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How to Get Police Clearance Certificate in India

How to Apply for Police Clearance Certificate in India?

May 20, 2020 Manoj Sodhani Comments 1 comment

Police Clearance certificate is to check your background if there is any criminal record or lawsuit associated with the applicant of the passport or visa or employment seeker.

Where to Apply

If you live here in India, obtain it from the Passport Seva Kendra (online) and police station (offline).
If you are abroad, you will be considered as a non-resident of India. Visit Indian embassy to get it from.

Online Process to Apply Police Clearance Certificate in India

This process is a combination of online and offline application to apply for PCC in India. The applicant, first, fills up the digital copy of the PCC form from the given website and then, schedule an appoint to get it verified offline.

Get registered with the Passport Seva Online.
If you’re already registered, log in.
Select “Apply for Police Clearance Certificate”.
If you want to get it online, fill up the form online and upload the supporting documents.

If you want to submit this application offline, you can download this form, fill it up and visit the passport office.

Select the country which you are applying it for like the USA, the UK or France etc..
Now, move to select the purpose to get it for — Citizenship/ Nationality Application, Education/ Research, Employment Visa/ Work Permit, Immigration Purpose other than Citizenship, Long Term Visa Stay, Residence Permit, Tourist Visa and Others.
Fill up your details as an applicant-Name, Surname, Gender, Place of Birth, Date of Birth, Citizenship of India by (Birth/ Naturalisation/ Descent), PAN (if have), Voter ID, Employment Type, Marital Status, Educational Qualification and Aadhaar Card.
Fill up family details –Father Name, Mother Name & Spouse Name (If married).
Fill up Current Address & select the Regional Passport Office to visit later, if intended to submit offline application. Be careful as you cannot re-select the Regional Passport Office.
For online applicants, click “Pay & Schedule Appointment” link given on the “View Saved/ Submitted Application”. This step is mandatory to book an offline appointment. Schedule it by paying the requisite fee online.

For payment option, you have credit card, debit card, internet banking from SBI & associated banks or bank challan.

Offline Process

Upon online application, print through Print Application receipt hyperlink and save Application Reference Number (ARN). This ARN would be used to check the status of the application.
Upload all self attested supporting documents’ scanned copy.
Finally, you can visit the passport office on the date of appointment or within 90 days with the supporting documents.

Documents for PCC

The receipt received from the SMS or text message from the passport office
Original old passport with the self attested photocopy of the first and last two pages of that passport, including ECR and Non-ECR page
Current Address Proof, which can be electricity Bill, Water Bill, telephone Bill, Income Tax Assessment Order, Election Commission Photo ID Card (Voter Id), Proof of Gas Connection,
Certificate of Employment Contract from the Foreign Employer on the letter head,
Spouse & Parents’ Passport Photocopy,
Aadhaar Card and Rent Agreement or Photo Passbook of the Current Bank.

Police Verification Validity

The police verification is mandatory if your current residence is other than what is written in your current valid passport.

Suppose you have got your first passport on 1^st January 2005 and have applied for the PCC in 2011 from the same old address, you won’t require any police verification. If you have an old passport to be renewed with new address, the police verification will take place once again.

In the nutshell, the police authentication will be necessary only if you have changed your address. There is one more case when you need to undergo this verification again. If your passport is 13 years old, you need to get through the procedure for the Police Clearance Certificate.

How long does it take to get the PCC?

However, this certificate is issued on the very day when you get your passport application verified. But if you need to undergo an offline process for employment, it may take 30 days.

FAQs

What is PCC? Who needs it?

It is a certificate issued to the passport holders in case they have applied for residential status, immigration or long-term visa. It verifies the background of the bearer and clearly states the offence type if there is any record found.

NRIs and also those who are going abroad for employment, study and research need it to show up to the immigration authority of foreign countries.

Do tourists also need this certificate?

No, the one who is going abroad for the purpose of touring doesn’t need it.

What type of applicants can apply for PCC?

Who are applying for a private job to show his employer
Who are emigrating from India to another country to comply with Embassy requirements for Visa or an organization for employee recruitment can apply for PCC.

How can you get it?

You can apply for it with the passport application. The form is available on the PSK website to download from.

Besides, every state and place has a website of the police, where you can raise an enquiry to apply for it. This is an online application method, which involves visiting the police website, getting registered, signing in, form filling, uploading supporting documents, online payment and getting receipt.

There is another way that is to visit the nearby police station for getting it physically.

What is the checklist of documents to be enclosed with the PCC application?

Original old passport with self-attested photocopy of its first two and last two pages including ECR/Non-ECR page and page of observation (if any)
Proof of Present Address (in case of change of address)
Self-attested copy of Employment Contract with foreign employer
Copy of Valid visa (in case visa is already obtained) along with Official English translation if the visa is not in English
Copy of Valid registration certificate issued by the Protectorate of Emigrants, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, Govt. of India. (for skilled/semi-skilled workers)
Names of pcensed Recruitment Agents (for skilled/semi-skilled workers)
Sponsorship declaration by the person who is sponsoring the emigration of the PCC applicant

How much do you pay as a fee for PCC?

You can check the updated fee structure on the official website of the police of your state. In Delhi, it’s like this:

For Debit Card Payment

Individual Rs.250 + Rs.1.87 (Bank Charges) = Rs.251.87
Organization Rs. 500/- + Rs.3.75 (Bank Charges) = Rs.503.75

For Credit Card Payment

Individual needs to pay Rs. 250/- + Rs.2.50 (Bank Charges) = Rs.252.50
Organization needs to pay Rs. 500/- + Rs. 5.00 (Bank Charges) = Rs. 505.00

How do you know if your application is confirmed online?

You receive an email and a text message on your registered phone number. Check it.

Besides, you receive a receipt at the end with a reference number, which is used for checking the status of the application later.

Where can you apply for it?

You can apply for it from anywhere, either in India or from foreign, over the internet. You should keep into account that it is issued if you are the resident of that place and have a valid ID proof, which should be minimum six months old.

These proofs can be– Election ID Card, Aadhaar Card, Passport, Driving License, Electricity Bill, Telephone Bill, Bank Passbook & Rent Agreement duly registered in the Hon’ble Court of Law/Registrar/SDM Office (Rent Agreement issued by Notary Public is not applicable) in the name of the applicant at present address

Where should an NRI get PCC from if he has been living in abroad for six plus months?

Some of the foreign immigration authorities require a fresh PCC in every six months. If an NRI is living abroad for more than six months, he should get it from the local police in abroad. Also, he should raise a request here in the place where he comes from in India. In short, you should submit two PCCs.

If you have changed the country and spent six or months there, you have to get it from there also. Let’s say, you have been traveling to UAE from the USA and lived for six months. In this case, you have to get the PCC from UAE, India (for being an NRI) and the USA.

How many days does it take to get delivered?

It hardly takes a fortnight or a month if you have applied with the passport application. You should show the voter id or adhaar card or any other proof of two more witnesses at the time of delivery to the verifying officer.

How Can You Verify Documents in India For Foreign Trip?

February 26, 2020 Manoj Sodhani Comments 0 Comment

If you are still worried about how to verify your police clearance or birth certificate, keep them all aside. You can easily do this and get off all hurdles that cap put your foreign trip or visit on halt.

Here, we are going to share everything about how to get your certificates apostilled in India. Let’s get started with a short brief about it.

Apostille

It is a prominent authority that can sign all papers that you need to get attested for immigration. You can take it as an attestation service. It is available in the Hague Convention countries only. Nobody knew about it before 1961, as it was not convened. When multiple times authentication of visa, passport, birth certificate, transcripts or other immigration papers looked difficult to carry on, the intellects from various countries had set its foundation on 25^th October, 1980. As of now, 101 countries are its member.

The greatness of this service lies in its global acceptance. The legalisation conducted by one member country is accepted by another one, which is a part of this convention.

What kind of certificates does it legalise?

It mainly verifies personal documents, which can be a birth certificate, death certificate, marriage certificate, educational degree or mark sheet etc..

You cannot give duplicates of the aforesaid papers to go abroad for any reason. It is put on the originals. Besides, you should enclose the first and the last page copy of your passport.

One thing that you should always keep into account is that the Ministry of External Affairs has designated a few agencies with this task, which acts as an NRI consultant to get you through the typicality of this process. You should be extra careful from the fraudulent, which makes you a fool by taking money, but does not do anything. So, always ask about their experience and check their authenticity through their ratings on Google Maps & feedbacks, at least. Or, you can counter them with questions about how they do and who have considered them before.

Who does apostille certificate?

The designated signatory can be any of these Class I Gazetted Officers:

Director
Magistrate
Deputy Director
Section Officer
Commissioner
Chief Secretary
Joint Secretary
Assistant Secretary
Deputy Commissioner
Resident Commissioner
Sub Divisional Magistrate

Do you need to go for any other attestation before?

Yes, you may need to get your papers stamped from the state’s HRD. It would verify and check if all your papers for immigration are original. Thereafter, you should go to the notary public with the same request.

As I said, you ‘MAY’ need to go there, it is not compulsory. You can skip going there and catch up with an experienced NRI consultant to directly legalise your papers from the MEA.

About Fee

The verification from the state HRD or the MEA, both, is a paid service. However, both ministries charge minimally, which means you need to pay a nominal fee for it.

Timeline

Since it is about examining your documents if they are not fake, the competent authorities sluggishly do this. The reason might be that the ministries go deep with examination of their legality, which can be time taking.

All in all, the state government may take one or two working days. But, the MEA’s processing could be long. It may complete the whole processing in 3 to 4 weeks.

DigiLocker to Avail Online Attestation on Aadhaar & PAN Card

April 23, 2018 Manoj Sodhani Comments 0 Comment

The world will soon transform into a digital landscape. India is also looking forward for jumping into the same bandwagon. Sluggishly, its every arena is witnessing this makeover. To add one more feather to the hat of digital India, its government has introduced the concept of a DigiLocker. The UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) incorporates the government in inserting this evolutionary service.

As its name suggests, the DigiLocker is an occupied space on the cloud platform. It can act as a conduit wherein you can plunge into the desirable service of documentation. Be it in a context of the birth certificate issuance or attestation over multiple certificates from India, you can get & store any significant document. It’s safe and will maintain the confidentiality of your vital documents.

If you want to get registered with any government body, like Municipal Corporation of Delhi or Mumbai, it’ll be an endpoint. It will enable you to apply for the certificates, like NABC, BC, Passport, and PAN card etc. digitally. Thereby, you can walk through online processing for getting e-copies of the required document. Every registered citizen would be able to acquire a digital locker on the cloud. What you actually require to do is to link Aadhaar number with the DigiLocker.

How can you link a DigiLocker with Aadhaar?

However, embedding your Aadhaar number with every bank account and mobile number used to be mandatory. But, the Supreme Court has postponed this mandate for an indefinite time period. A few thought groups have petitioned to cease it. They found it a subtle attack on their privacy. Therefore, the matter is under trial. Till the verdict, none would have a necessity to link their account & mobile number with the Aadhaar.

Anyhow, the DigiLocker is really a worthy platform to approach any government entity online. Let’s look into how you can link it with your unique ID:

Go to the government website- gov.in
Sign up to create your account.
The next prompt will ask you to add Aadhaar number.
Input it.
As you feed the number, the next step would ask you to type in the OTP. This OTP will be sent on the registered mobile number with it.
Enter the OTP. Your number would be verified automatically.
Finally, your Aadhaar number would be stockpiled in it.

How can you download that digital Aadhaar number?

Go to the aforementioned website.
Sign into your locker.
Click on the dialog box that would enable you to get it. It mentions ‘Get your eAadhaar’. Click it.
A link will pop up. It will ask for the OTP again.
Hit the message that reads ‘Get OTP’.
The OTP will pop up on your mobile phone.
Note and input into the field to authenticate your account.
A page will appear with the caption ‘Issued Document’.
Select Aadhaar to download it.
Click the save button.

How can you verify for the PAN number via this locker?

Go to the aforesaid website.
Move the cursor to the left window pane.
Select ‘Issued Documents’.
An embedded message will display to inform you that Issued documents come directly into your DigiLocker from a registered government departments and agencies. You can also pull documents from some partners and add to issued documents.
The next step will prompt you to click a hyperlink that reads ‘Pull documents’.
Move to the Partner Name caption below.
Click ‘Income Tax Department, Govt. Of India’ from the dropdown list.
Turn down to the ‘Document Type’ field.
Hit the filter button to select the ‘PAN Verification Record’.
Turn to the section that reads ‘Search your document by entering the required details’.
Fill the details, like name, date of birth, gender and PAN.
Tick the check box.
Hit the ‘Get Document’ tab.
This action will integrate your PAN data into the DIgiLocker.
Save it.

What benefits it can avail?

All integrated documents will be accessible 24X7 anywhere online.
You can save time in searching, scanning and uploading your documents. Just sign in and fetch the documents from this digital locker.
The government would be able to manage the entire data of your significant documents. It can reduce administrative burden and minimize paper management.
The verification would be a walkover as it is run by the government.
The user can eSign to self -attest the document.

How to Change Name in Aadhaar While Linking With PAN Card?

April 13, 2017 Manoj Sodhani Comments 1 comment

Indian central government has emphasized on linking Aadhaar Card with Permanent Account Number (PAN) Card. It has set 31^st July 2017 as the timeline to do so mandatorily. Millions of tax-payers are buzzing about this new provision.

Problems shoot in linking Aadhaar with PAN Card:

Tax-payers are to monitor the introduced changes. Whether the tax-payer is a citizen of India or non-resident, the rule will be equally applicable on all. This amendment has triggered shockwaves amongst NRIs. Many of them have mismatching names on their cards. And they have to come to India for making necessary changes. Even though the changes are minor, they must make them correct.

It’s noteworthy that they don’t stand alone in this battle. There are many more tax-payers who are citizens and have mismatching names, such as girls who must change their surname after marriage. In such case, the discrepancy arises. But now, they can do corrections online.

How to change the name in Aadhaar Card while linking it with Permanent Account Number?

The official website of Aadhaar is very attentive and concerned about the accurate details wherein it asks for authentic proof. For instance, a non-resident logs in and clicks on ‘change the name’. His/her request will be processed further only when the proof shall be provided. That proof can be birth certificate, PAN card or any other one that spells the correct name. It’s similar to apply for police clearance certificate for passport that is an integral part of verification.

He/she uploads PAN card, let’s say, as the proof, the verification will be completed. Earlier, it was not approved. So, he/she had no option left but to seek help from reliable outsourcer, like S2NRI. He would ask for the card details and let you get rid of hassles.

To correct spelling mistakes in name or completing it while linking the PAN with Aadhaar Card, the following steps are prescribed by the central government.

Visit the official government website, i.e. uidai.gov.in or http://uidai.gov.in/.
Get registered with it to create login.
Once logged in, request for change the name.
Get ready with the PAN Card. Scan and upload its copy in the operating system.
To further the processing, the person will receive an OTP (One-Time Password) on the mobile phone number registered with UIDAI.
Subsequently, the tax department will match the name with the details stockpiled in the Aadhaar database at the backend.

For now, it’s necessary to avail the valid copy of PAN card for editing name. But the tax department has an idea in pipeline wherein the OTP shall be opted for verification. Thereby, the tax payer would be able to escape the lengthy process of correction in the name. The department will channelize this service through e-Filing portal. Once this project would be aired, NRIs would be able to apply for OCI card or passport without any worries of correcting the name.

S2NRI

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