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

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Raj Vimal
Assistant Manager Editorial
Updated on Oct 24, 2025 14:39 IST

What are police clearance certificate required documents 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.

Documents Required for Police Verfication

Getting a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) is important to get a study visa in selected developed countries. The purpose of PCC is to verify your criminal record in your home country. As a student, you need to present all the documents required for the PCC application at the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) in India. To get Police Clearance Certificate early, you must have all documents at the time of application.

Question here is what documents are 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 a passport and passport-size photographs. In this article, we will inform you about list of police clearance certificate required documents.

What is a Police Clearance Certificate?

The full form of PCC is Police Clearance Certificate. As you can understand by the name, it is a kind of document issued by the Indian Police. PCC is 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.  Note that tourists who go for a short duration in any foreign country do not require a PCC.

Table of content
  • List of Documents Required for Police Clearance Certificate
  • Which Countries Require a PCC?
  • What is Police Verification for PCC?
  • Process to Apply for a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC Online)
  • Process to Check Police Character Certificate Online (PCC Apply Online)
  • How to Download Police Verification Certificate
  • FAQs Related to Documents are Required for PCC
View More

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. 

List of Documents Required for PCC 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
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
PCC Application Receipt
  • Application Receipt received from Passport Services
  • Even SMS received from Passport services can work
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.
  • A certificate issued by the employer of renowned companies on their letterhead
  • In the case of minors, a copy of the parents’ passports is required
Additional Documents for PCC
  • Documentary proof of applying for residential status, employment (copy of employment contract) or a long-term visa for immigration
  • Sponsorship declaration by the sponsor (for dependent family members)

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Which Countries Require a PCC?

Most countries require a police verification certificate only for 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.

What is 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

If your passport was issued in February 2013 and was renewed in February 2024 and you haven’t changed your 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 future.

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) on the day of your appointment.

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

  • 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" option
  • Applicants would be required to fill out the correct details against each column of the police verification form
  • Applicants would then be 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

Entire process of getting PCC from scratch can take anywhere between 7 to 21 working days. Applicants can also check the status of their police verification certificate online. Just visit the official state police website. Fill up all details asked for and download their police verification certificate online.

Related Articles:

Documents Required for Admission in the UK Documents Required for Diploma Courses in Canada
Documents Required for Filling Applications for Universities in the USA Documents Needed to Start Your Student Visa Application for Australia

Feel free to mention any queries in the comment section, and we will be happy to answer your questions. For help with university applications, students seeking to study abroad can contact our Shiksha Study Abroad Counsellors. 

FAQs Related to Documents are Required for PCC

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Q:   What is the validity of the PCC (Police Clearance Certificate)?
A:

Validity of Police Clearance Certificate is not defined. It shows the criminal record of a person in past. However, you can use this Police verification certificate for the period 6 months to apply for work or study visa. In order to get this PCC, you must have a valid Indian passport and proof of address. 

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The University of Staffordshire UK, ranks in and around the top 100 British Universities. According to the latest Shiksha Popularity Rankings, the University of Staffordshire ranks #107 in the UK.

When it comes to global rankings, Staffordshire University Global Ranking is #638 in the world. 

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About the Author
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Written by
Raj Vimal
Assistant Manager Editorial
Hi, I am Raj. I help Indian students figure out study abroad without the confusion. For 8+ years, mostly in Ed-Tech, I have written about the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. I cover what peo Read Full Bio
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Comments

(4)

J

JOEL CAMPOS

a year ago

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What kind of Documentary proof is applicable for long-term visa for immigration?

Reply to JOEL CAMPOS

A

Akhila

3 years ago

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What if my passport is submitted for visa stamping ? What document should I bring for PCC ?

Reply to Akhila

P

Piyush Kohli

3 years ago

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Hi Akhila, it is always good to have all the documents but in case you don't have any of the document then you can show the remaining one and also show the proof that the passport has been submitted for visa stamping.

S

Sucharita

3 years ago

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As mentioned in Case 1 will the PCC be issued immediately everywhere?

Reply to Sucharita

S

Sachin Singh

4 years ago

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I want to take out pcc but first i was stying in mumbai then i shifted to thane. But i haven't change my address of any documents. And we sold our mumbai house. Address mentioned on passport is also of mumbai home. So now how cab i get pcc any idea plz suggest?

Reply to Sachin Singh