What is a police clearance certificate attestation?
Police Clearance Certificate is issued to those passport holders that want to go abroad. The documents are issued mostly by the RPO. The document let the foreign country know about the criminal history of the applicant. The certificate tells another country that till this date and time, the person has no criminal background.
The Police Clearance Certificate is attested by the higher officials to use in a foreign country. Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) is also known as the “Good Conduct Certificate”. This is a necessary document for every foreign country. PCC gives surety to the other country that it is safe to get the person in their country. There is no criminal record of this particular applicant.
The details that are mentioned in the Police Clearance Certificate are given below. There are generally 11 fields that are seen on the police clearance certificate. Let’s have a look at the details:
- Certificate No: A unique number is added
- Certificate issued Date: 00/00/0000 date and time are added
- Account Reference: ALPHA CODE
- Unique Doc. Reference: ALPHANUMERIC
- Purchased by: NAME
- Description of Document: ARTICLE 4 AFFIDAVIT
- Description: AFFIDAVIT
- Consideration Price (Rs.): ZERO
- First Party: NAME OF PERSON
- Second Party: N/A
- Stamp Duty Paid By: NAME OF PERSON
- Stamp Duty Amount (Rs.): AMOUNT
What are the authorities that issue the police clearance certificate?
There are three authorities assigned that will issue the police clearance certificate. These are as follows:
- Regional Passport Office (RPO).
- Nearest Police Station.
- Diplomatic Mission of the residing Country.
Important Note: The most preferred method to get the police certificate is through Regional Passport Office (RPO).
Here is the online application of the RPO.
Who needs an attested police clearance certificate?
There are many times when a person requires an attested police clearance certificate.
- For higher studies or a person applying for a student visa.
- For applicants who want to go abroad on a work visa.
- All those individuals who wish to settle in a foreign country and applied for a permanent resident visa.
- A person who is going to a foreign country on a dependent visa.
What points to consider while hiring a reliable attestation service for a police clearance certificate?
This is an important question. As many points need to be considered. But we will discuss a few important points:
- Safety: An apostille service that can keep the documents safely. As all the original documents are to be submitted. So, it is very important that the service provider can take care of them.
- Trustworthy: The service provider should be trustworthy and reliable. As apostille is an essential step for the visa. So, it is important that the service provider is genuine.
- Have Complete Knowledge: Choose an apostille service that can tackle your documents. A person who is having complete knowledge. The service provider should know all the steps with every small piece of information.
What is the accurate procedure for the police clearance certificate attestation?
The accurate procedure for the police clearance certificate attestation involves 3 to 4 steps. The steps are explained below:
- Notary Attestation: This is the beginning step of the attestation process. In this, the documents are sent to the notary for attestation. All the documents are analyzed by them. When the notary finds the documents authentic. Then the Police Clearance Certificate is stamped and signed by the notary.
- SDM/State Attestation: Further the police clearance certificate is sent to either of the authorities. Both the SDM and State do the same work. However, the major difference is the time consumed. At SDM the time taken is generally seven to ten days.
On the other side, state attestation takes almost three to four weeks. So, SDM attestation is considered due to less time. Although, if the foreign country has demanded State attestation. Then it is obligatory to have a state attestation.
- Ministry of External Affairs: This is the most crucial step for attestation. In this step, the MEA checks all the documents. All the documents are examined by the authority. When the ministry founds the document real. Moreover, all the information is found correct. Then the Ministry of External Affairs attests to the PCC. An apostille sticker is placed on the document.
- Embassy Attestation: This is the last step for all the nations that are not a member of the Hague countries. All the major and supporting documents are submitted. A prescribed embassy fee is also deposited. After investigating the police clearance certificate, a stamp and sign are placed on the document.
FAQ
What are the visas that do not need a police clearance certificate attestation?
Some visas do not need a police clearance certificate attestation. These are as mentioned below:
- Tourist Visa.
- Travelling Visa.
A person can go abroad on both visas without any need for a police clearance certificate.
For how much time an attested police clearance certificate is valid?
The attested police clearance certificate has a validity of 6 months. However, if the period of 6 months is over. Contact an apostille service. As there are a few countries that accept an attested PCC that is more than 6 months. Moreover, a few countries even accept attested PCC of one year old.
How long does it take to get a police clearance certificate attestation?
An applicant who has applied for an attested police clearance certificate will get it in 10-15 days. In most of the cases, the time duration is this only. Although there are chances that the time may extend. These are the cases when the period of attestation may increase.
- When the number of applications is very high.
- Due to any uncertainty.
- If the document is sensitive.
A trustworthy apostille service provider can tell the exact duration for the attestation of police clearance certificate.
What is the cost an applicant has to pay to complete the police clearance certificate attestation?
There are a few charges that are paid to get a single status affidavit. The charges depend on the following points:
- The type of document.
- The number of documents.
- The expenses at each level of authority.
- The fees of an apostille service.
