Police clearance in UK
 

Dear all,

I am sure more than one of you has obtained police clearance certificates from the UK. I wondered if you could please share your experiences how you did it, how long it took and how much it cost you, etc. Thanks a lot and I hope this thread helps more than one who like me need this document.

Chipotle

Re: Police clearance in UK
 

UK Police don't give out a clearance as such, what you can get, is an extract of your information held on the police national computer, accessed via the provisions in the Data Protection Act.

The cost is 10 GBP and should take less than 40 days. Very simple only 1 form to fill in and hand it in at your local police station.

Dozzzzy :zzz:

Re: Police clearance in UK
 

Agreed, my husband completed the form in Appendix D of the spousal app to send to the police station. Got a letter back less than a week later with an "official" form and a request for £10, sent that back and received the certificate within 2 weeks (just a piece of blue-ish paper really).

Re: Police clearance in UK
 

Same here except that mine was 20 sheets of bluish paper :rolleyes:

Re: Police clearance in UK
 

That must be some kind of record, to have one longer than my arm that's going some :)

Dozzzzy :zzz:

Re: Police clearance in UK
 

You can download the relevent forms from here , for most, if not all constabulary's in the UK. Then you just fill it out and post it to the address that it states with a cheque for £10. Also there are contact numbers listed.



Headhurts

Re: Police clearance in UK
 

Not really, it's just that the type was REALLY, REALLY big :D

Re: Police clearance in UK
 

Its a little more complicated if you are applying from outside the UK but not too bad. My husband and I both needed one (I am British, he went to school in the UK) and the problem we ran into was that the check had to be in UK pounds. Our banks here wanted to charge us outrageous fees for a check to be made out in another currency, so we ended up getting all of the documents and forms and sent everything to my parents in the UK. They then made out a check in pounds and took the whole lot into theri nearest police station. We had also enclosed a signed letter explaining the situation. I guess that was good enough as the officer took the package, submitted it, explained that it would have to be mailed back to us in the US (not to my parents - fine with us,.....) and about three weeks later we each had a sheet of paper with "no record" on it!!! Thankfully we were never asked for an updated one!
Tracey

Re: Police clearance in UK
 

Thank you all very very much for your help. I think I will apply both for the England certificate and the N. Ireland certificate as we lived there for a year. Better safe than be asked for it later, right?

;)

Re: Police clearance in UK
 

Thanks for the helpful web link.

Re: Police clearance in UK
 

You don't need the form from CIC, the police don't care what you want the information for and it is your right to request to see what they, or for that matter any organization within the UK, hold on you. Just walk along to any police station that is open, I had to try 3 before I found one that was actually manned, get the form, fill it in, hand it back, show some ID, Passport, Drivers licence, utility bill, I seem to remember that it had to have your current address and a photo, they fill in the details of the ID and that's it, your 10 pound lighter, and hopefully within the stated 40 days you get a light blue piece of paper with a dark blue border top and bottom to send off.

Dozzzzy :zzz:

Re: Police clearance in UK
 

Hi
We downloaded the form filled it in and took it to the local police station with some ID payed ten pounds each they kept the forms and sent then off for us and we received the reports back within 10 days.GREAT''

Re: Police clearance in UK
 

I called the Nottinghamshire Police HQ and they emailed the form the same day.

Filled them in, sent them in with a cheque for £10 and a week later my girlfriend's *clean* report arrived. Mine arrived a few weeks later, just within the 40 days the say it will take. I believe they state this time limit because if there *is* something on your record, it takes a while to collate all the information from the various forces. In my case, there was still a conditional discharge from 10 years ago on file - I thought it would be gone by now, given it's relatively minor nature, but I guess not. Anyway, I don't think it will affect the application, but only time will tell!

Re: Police clearance in UK
 

It will not affect your application in any way for 2 important reasons:
(1)
5 years have passed and it's considered "spent"
(2)
A conditional discharge means that it was a minor offence, probably* not an indictable offence under canadian law

* i say probably because i don't know the actual offence.

Good luck with your application