Police Clearance

  1. Consular Services
  2. Doc Auth
  3. PCC

Police Character Certificate

               



Police Character Certificate (PCC), also referred to as Police Clearance Cetificate/Report, basically certifies that the holder has no criminal background in Nigeria. Although this document is also issued to foreigners who live/resided in Nigeria for at least 30 days, alien application is less frequent. Both Nigerians and non-Nigerians seeking this service can try to apply on the Nigerian Police Specialized Services Automation Project/Platform (POSSAP) by clicking here. However, the rest of the informationon this page is rather focused on Nigerian Citizens abroad who require the PCC for investment, residence permits, or other pursuits in a foreign country.

The Nigerian Consular Mission DOES NOT issue Police Character Certificates. However, some Nigerian Missions may apply for the Police Background Check on applicant's behalf, for a fee. The actual Nigerian Consular Mission's role in the process is Authentication which comes after the Police Clearance Certificate is obtained and legalized in Nigeria. Consequently, Nigerians wishing to obtain this certificate are advised to apply directly in person or through a proxy (family or friend) to the Nigerian Police Forensic Department, Alagbon Close, Lagos. To use the document abroad, it should be legalized at the Consular and Legal Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja before being presented to the Nigerian Consular Mission abroad for authentication.

Depending on the host country's own regulations, the Police Character Certificate may be required to also be legallized at the Embassy of that country in Nigeria. Before you start the process, please confirm from the office where the document is required to be submitted.

 

Application Procedure

The procedure depends on who applies where they apply from and for what purpose. In some European countries, the Nigerian Applicant needs to obtain his/her biometric data from the local police before sending the sealed information along with other requirements to the Nigerian Police Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID) for the background check. Many other countries do not require this step. However, the typical steps in all cases are as below.

 

  1. Obtain and Fill the CID Fingerprint Form.
    (Fill in black ink only and fingerprints in black, Example).
  2. Submit to Force Criminal Investigation Department.
    Address:
    Central Criminal Registry, FCID,
    Alagbon Close, Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria.
    (If you cannot go there, send a relative/friend)
  3. Meet any extra requirements that arise.
    (Per case, fullfil extra requirements by the officer)
  4. A Forensics Detective will Interview Applicant.
    (If represented by family, video call may apply)
  5. If all is well, the PCC will be issued in 1 to 4 weeks.

 

PCC

 

PCC Authentication

After the process is complete in Nigeria and you have obtained the Police Character Certificate and Legalized it in the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, you need the following to Authenticate the document in the Nigerian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate in the host country of your domicile.

 

  • 2 Copies of Passport Data Page.
  • Copy of the completed Fingerprint form.
  • Proof of Address in Host Country. 
  • Resident Status in Host Country.
  • Self-Addressed Envelope (for Nigerian in EU). 
  • Administrative Fee
  • Any extra requirements by the Nigerian Mission.

 

The above is the general procedure and requirements. However, the application is per case slightly different. Applicant still need to obtain the accurate instructions from the department that requires the PCC.