If you’re willing to work or study abroad, your documentation work should be done completely. In order to avoid any friction, you should have a checklist of all papers that are necessary to immigrate. That checklist includes a birth certificate, school certificates, an asset evaluation report, a visa, a passport, an employment letter (if any), an admission letter (if any) and many more. They all should be attested and counter-attested also by the requisite competent authorities (including a magistrate/ the state government/ the MEA/ the Embassy).

One of these essential documents is a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC). It reads your whereabouts (address), parents name and passport number, its date & location of issuance together with the visa information. When you get through the police clearance certificate procedure in India, you should keep all these

Why do you need a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)?

This certificate explicitly reveals the status of the visa or the passport seeker. If he/she was sentenced ever, that criminal background would be mentioned in it. On the basis of the facts mentioned on it, the foreign immigration authority approves your visa request.  It is also required to issue a passport in India.

How can you get the police verification certificate?

• Fill online passport application form.
• Set the schedule for the appointment at the Passport Sewa Kendra (PSK).
• Once you get your documents verified from that center, you get a receipt.
• The passport office intimates to the SP office, which is selected according to your address in the passport application form.
• The police officer from the local police station visits your residence. The officer comes to examine what you have mentioned on your application form is authentic or not.
• The police officer probes about your name, address and also, he looks into the voter ID or Aadhar card of the witnesses, mainly of two. Sometimes, he cross-examines about the residential details. If he finds inauthentic detail, he rejects the police clearance.
• The same report (of rejected or approved verification) of the PCC is sent to the SP office nearby your location.
• The SP office forwards that inquiry report to the PSK.
• Once the verification is positively completed, you get a soft copy of your passport.

How many days does it take to complete the police authentication?

Generally, this time period may take 15 days to 30 days. But sometimes, the same duration can extend a bit. If you want to know about its processing time, you should pay for the SMS service, which is INR 35 & can be revised.

The SMS service will help you to know the date and time of the police visit for verification prior. Thereby, you can be prepared with the requisite documents that you have taken along with at the PSK center. Besides, the police require two witnesses who should provide support to your authentic residency.

When does your passport application get rejected?

Unfortunately, the passport police verification gets failed in some cases. The scenarios might be different. For example- a student applied for the passport. He filled the digital passport application form. That application form required the address where he currently lives in. The noteworthy thing is that one has to input the current address. If you live temporarily somewhere, you have to put the same address. Otherwise, it would be considered an invalid passport police verification document. Thereby, your police verification doesn’t clear.

How to get PCC, even if your application is rejected?

So! How can you apply for police re-verification for passport or visa?

It’s not a matter to fear about or afraid of. You should have patience. Your police verification can be rectified. Let’s have a look over the procedure to know how you can apply to re-issue your PCC:

• Receive a cancellation report of your police clearance certificate. It is sent from the Passport Sewa Kendra (PSK) wherein you have verified your passport documents. The PSK sent that cancellation letter to the address that you have mentioned in the passport application form.
• Visit the PSK within the stipulated time frame (as mentioned in the letter). If you fail to response within the requisite period, your next attempt to re-apply for the passport/visa will be rejected. You have to clear the matter with the competent authority.
• Drill into your head that the authority usually offers just 30 days’ time period for responding against the failed police verification. But, that time frame may be revised any time by the passport authority.
• Explain valid reasons of why your PCC application was rejected. If you’re able to convince the PSK authority, you’ll get the passport along with the approved police verification.
• Visit the PSK together with the valid documents, including the original and the photocopy of your old passport (first two and last two pages) and current address proof.