South African police clearances certificates are processed at South African Police Services in Pretoria.
Finger prints can be taken at your local police station between 9am and 4pm weekdays only.
Once the application has been handed in at the South African police services, the applicant’s finger prints and identity number is loaded onto the SAPS system.
The South African Police service then uses the finger prints and ID number of the applicant to determine whether they have a criminal record, by running them through the South African Police Services various data bases.
Should no record be listed against the applicant’s name, the Police clearance certificate will be issued, stating that no convictions have been recorded for any crime on the Applicants name in South Africa.
Should convictions be discovered against the applicant’s name these convictions will be listed on the police clearance certificate, with the date of the conviction, nature of the conviction, the sentence, jail term and fine if any. One is able to have certain convictions expunged off their record if 10 years have passed since the date of conviction.
Police clearances certificates can be used for South African’s or foreigners that have lived in South Africa for more than 6 months. PCC’s are used to obtain or renew certain visas, working visas, for job applications or for immigration purposes in South Africa and abroad.
This application can only be processed in Pretoria.
The application can be sent via your local South African Police Station to Pretoria, this however can be a logistical nightmare as the Police Station will wait until they have accumulated enough applications to send in batches to and from Pretoria. The further away you are from PTA the longer it will take to process the application. The estimated time frame is between 6 to 8 weeks if there is a back log you can wait up to 6 months.
Most Police Stations in Cape Town will require you to make an appointment to have your finger prints taken which could also extend the time frame of the application.
People living abroad or in different provinces can also courier or post these application to the South African police services. However there are many instances where these applications get lost in the post, or get miss-placed once they have been delivered.
There have been cases where the incorrect Police clearance certificate has been sent to applicants.
Application made by people living abroad who will not be able to pay for their applications at their local police station, must pay the application fee directly into the SAP’s bank account. Which can be costly to transfer such small amounts, from foreign bank accounts.
It is advisable to enlist the assistance of an agency who will offer the service of paying this amount on your behalf.