How to Get an Online Indian Police Clearance Certificate for Canada Immigration from India in 7 Days

Whether you need a Police clearance certificate for Canada immigration from India or Spain Student Visa or a Thai work permit or any other visa/immigration purposes, a Passport Seva Police Clearance Certificate will hit all the right spots.

First things first. Is it totally online?

A big part of it is online, but no you can not do it from abroad since you do need to make an appearance in the PSK and the police station. You have to be in India for this.

How hard is it?

I promise you that the process to get Indian Police Clearance Certificate from the Passport Seva Kendra is not that hard, and it is definitely much easier than it was, say 5 years ago, but saying that it will be totally hassle-free is a little too much.

Now, before you delve in, let me make this clear. As of now, there are 4 ways to get a Police Clearance Certificate from India.

This article is all about getting the PCC through Passport Seva Kendra, and the process will be quite different for the other three cases.

The Indian PCC issued from Passport Seva Kendra is widely accepted for any kind of visa/immigration purposes for any embassy or government agency outside India. No questions asked.

I got the Police Clearance Certificate from a PSK in Bangalore very recently. The whole process was quite smooth. Definitely much better than a few years ago.

And, as usual, I will keep on updating the article as and when the process changes.

Documents Required for PCC in India

1. Original Passport

It goes without saying that you would need the original, valid passport for Indian Police Clearance Certificate.

Along with that, carry a photocopy of the bio page and the address page.

2. Address Proof

This is one of the mandatory police clearance certificate documents, just like the passport. You would need to provide some sort of address proof.

It could be

• Aadhar card
• Rent agreement
• Letter from your employer etc.

I provided a photocopy of the rent agreement and carried the original.

Police Clearance Certificate PCC Application Process

Step 1: Apply Indian Police Clearance Certificate Online

Here is the good news. You can apply for the Indian PCC online easily. There is no need for any agents or other parties.

1. Register on the Passport Seva Kendra Website

If you are not registered, visit the Passport Seva Kendra website and register yourself if you don’t already have a login. When registering, you need to choose the passport office where you live, date of birth and some other personal details.

Once registered, you would receive an email confirmation.

2. Log in and Apply for PCC

Log in and choose the option Apply for Police Clearance Certificate.

You can apply online or you could download the form and fill it out.

I believe it is just easier to apply online. So choose that option.

Provide Passport Details

After this, you would need to provide your passport details and the reason you need a PCC. The Police Clearance Certificate in India is always issued for a specific country and a specific purpose such as a work visa.

In my case, it was for a Spain Work Visa, so that’s What I chose. In case you are applying for a Police clearance certificate for Canada immigration from India, you need to choose Canada and then immigration purposes.

Provide Personal Details

When you click next, you would need to provide personal details like

• Your name
• Date of birth
• Employment type
• Marital status
• Aadhar number
• Educational Qualification

Provide Family Details

On the next screen, you would need to provide the family details such as the name of your father, mother, and/or spouse.

Fill in Present Residential Address

You would need to fill in the present residential address, mobile number, and email address, along with the police station that covers your area.

Remember, the police verification will happen at the address where you currently stay and you need to furnish the proof for the same. So even if you won’t live where your aadhar or passport was issued, that’s totally fine.

Provide Other Details: Criminal Proceedings

On the screen after this, you would need to provide details of criminal cases against you.

Self Declare

Finally, you would need to self-declare and say that you agree to all the rules and all that. In case you want to get SMS messages, you can check the box for SMS. You would need to pay an extra 50 rupees for this.

Once done, you can submit the form.

3. Take an Appointment

After submitting the form, you should see the option to schedule an appointment.

In case, you don’t see this screen right away or you close the browser or something, you could always go to the View Saved Application, select your application, and then you would see the option to Payment and Schedule Appointment.

4. Police Clearance Certificate Online Payment

Before making the payment, you can also check the earliest appointment date at the RPO where you are trying to visit.

The fee for Police Clearance Certificate in India would be 500 rupees.

You can make the payment using net banking, debit card, credit card etc.

Once you make the payment, you can visit the Saved Application and choose your application, then visit the Payment and Appointment tab, and schedule an appointment.

Once you choose the date and time, you should get the confirmation, and receive the sms for the same.

There is no need to print the appointment receipt. The SMS is enough.

Step 2: Show up for Police Clearance Certificate Appointment

Once you have the appointment, show up at the Passport Seva Kendra on the actual date, at least 15 minutes before the appointment time. Once you reach there, you need to fill in a simple form for the PCC.

Take all the documents and photocopies of the same. There are 4 levels of verifications.

Level 1

You would need to queue up at the counter and get a token. The official behind the counter would check your papers and issue you the token if everything checks out.

If not, you would need to book a new appointment for Indian Police Clearance Certificate.

Level 2

Once you have the token, you would need to go to a cubicle/desk where they will take a pic, and your fingerprints and fill in some data that you need to confirm.

Level 3 and 4

In Levels 3 and 4, there will be two different officials who would check your passport and other documents one by one. Once done, you would receive an acknowledgment from the Passport Seva Kendra.

Step 3: Police Verification

This is where you need to shine. Just joking.

Ok, so this can go two ways.

Go to the Police Station for Police Clearance Verification

You might receive a call from the police station that covers your area to come there with some documents. They might ask for extra documents for address proof, such as an electricity bill or gas bill etc.

No worries if these bills are in your owner’s name.

They can also ask for some photocopies of the 10th board certificate( no idea why that’s so important), and ask you to write a letter to the police subinspector on why you want the verification done.

Do all that and they will submit their report.

The Police Come to your House

Although it is not that common, the police can also come to your house for verification and ask you to have the documents ready.

Step 4: Receive the Indian PCC

Once the verification is completed, you have all the reasons to be a touch happier. The only thing left out is to wait for the Passport Seva Kendra to send to you over Indian Post.

They usually send 2 copies (stamped and signed) over the registered post.

Step 5: Apostille Police Clearance Certificate

Most of the embassies/consulates ask for the India Police Clearance Certificate to be apostilled by the Ministry of External Affairs of India. And it is always a great idea to just go and take that extra step, even if they don’t ask for it.

It will come in handy at some point, trust me.

When Do We Need Police Clearance Certificate for Visa Applications?

There are many scenarios when you might need a police clearance certificate for visa applications for many countries.

Usually, a police clearance certificate is asked for long-term visas by several countries in Europe, the middle east, and South America. Canada and Australia also ask for the PCC for PR applications.

You might not need a PCC for tourist visa applications, for most countries. I know Ecuador asks for it for tourist visas as well, but I would say that’s a one-off case.

I got a work visa for Canada and a work visa for USA, and they didn’t ask me for this. However, when I applied for a Spain work visa, I was asked for a PCC.

When to Submit Police Clearance Certificate for Canada Immigration from India?

In case you are planning to immigrate to Canada using the Express Entry route, you will be asked to submit police clearance certificates as a part of your final electronic application for permanent residence (eAPR).

Now, here is the thing. You don’t need the PCC the moment you create your profile on IRCC. The police certificate will only be requested as part of the final Canada PR application, after the ITA has been received.

Also, if you have lived in any country for 6 consecutive months, you would need the PCC from that country as well.

Indian Police Clearance Certificate from PSK: F.A.Q.S