How to apply for a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) in South Africa

This Guide will Direct on How you can obtain your Police Clearance Certificate either through SAPS Portal.

What is A Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)

A Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) is an official document issued by the Criminal Record and Crime Scene Management (CR & CSM) stating whether or not any criminal convictions have been recorded against an individual. This service is available to people who require confirmation of their criminal status for emigration purposes or for travel or employment abroad.

 Required Documents for Getting PCC:

The issuing of a Police Clearance Certificate is the sole responsibility of Criminal Record and Crime Scene Management in Pretoria. The applicant must provide the following documents:

• A full set of his/her fingerprints on a SAPS 91(a) when living in South Africa. The fingerprints must be taken by the South African Police Service. Persons living outside South Africa, may apply at the any police station in that country or at the South African Embassy. Fingerprints must be taken on the official fingerprint forms of the applicable country or, if available, on the SAPS 91(a) fingerprint enquiry form.
• An application form must be duly completed.
• A certified copy of the applicant’s identity document/passport. The applicant must present his/her identity document/passport at the police station, as proof of identity will be required.
• Should a maiden surname and/or other surnames be required on a  Police Clearance Certificate, mention must be made thereof in the application and documentary proof of the maiden surname and/or other surnames (for example a certified copy of marriage certificate) must be attached to the application.
• Proof of payment. The prescribed fee is R180,00 per application. The required non-refundable tariff is payable in cash at the nearest police station or electronically into the South Africa Police Service’s account in favour of the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service. The banking details are as follow:  ABSA cheque account number 4054522787; branch code 632005; Swift code ABSAZAJJXXX. In the case of an electronic payment, the letters “PCC” followed by the initials and surname of the applicant must be indicated as reference.

How to get a police clearance certificate from South Africa from abroad?

Applicants living abroad may forward the application and required documents directly to CR & CSM for processing. Applications received from abroad will not be returned to the applicant. The applicant must monitor progress via the SAPS website and upon completion arrange for collection as indicated on the application form. For security purposes the certificate will only be handed over to the person nominated by the applicant or chosen courier service. Note that certificates not collected within three months after finalisation will be destroyed.

Applicants living in South Africa may, at no additional costs to the applicant, request the police station to forward the applications to CR & CSM in Pretoria. The applicant may also in person deliver the application to CR & CSM in Pretoria or use the service of a postal or courier service at his/her own cost. For security purposes the certificate will upon completion only be handed over to the applicant or person nominated by the applicant or chosen courier service as indicated on the application form. Where the applicant requested the certificate to be returned to the police station, the responsible person at the police station must ensure that the certificate is handed over to the applicant in person. Proof of identity must be presented when the certificate is collected. Note that certificates not collected within three months after finalisation will be destroyed.

How long does police clearance take?

There is an abundance of information online that tells you that you can do the application on your own, but applying in person may see your clearance certificate take up to 2-3 months (if in SA) and 3-6 months (if abroad) to get processed. According to the Criminal Records Centre (CRC), their processing times vary from the day on which the application was submitted, which is very confusing.

In special cases, it may be possible to further speed up obtaining a PCC from South Africa (extreme urgent police clearance South Africa). Ask your agent about being able to submit fingerprints via a high-quality scan on email. This is what SAPS does in effect anyway, and thus if possible, will allow you to forego the time and cost of a courier to South Africa.

Important parts of the police clearance (South Africa)

When your police clearance arrives in your hands, you will notice that it is a special document, stamped and signed on special paper which cannot easily be forged. It is one page long, unless you have had prior convictions that are recorded on a second (or more) pages.

It contains various numbers, all which are important only to SAPS, such as a enquiry number, transaction number and SAPS number. The yellow-gold and blue SAPS logo and heading are centered at the top, and the person’s details are below. There is no South African ID number or passport number on any SA police clearance. It is critical to make very sure, as soon as you have received your PCC or seen a scan thereof, to check all the details carefully.

When using the document to apply for something, the date stamp and authenticity of the document are usually the main things in question. The police clearance is valid for differing time periods depending on the country or authority you are using it with. The authenticity is verified by an apostille on the document, or an authentication and embassy attestation, depending on where you will use the document.

Again, the date on the SAPS stamp on the Police Clearance Certificate is vital, since some countries only hold the document valid for 3 months (e.g. Spain), even if it is apostilled. This means you often have no chance of reliably getting an outcome in time.

The signature of the police (SAPS) official (usually a sergeant or commander) is also very important and must be recognised by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), if the police clearance is to be apostilled or authenticated.

Since the certificates are typed out by hand, more often than one can imagine, a mistake is entered, printed and even signed off. These police clearance certificate mistakes can be simply typing MR or MS incorrectly according to the person’s gender, or misspelling a name, surname or maiden name. In such a case, had one applied individually, one would have to restart the entire application. However, with Apostil, we can have a corrected reprint done within a few days of the error being issued and collected.

Please note that only one maiden name and one surname can be included on police clearance certificates.