Planning on studying overseas or immigrating? Then you’ll need a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) to show that you have no criminal record against your name.
You won’t be able to make any VISA applications without a PCC, making it one of the most important documents you’ll need in order to get to your destination.
These days it’s not just people wishing to study or immigrate overseas who need a PCC, you may well need one the next time you have to apply for a job!
In an embattled economy hard hit by many different factors, local and international, along with the change in the employment landscape due to the COVID-19 pandemic, employers have become very careful when it comes to taking on new employees.
Another reason for this is that there are many people in South Africa who are using false identity books, which means that an ordinary criminal check, which is not considered a Police Clearance Certificate, using an ID number, doesn’t always prove who the person really is.
There are only two routes to take when it comes to getting a police clearance certificate, either on your own via SAPS or with the invaluable assistance of the professionals at Doc Assist!
Getting a Police Clearance Certificate on your own
Should you decide to tackle getting a PCC on your own, your first stop will be at the nearest police station, which will simply be the first step on what could be a stress-filled experience.
This isn’t where you’ll be getting your PCC, since only the SAPS Criminal Records Centre is able to issue these clearance certificates. As with filling in any official forms, the paperwork for your application has to be accurate, or you’ll be starting all over again, if mistakes hold up your application.
Once your fingerprints are attached to the application for a PCC at the police station, along with a copy of your ID, it will be sent off to the SAPS CRC in Pretoria for processing.
Make sure you get a reference number you can use to follow up on the progress of your application!
Due to a backlog at SAPS CRC of over 60 000 police clearance certificates waiting to be issued in March 2022, which grew to 85 000 in May 2022, you could well be looking at a waiting period of over 2 months, as things stand at the moment!
Getting a Police Clearance Certificate via Doc Assist
Doc Assist is a South African document procurement service designed to take the frustration out of applying for a PCC. This team of professionals will help you to get your police clearance certificate sooner than what you would, taking the long route, and they’ll do all the legwork for you throughout the process.
Although Doc Assist also has to take into account the backlog in issuing PCC’s, this team knows exactly how to negotiate all the steps necessary to acquire a PCC, since they do this on a routine basis.
Doc Assist will also help you with applying for a PCC if you are currently living overseas, making it really easy for you to remain up to date with all your documentation.
Contact Doc Assist to apply for a Police Clearance Certificate
The friendly team of professionals at Doc Assist are standing by to offer all the assistance you may need with your application for a police clearance certificate, and more.
Check out the extensive list of document procurement services on offer at Doc Assist here.
Contact them today on Skype or via telephone, to find out more about what they can do to help with other documentation you might require, other than a PCC. It’s all on offer in one place with this awesome team.
Alternatively, you’re welcome to email Doc Assist to request a quote!
