How to get a police certificate – United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands and Gibraltar)

If you need to give your fingerprints for a police certificate, this isn’t the same as giving your biometrics (fingerprints and photo) for an application.

Name of the document you need

Police Certificate

Police certificate and IRCC requirements

You must provide a police certificate when you apply for permanent residence in Canada.

You will also be requested to provide a police certificate to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) if you declared a criminal record on your application for an electronic travel authorization, work permit or study permit.

How to apply

Details and instructions on how to apply are available from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Criminal Records Office (ACRO) website.

Special considerations

If your police certificate states “No Live Trace”, you’ll have to provide further information or documentary evidence on your stepped-down record (if available). You can get this information by contacting ACRO directly. You should provide a detailed statement including the offence(s) that took place, your sentence(s) and the relevant date of the offence(s) / sentence(s).

Contact information

+44 (0)2380 479 920

customer.services@acro.pnn.police.uk

ACPO - Criminal Records Office website

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