Apostille Police Clearance Certificate in Kolkata| PCC Apostille
Get your PCC apostille in Kolkata from MEA India for your study, work or business in a Hague country.
- UPDATED A MONTH AGO
If you are planning to travel abroad for work, long term visa, or permanent residence, an apostille police clearance certificate in Kolkata is one of the key requirements. A PCC obtained from Kolkata by itself is not valid in a Hague country. In order to accept it as a legal document, you need to get an apostille stamp from MEA India.
In this article, we will guide you through the process of obtaining a PCC apostille in Kolkata, processing time, fees and everything you need to know about the Police Clearance Certificate Apostille in Kolkata.
4 Simple steps to get MEA Apostille on your Documents
- Register on Apostille Portal
- Collect all Documents you want to Apostille
- Submit the Original / Photocopies of documents
- Receive Documents with Apostille Directly to your home
What is a Police Clearance Certificate?
A Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) is a document issued by the police department or regional passport office stating that the individual has no criminal background in India. A PCC usually required for the following purposes:
- Employment visas
- Long-term residence permits
- Immigration or PR processes
- Foreign university admissions
How to Get a PCC in Kolkata?
You can get a PCC in Kolkata either from Passport Seva Kendra or the state police department(local station and commissioner’s office).
PCC from Passport Seva Kendra in Kolkata
For international purposes, most of the foreign authorities require a PCC issued from the passport seva kendra. The steps are given below:
- Visit the website of Passport Seva
- Register and Click “Apply for Police Clearance Certificate”
- Fill and submit the application form
- Pay the fee online (Rs. 500 as of 2025)
- Schedule an appointment at your nearest PSK in Kolkata
- After the police verification you will get your PCC in Kolkata
PCC from Local Police Stations
You can visit the nearest police station in Kolkata and apply for a police clearance certificate. Another option to get a PCC from the state police department is from the chief commissioner’s office.
We have provided a list of some of the police stations where you can get the PCC in Kolkata at the end of the page. You can alternatively visit the West Bengal police website here: West Bengal PCC Application. However, don’t forget to confirm with the foreign authority if they accept PCC obtained from state police.
What is an Apostille?
An apostille is a certification on your documents to legalize that document in Hague Convention Apostille Countries. A document such as PCC issued in Kolkata is a foreign public document for another country. They cannot individually verify every document for its authenticity. Getting an attestation from the respective country’s embassy was an earlier method of authentication. However, after Hague convention, apostille became the requirement for legalizing documents among member countries.
India joined the Hague apostille convention in 2005. Thus, any Indians travelling to a Hague country needs to get an apostille on personal, educational and commercial documents to submit there.
How to Get an Apostille Police Clearance Certificate in Kolkata?
In India only the ministry of external affairs can provide an apostille on the documents. However, your PCC will go through various verification and attestation procedures before submitting it to the MEA for apostille. MEA will provide an apostille stamp on your PCC only if it has all the required attestations.
There are two major methods of authentication for any document submitting for apostille. They are:
A PCC apostille with an SDM attestation and State attestation are equally valid. However, the SDM attestation method is most popular because of its fast and cheap delivery. Thus, we suggest you to follow an SDM authentication method if your destination country has not specified obtaining a state attestation.
Moreover, a PCC obtained from the passport Seva Kendra cannot get an attestation from the state department. This is because the passport Seva Kendra comes under the union government and the state has no role in its issuance. Thus, the state cannot attest it.
If you have obtained PCC from state Police, you can get attestation from state home department. However, that is not mandatory, you can choose SDM attestation also for the same. Moreover, for international usage,it is always better to get PCC from a passport seva kendra.
Step by Step Process to Get an Apostille Police Clearance Certificate(PCC) in Kolkata
Following are the steps secure apostille services follow in order to get a PCC apostille in Kolkata:
- Notarization
This is the first step for obtaining a PCC apostille in Kolkata and it is common for both methods of authentication. SAS will submit your PCC to a public notary. The notary will verify details on the document and attest on the backside with a seal and sign.
2. SDM/State Attestation
This step is different for SDM and state attestation methods. SAS will submit your PCC to the sub divisional magistrate. The SDM verifies and attests on the backside of the PCC.
However, if your PCC is obtained from a local police station or chief commissioner’s office, you can choose to get State attestation. In the state attestation method, the state home department conducts verification and attests your PCC. The department will enquire at the respective police station to verify the authenticity of your PCC. After verification, the home department will attest your PCC with a sign and seal.
3. MEA Apostille
At the last step, Secure Apostille Services submits your PCC to the ministry of external affairs located in Delhi. The ministry will conduct a final round of verification from their end and finally pastes an apostille stamp on the backside of your Police Clearance Certificate.
Now your PCC obtained from Kolkata is a valid legal document in any Hague country. Want to know which all countries are going to accept it? Read the list here: Hague Apostille convention countries list – Download PDF
Documents Required to Apply for an Apostille Police Clearance Certificate in Kolkata
Given below are the documents you need to submit to SAS to obtain an apostille for Police Clearance Certificate in kolkata:
- Original Police Clearance Certificate. If it is not a digitally verifiable document, you need to submit the original hard copy. Otherwise, we can take the printout from the soft copy and process for apostille.
- Scanned copy of passport front and back side. It is a supportive document to prove your identity.
Apostille Police Clearance Certificate in Kolkata: Processing Time
Depending on the following factors the time required to get PCC apostille in Kolkata may vary:
- From where you obtained the PCC
- Whether it is digital or hard copy. If it is a hard copy, the time to courier it to Delhi will also cause delays in the process.
- Method of authentication
- Service you choose (Basic, normal or premium)
Conclusion: Apostille Police clearance certificate also known as PCC apostille is a crucial document that you may need to submit in a foreign country when you apply for a job, work or business. Since 2005 India has been a Hague country. Thus, Indians travelling to another Hague country need to submit their documents with an apostille stamp from MEA India. Contact Secure Apostille Services in Kolkata today itself to get your apostille police clearance certificate in Kolkata securely and fast.
List of places to Apply for a PCC in Kolkata
| Police Station Name to Apply for PCC in Kolkata | Police Station Address |
|---|---|
Kasba Police Station, Kolkata | 27A, Bosepukur Rd, Tal Bagan, Bosepukur, Kasba, Kolkata, West Bengal 700042 |
Kolkata Police Headquarters, Lalbazar | 18, Lal Bazar St, Radha Bazar, Lal Bazar, Kolkata, West Bengal 700001 |
Jorasanko Police Station | 16, Balmukund Makar Road, Barabazar, Kolkata, West Bengal 700007 |
Burtolla Police Station | 1, Raja RajKrishna St, Sovabazar, Goa Bagan, Ward Number 16, Kolkata, West Bengal 700006 |
Hare Street Police Station | 42, Chittaranjan Ave, Bowbazar, Kolkata, West Bengal 700012 |
Karaya Police Station Section Y | 52, Karaya Rd, Lower Range, Beck Bagan, Ballygunge, Kolkata, West Bengal 700019 |
Amherst Street Police Station | Amherst Street, 57, Raja Ram Mohan Sarani Rd, Machuabazar, Kolkata, West Bengal 700009 |
Bowbazar Police Station | 13 Kapiltolla, Radha Bazar Ln, Kolkata, West Bengal 700012 |
Park Street Police Station | 89, Park St, Mullick Bazar, Taltala, Kolkata, West Bengal 700016 |
New Market Police Station | 136, SN Banerjee Road, New Market Area, Dharmatala, Taltala, Kolkata, West Bengal 700013 |
Parnashree Police Station | G854+GQV, Upen Banerjee Rd, Parnasree Palli, Behala, Kolkata, West Bengal 700060 |
Tangra Police Station. | 15, Gobinda Khatick Rd, Seal Lane, Tangra, Kolkata, West Bengal 700015 |
Alipore Police Station, Kolkata | 8, Belvedere Rd, Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal 700027 |
Jorabagan Police Station | Sovabazar, 78, Nimtala Ghat St, Kolkata, West Bengal 700006 |
Netaji Nagar Police Station | F9H6+79W, Puratan Bazaar, 9, Netaji Nagar Rd, Sangati Colony, Netaji Nagar, Kolkata, West Bengal 700092 |
Shyampukur Police Station | 47, Shyam Bazar St, Hati Bagan, Shyam Bazar, Kolkata, West Bengal 700004 |
Garden Reach Police Station | G7VV+7MF, 1, Taratala Road, Ram Nagar, Garden Reach, Kolkata, West Bengal 700024 |
Garfa Police Station | F9XP+CR9, Garfa Deaf and Dumb School Premises, Mahendra Mondal Rd, Doctor Bagan, Garfa, Kolkata, West Bengal 700078 |
Shakespeare Sarani Police Station | 34 A, Shakespeare Sarani Rd, Elgin, Kolkata, West Bengal 700017 |
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Frequently asked questions
No. Police Clearance Certificate apostille is required for a Hague country. Whereas a police clearance certificate attestation is required for non Hague country.
Although you can get a state home department attestation for a PCC obtained from a local police station, it is not mandatory. Instead, you can get SDM attestation.
No. You need to first translate your documents into English before submitting it for the apostille process. MEA India provides apostille for documents in English only.
You can get PCC attestation from Qatar Embassy with the help of Secure Apostille Services by filling the form given below:
Embassy Attestation in Kolkata Application
SAS follows the below procedure to get Qatar Embassy Attestation for your PCC in Kolkata:
- Notarization
- SDM/State Attestation
- MEA Attestation
- Qatar Embassy Attestation