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.

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 the Police Clearance Certificate early, you must have all the documents at the time of application.

Now, the 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 the list of documents required for PCC.

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.

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. 

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.

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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.