How to apply for a police clearance certificate

A police clearance certificate (PCC) is an official SAPS document that says whether any criminal convictions are recorded against you. SAPS issues it for emigration, travel or work abroad. Only the SAPS Criminal Record Centre in Pretoria issues it, and you can’t apply online.

Step 1: get your fingerprints taken

Go to any police station. A police officer takes a full set of your fingerprints on the official SAPS 91(a) form. SAPS doesn’t accept copies or scans of fingerprints.

If you live abroad, apply at a police station in that country or at a South African embassy, on that country’s official fingerprint form or the SAPS 91(a).

Step 2: put your application together

• the completed application form (on the SAPS website),
• the fingerprint form,
• a certified copy of your ID or passport; take the original to the police station too, to prove who you are,
• proof of your maiden or other surnames, such as a certified copy of your marriage certificate, if you want them on the certificate,
• proof that you paid the fee.

Write your cellphone number on the form: SAPS sends an SMS when it receives your application, with your reference number, and another when it is done. Incomplete applications aren’t processed.

Step 3: pay the fee

SAPS charges a fee for each application and doesn’t refund it. The amount is on the SAPS police clearance page. Pay in cash at the police station, or by EFT into the SAPS bank account printed on the SAPS police clearance page. For an EFT, use “PCC” followed by your initials and surname as the reference.

Step 4: send it to Pretoria

Ask the police station to send your application to the Criminal Record Centre in Pretoria: SAPS says this costs nothing extra. You can also deliver it yourself, or send it by post or courier at your own cost.

How long it takes

SAPS says it takes about 15 working days from the day all the documents reach the Criminal Record Centre, not counting postal time. SAPS has warned that backlogs can make the wait longer, so apply well before you need the certificate.

Track your application on the SAPS online enquiry with your enquiry number and ID number, or call the Criminal Record Centre on 012 393 3928.

Collecting your certificate

On the application form you choose how to receive the certificate: SAPS hands it only to you, a person you nominate, or the courier you chose. If it goes back to the police station, they hand it to you in person, and you must show proof of identity. SAPS doesn’t email certificates, and destroys certificates not collected within 3 months.

If you need the certificate legalised for use abroad, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) says it doesn’t accept certificates older than 6 months.

Need it to clear a criminal record?

For expunging (clearing) a criminal record, you need a police clearance report, not a certificate. Any Local Criminal Record Centre can issue it, and it has its own fee.

Stay safe

Only SAPS issues police clearance certificates, and only after your fingerprints are taken in person. Websites and agents that offer an “online” certificate can’t speed up the SAPS process. Pay only into the SAPS account shown on the SAPS website, and check it there yourself before you pay.