Police clearance certificate: how to apply, what it costs and how long it takes

A police clearance certificate is often confused with a Home Affairs document because it is usually needed alongside a passport or visa application. It is not: it is issued by the South African Police Service, based on a fingerprint search of the criminal record system.

What it is, and what it is not

It is a statement of what the SAPS criminal record system holds against your fingerprints at the time of the search.

It is not a certificate of good character, a guarantee about anything outside the SAPS record, and it is not issued by Home Affairs.

Different countries ask for it for different purposes - a work visa, a residence application, employment in a foreign police or security service, some adoptions - and each one specifies its own validity period.

Where and how to apply

Apply at a police station that offers the service, or through the Criminal Record Centre channels SAPS publishes. The application requires:

• your identity document,
• fingerprints taken on the prescribed form for this application,
• payment of the prescribed fee.

Some stations do not offer the service at all, so confirm before travelling. Courier and documentation services will lodge an application for a fee, which is legitimate as a convenience but does not change the process and does not make it faster.

Timing and validity

Factor	What applies
Processing time	Weeks - this is a fingerprint search, not a form
Validity	Set by the requesting authority, commonly three or six months
Re-application	A new application, with new fingerprints, if the old one expires

Because validity is set by the recipient, a certificate obtained “in good time” can be too old by the time it is needed. Where two requirements overlap, ask each authority what it accepts.

If your record is not clean

The certificate reports what the system holds. Where a matter was withdrawn, an acquittal was recorded, or a conviction is old, the position depends on what is reflected - and a foreign authority may apply its own rules to whatever appears.

Two practical points:

• Know what your record shows before a third party sees it. If there is something to explain, prepare the explanation with the documents that support it.
• Do not try to have a record “cleaned”. Expungement of a criminal record is a defined legal process. Anyone offering to remove a record for a fee outside that process is defrauding you.

Where it fits with your other documents

The certificate is usually one item in a pack that also includes a passport, sometimes an unabridged birth certificate and, for foreign destinations, a visa. The visas guide covers South African entry requirements; requirements for the country you are travelling to are set by that country’s mission and should be confirmed there rather than from any summary.

Last reviewed 13 October 2026. Application procedures, fees and processing times are set by SAPS; confirm current requirements at the station or on the SAPS site.