Here’s all you need to know.

What Is It?

It is an official document issued by the police authority or a government agency that enumerates any criminal records that a resident of the country may have. It goes by different names in different countries such as good citizen certificate, judicial record extracts or good conduct certificate amongst others.

Why You Need It?

It is mainly required for immigration or work purposes, especially for western countries as they require this document to assess the character requirements of the applicant(s).

Many expats who have lived in Saudi Arabia leave without obtaining a police clearance certificate. This leads to hassles later on while applying for immigration or work permits to other countries. The procedure is lengthier if you are applying for one after leaving the country. The best option is to get the certificate before leaving.

Depending on the country one is applying to, the requirements do vary. America for example requires such a certificate from applicants who have resided in any country for at least 6 months. New Zealand on the other requires such a certificate from those who have resided in any country for 12 months or more.

Bottomline? If you have lived in more than one country in the stipulated timeframe then you’ll need police clearance certificates from all those countries.

How To Get It In Saudi Arabia?

• Get a Letter of Endorsement from your embassy or consulate.

You have to fill a form at the embassy or consulate and submit the required documents. A processing fee is charged by the embassy for this.

• Get the Letter of Endorsement attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

There are brokers outside MOFA office that can get it done for you at a higher fee. Or you can directly go to the MOFA office in the wee hours of the morning, stand in line, fill a form, pay the fee and get it attested yourself.

• Take the attested Letter of Endorsement to the police station in the district you reside.

Here you will be asked to fill a fingerprint card. If all things go well you will receive the police clearance certificate in a week’s time.