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South African Police Clearance Certificate

Original Police Clearance Certificates are requisite for long-term temporary residency visa- or permanent residency permit applications.

In terms of Directive 5 of 2023 that was issued by the Department of Home Affairs, Police Clearance Certificates shall only be required from the police or security authorities in the country(ies) an applicant has lived in for 12 months or longer, in the past 5 years before submitting an application.

Police Clearance Certificates are typically required when one submits an application from abroad or requests to change status or conditions from within South Africa.

If you have resided in South Africa in the past 5 years for 12 months or longer, and are due to submit a visa application from abroad, you will need to apply for a South African Police Clearance Certificate from the South African Police Station in South Africa.

*Note: If you intend to submit your application in South Africa, an original South African Police Clearance Certificate is not required as your fingerprint check will be done at the Visa Facilitation Centre (VFS) in South Africa on the day of submission.

We may be able to assist in facilitating your South African Police Clearance process and with the outcome to be released in an average of 4 – 5 weeks.