Everything You Need to Know About Police Clearance Certificate Apostille Services
Many individuals are planning on settling abroad. They also visit other countries for a variety of reasons. Relocation to another country involves conducting several legal procedures. If the individual is planning to visit a country that is a signatory to the Hague Convention, the first step is getting important documents and certificates apostille from the concerned departments.
One important certificate which the individuals are essential to present is the Police Clearance Certificate. Police Clearance Certificate is also famous as the ‘Good Conduct Certificate’ as it proves that the individual for whom the certificate is issued has a clean criminal record and has not been involved in any illegal actions and this is needed for security reasons.
What Is a Police Clearance Certificate?
Police Clearance Certificate is issued by the Local Police Department of the State Government, Special Crime Branch, and can even be issued by the Regional Passport Office in India. It is a certificate that acts as evidence of an individual’s criminal record.
It is necessary when the individual is traveling to some other country as it acts as a clean chit for the individual and is proof that an individual has no criminal charges against his name. PCC Apostille is a very crucial part of the legalization process. You will see this process in HCCH (The Hague Conference on Private International law) member countries.
Why Is the Police Clearance Certificate Apostille necessary?
A Police Clearance Certificate is a very important document that is essential when the individual is traveling to another country. Countries ask for a Police Clearance Certificate from an individual to ensure that the individual has no criminal records. Thus, the Police Clearance Certificate Apostille is essential to help the authorities to perform a check on the criminal background. Apostille attestation of the certificate helps prove its legitimacy.
Police Clearance Certificate Apostille is required when the individual is traveling to countries that are a part of the Hague Convention for a variety of reasons. The reasons include traveling to any of these countries for pursuing higher studies, for employment purposes in such a country, and other such purposes. Police Clearance Certificate Apostille (PCC) works as evidence of a person’s criminal record in the home country of the person.
An apostille Police Clearance Certificate also is an essential requirement when you have to apply for different types of visas such as an employment visa, residential visa, or long-term visa. It is also essential in cases of migration overseas. An apostille Police Clearance Certificate permits entry in a country abroad in a secure manner.
Documents Required for Police Clearance Certificate Apostille
An Apostille for Police Clearance Certificate is a way to legitimize an individual’s clean criminal record. The Apostille sticker on the certificate helps prove the authenticity of the certificate. Applicants will get an apostille stamp on original documents and certificates. Some additional secondary documents are also necessary for the Police Clearance Certificate apostille.
- Original Police Clearance Certificate
- Civil ID such as the photocopy of the driving license, etc.
- Photocopy of the Passport
- Receipt of the Passport Application
- Photocopy of the Visa
- Photocopy of the Aadhar Card
Procedure for Police Clearance Certificate Apostille
Different types of documents and certificates go through different types of verification. The complete procedure for the apostille of Police Clearance Certificate is as follows:
Step 1: Verification at The Regional Level
The first step in the process of apostille attestation is verification at the regional level by the local notary. The public official provides a stamp or signature to the Police Clearance Certificate as part of the verification.
Step 2: Verification at The State Level
The next step is the verification of the Police Clearance Certificate at the state level. The State Home Department of the concerned state will do this procedure.
Step 3: Apostille Attestation at The Central Level
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is the central department responsible for dealing with all foreign-related affairs. After the Police Clearance Certificate gets verified at the state level, it finally reaches the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the officials here grant the apostille sticker to the Police Clearance Certificate and hence legitimize it for presenting it to another country.
This is the final step for the certificates and documents which have to be used in countries that are a part of the Hague Convention.
Conclusion
PCC Apostille is a very important procedure that can at times be very complex and confusing for individuals to understand and conduct themselves. It is also time-consuming and can cost a lot if the individual decides to do the procedure by themselves.
Thus, a company that provides PCC apostille services in India can be approached for the same. There are various firms and the individual should always approach a firm that has authorization from the government so that the certificate gets an apostille stamp in a legal manner as per the guidelines of the government.
