What Documents are Required for Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)?

What are the documents required for Police clearance certificate in India? Having a police clearance certificate is mandatory to prove that you have no criminal record in India. At the time of visa application (Residential Status, Employment or Long-term visa or immigration), many countries ask for this certificate, which is issued by Indian police.

So you are going to study abroad and need a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) to get a student visa. PCC is an important document that verifies your criminal record. As a student, you need to present all the documents required for PCC application at the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK). You must have all the documents at the time of application so you get it easily and quickly.

Now the question here is what are the documents required for a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) in India? As a student who is going to study abroad, you need to present documents related to address proof and ID proof along with passport, and passport-size photographs. In this article, we will inform you about the list of documents required for PCC.

What is a Police Clearance Certificate?

PCC full form is Police Clearance Certificate. As you can understand by the name, it is a kind of document issued by the Indian Police. PCC is a proof that a person has no criminal record in India. It's needed by many countries for student visas to verify your background.

A PCC is required not only for a student but for anyone who is going to work or live in another country. Tourists, who go for a short duration in any foreign country do not require to get a PCC.

List of Documents Required for Police Clearance Certificate

Aspirants can obtain a Police Clearance Certificate by submitting the filled-in Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) Application Form at the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) which comes under the jurisdiction of your Passport Office (PO). Also, in the case of minors, if the destination country asks for it, then they have to obtain the Police Clearance Certificate as well. 

Check out the list of PCC documents required in India:

Police Verification Documents Required

• Proof of Date of Birth (Any Government Approved Photo ID)
• Proof of Present Address (Of Legal Guardian)
• Attested Copy of passport

In this section, we are going to be discussing the documents required for PCC (Police Verification Documents List) in detail. 

1) Passport

Self-attested photocopy of passport with first and last two pages including the page of observation (if it is there) and ECR/Non-ECR page.

2) Application Receipt

• Application Receipt received from Passport services
• Even SMS received from Passport services can work

3) Address Proof (Current)

• Electricity bill
• Telephone bill
• Water bill
• Aadhaar Card
• Voter ID/Election Commission Photo ID card
• Bank account details: Passbook (photo) of your current bank account
• Rent Agreement: The Rent Agreement must be in the name of the tenant by the landlord for more than a year.
• The Rent Agreement should be registered under Section 17 of the Registration Act, 1908.
• Spouse’s passport: A passport copy of your spouse will work, however, the present address of the applicant should match the spouse's present address. The first and the last page of the passport have family details on them mentioning the applicant’s name as a spouse of the passport holder
• Certificate issued from the employer of renowned companies on their letterhead
• In the case of minors, a copy of the Parent’s passport is required

In addition to the above-mentioned police verification documents required for PCC, you will also require:

• Documentary proof of applying for residential status, employment (copy of employment contract) or long-term visa for immigration
• Sponsorship declaration by the sponsor (for dependent family members)

Ideally, these are the documents required for police verification for students who are going to study abroad. 

Police Verification for PCC

Police verification is required if in case the current residence address mentioned by you is different from what is mentioned in your passport which you are holding presently. We are giving you two scenarios, so, you can understand better in which case police verification is required:

Case 1

Let's Assume, Your passport was issued on 02 Feb 2018 and you are living at the same address mentioned in your passport. Now, you are applying for the Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) in January 2025. In this case, you will be issued the PCC at the time of your appointment in the passport office.

Case 2

If your passport was issued in February 2013 and was renewed in February 2024 and you haven’t changed the residential address, then you need not undergo any police verification until your passport expires. However, if you apply for a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) once your passport expires then physical police verification is required even if you are staying at the same address.

Note: There is no validity of a Police clearance certificate. It shows the criminal record of a person in past, not in the upcoming time.

Process to Apply for a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC Online)

The following points provide the steps to apply for a Police Clearance Certificate:

• Use the Passport Seva online portal to register yourself.
• Click on the ‘apply for police clearance certificate’ link.
• Fill in the required details.
• Click on the ‘pay and schedule appointment’ link.
• Make the online payment and print the application receipt.
• Visit the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) / Regional Passport Office (RPO) on the day of your appointment.

Process to Check Police Character Certificate Online (PCC Apply Online)

• While the Police Character Certificate (PCC) is part of the passport renewal exercise. However, students and individuals can apply for their PCC online by visiting the official state police website. The steps to applying for PCC Online via the State Police Portal are mentioned below:
• Applicants would be required to visit the official State Police Website and Click on Police Verification Certificate
• Applicants would be required to fill out the correct details against each column of the police verification form
• Applicants would be then required to upload their photograph in the dimensions mentioned by the website. Along with a valid ID proof of their present address in the state they are applying from. 
• The final step would include the applicant having to pay a non-refundable fee for the Police Verification Certificate application. 
• Once the application for the Police Character Certificate is booked, the PCC appointment will be complete within 7 working days. 

How to Download Police Verification Certificate

Applicants should note that the entire process from submission of your police verification form to your PCC appointment to being able to download your police certificate online can take anywhere between 7 to 21 working days. However, it is important to confirm the duration at the time of appointment. Applicants can also check the status of their police verification certificate online by visiting the official state police website. Once ready, applicants can visit the official state police website, fill out their credentials and download their police verification certificate online.

Which Countries Require a PCC?

Mostly countries require a police verification certificate only for the people who apply for work visas or permanent residency. In some situations countries, colleges or relevant visa authorities may ask you to present a PCC. We have listed some countries where you need to present a PCC as a student: Canada, USA, Ireland, Spain, and Italy.

However, it is suggested that, students check the visa authority's website at the time of student visa application.

Related Articles: