial record extracts
- Certificate of criminal record
For some places Hong Kong, the authorities will send the police certificate directly to another government authority. It will not be shared with applicant requesting the document.
For US citizens, FBI identity check is required
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We have compiled list of countries where you can apply for police certificate.
- List of countries – Download pdf
CBI/RBI
For Citizenship by investment, programs authorities require police certificate in all the places where you lived for more than 1 year in the past 10 years. It must not be older than 3 months. The PC certificate if in other languages must be translated and notarized with apostille. Children under 16 years are exempted from PC. If you live in the US, FBI clearance certificate is required for CBI programs.
Golden visa programs such as Portugal, Greece etc also require no criminal record.
St Lucia
Police certificate from country of birth, and from any other country in which you have resided for a period of at least one year during the ten (10) years immediately preceding the submission of the application for citizenship by investment. The police certificate should be no more than six months old.. In the event that you are unable to obtain a police certificate, please provide an explanation. Police certificates are NOT required for qualifying dependants below the age of 16
A police certificate MUST be from his/her country of birth and any country where he/she has resided over for over a year during the 10 years immediately preceding this application” at the end.
- In most countries police certificates are easily available upon request from a central police/government office.
- The procedure for obtaining police certificates from some countries however state that the police authorities will only send the certificate directly to the foreign government requesting the certificate. In this case, please provide an explanation.
St Kitts and Nevis
Police Certificate “certificate of no criminal record” or “police clearance certificate” from country of citizenship and any country where you have lived for more than 1 year over the past 10 years ( children under the age of 16 are exempted)
Grenada
Police Record required for every country where an applicant has resided for more than one year in the last ten years. Required for the main applicant, and the co-applicant, where the co-applicant remits the funds. Must be notarised if electronically generated and does not carry a signature.
Antigua and Barbuda
Individuals over the age of 18 must provide a confirmation from a national law enforcement authority (usually the police or a department at the Ministry of Justice or a similar government body) that they have no criminal record.These documents are required for each country in which the person lived for 6 consecutive months or longer since reaching the age of 18.
In some countries, the police authorities will only send this certificate directly to the foreign government requesting the certificate. In this case, the certificate should be sent to the following address: “The Citizenship by Investment Unit, Pavilion Drive, Coolidge, P.O. Box W2074, St. George’s, Antigua”.
Certain other countries will require a Police Certificate Request Letter from Antigua and Barbuda. The Licensed Agent handling your file can obtain this from the Citizenship by Investment Unit and forward it to you for submission to the relevant police authorities. If you cannot obtaine this document, you must provide a written explanation and an original letter from the police authority confirming that they will not issue a certificate.
Dominica
Police Record from country of birth, country of citizenship, country of residence (if different), and any country in which the applicant has resided for more than six (6) months in the past ten (10) years, for each applicant sixteen (16) years and over. For children aged twelve to fifteen (12-15), a sworn affidavit by the parent that a child does not have criminal record is required.
Malta
Police conduct certificates are required for all applicants age 16 years and over. Police conduct certificates are the only documented evidence of the applicant’s conduct, according to the applicable jurisdictional laws. For the purposes of the application process, this document must have been issued within the 6 months preceding the application and must be original. If issued in a language other than English, police conduct certificates must be accompanied by a certified translation.
Police conduct certificates are required from the applicant’s country or countries of citizenship and from each country he/she has resided in for a minimal cumulative period of 6 months in the last 10 years.
In the case of the United States of America, the conduct certificate as issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) should be provided. If the country authorities would only issue a police conduct certificate upon receipt of an official letter from the institution requesting it, agents can write to the Agency and provide all the relevant details.
Turkey
Police report from country of residency showing clean criminal record
Vanuatu
Police certificate or certificate of no criminal records must be provided. The original / true copy of police certificate or certificate of similar nature issued in my country of citizenship and by the country you lived more than one year during the past ten years.
Police certificate from state of origin required (for 12 to 18 years)
Montenegro
A police clearance certificate for the Applicant for the country(ies) of primary residence for the past 10 years. Family certificate for all family members over 16/18 for the country(ies) of primary residence for the past 10 years
Portugal
Golden visa investors must provide certified copy of the criminal certificate or a Police clearance letter from your country of origin, not older than 3 months (90 days)
Greece
Criminal record is optional for Golden Visa. In some cases required, for example when applying for visa at Greek consulate.
