South Africa - Obtain police clearance certificate

Advertisement

Procedure

Applying process in South Africa for citizen and non citizen.

A. Apply in person.

1. Applicant shall apply for Police Clearance Certificate in person with any “Criminal Record and Crime Scene Management in Pretoria.”.
2. Address :
   The Head: Criminal Record and Crime Scene Management (For attention: Police Clearance Certificates),
   South African Police Service,
   Bothongo Plaza West, CRC Client Service Centre
   1st Floor, Room 14,
   271 Francis Baard Street
   PRETORIA
3. Link for application form : link
4. Go to the respective office. Application forms can be obtained from the office on visit. Don’t forget to take the required copy of documents along with originals to the office.
5. Please follow as per authorities guidelines and submit the completed application along with documents. Applicant should pay for any charges if required as advised.
6. This application will be processed by respective department.
7. The certificate can be collected from the office where applicant applied in person upon notification or issued as per norms.

Applying process - overseas for citizen and non citizen.

A. Apply through mail(post).

1. Applicant has to apply with the “National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)” Head office to obtain the PCC through mail(post).
2. Applicant has to fill the application form as obtained from the following link. Link for form : link
3. Once the application is filled in, please attach the completed application, required document and fee paid details.
4. Mail it to the following address :
   The Head: Criminal Record and Crime Scene Management (For attention: Police Clearance Certificates),
   South African Police Service,
   Private Bag X308,
   PRETORIA,
   South Africa -0001.
5. This application received will be processed by respective department.
6. The certificate will be delivered to the applicant as per the mode specified while applying or as per norms.

Advertisement

Required Documents

Country specific

• Valid identity document (identity card, passport, driving license).
• Valid passport.
• Citizen proof/Document of National Identity (DNI).

Foreign national

• A copy of your passport while living in South Africa.
• A copy of your permit of stay in South Africa, passport number and place of issue as well.
• Proofs of legal stay (copy of passport held during the said period with respective stamp and seal).

In general

• Application form. Link : link
• Valid citizen proof with photo (respective ID’s issued by respective nation).
• Email ID (useful to communicate issues with respect to your application)
• A self-addressed envelope with or without stamps (as required).
• Valid contact number (applicant can be communicated)
• Passport-size photos.
• Birth certificate (as per requirement).
• Finger print from competitive authority as appropriate

Office Locations & Contacts

The Head: Criminal Record and Crime Scene Management (For attention: Police Clearance Certificates)
PHYSICAL ADDRESS:South African Police Service
Bothongo Plaza West
CRC Client Service Centre
1st Floor, Room 14
271 Francis Baard Street
PRETORIA
POSTAL ADDRESS:The Head: Criminal Record and Crime Scene Management (For attention: Police Clearance Certificates)
South African Police Service
Private Bag X308
PRETORIA
South Africa
0001

Contact link
Online Enquiry
Application form
South African Police Service (SAPS) police stations

Eligibility

• Applicant with valid passport and a valid address proof.
• Age: 16 years and above. In case of minors, the application must be submitted by the parent exercising parental authority, if the minor has not turned 16 years.
• The current address of the applicant must be same as in the passport and other supporting documents.
• Applicants who are in need of residential status, employment or long term visa or for immigration to a foreign nation.

Fees

• R114,00. (South African rand)
• Fee/charge varies for case to case. Updated fee requirement will be provided by respective authorities while applying.

Validity

• Validity norms vary from country to country.
• Note that certificates not collected within three months after finalization will be destroyed.

Documents to Use

Please attach documents that can be used by people. e.g. links

Sample Documents

Sample Police Clearance Certificate

Processing Time

• 15 working days
• Processing time varies with respect to the country from where applied.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites. 	
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver, 
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Instructions

Please provide other instructions related to the certificate/documents.
e.g. The state office holds birth records since january 1908.

Required Information

• Surname
• Maiden name (if applicable, also specify in which surname the certificate should to be issued)
• Given names
• Date of birth
• Place of birth
• South African ID number (if applicable)
• Last residential address in South Africa
• Last SA business / employer's address
• Telephone number of the above (h)
• Date
• Signature
• Mailing address in the country of application
• Zip/Postal Code
• Telephone number

Need for the Document

A police certificate is an official document issued by police or government agency of a country to enumerate any criminal records that the applicant may or may not have. Criminal records may include arrest, conviction, and possibly criminal proceedings.

Police Clearance Certificates is available to people who require confirmation of their criminal status for emigration purposes or for working abroad. A certificate stating whether any criminal offences are recorded against the applicant, will be issued. Fingerprints are taken at the nearest police station, where after they will be analyzed and the certificate will be issued. Only the SAPSs Criminal Record Centre in Pretoria may issue police clearance certificates.

A PCC is required for a variety of immigration and emigration applications. The official document is used to prove that the applicant is of sound character, and is not deemed to be an undesirable person regarding the law of the host country.

According to the South African Police Service, the definition of a PCC looks like this:

“Regulation 1 provides that a “police clearance certificate”, means a certificate issued by the police or security authority in each country where the relevant applicant resided for 12 months or longer after attaining the age of 18 years, in respect of criminal records or the character of that applicant, which certificate shall not be older than six months at the time of its submission: Provided that the certificate shall not be required from a foreign country in the case of a renewal or extension of a visa but from the Republic.”

Information which might help

Enter other informations which might help.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

The Police Clearance Certificate can also be used for: Visa Applications

Temporary Residence Applications

Permanent Residency Applications

Application for a Marriage Certificate

Application for a Certificate of No Impediment

External Links

Apostil Document Services

Sample Police Clearance

Police Clearance Application Form

Criminal Records Expungements

SAPS Police Clearance Procedure

Others

More information which might help people.