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MEA Apostille Police Clearance Certificate in Kochi| PCC Apostille

Obtaining an apostille for your Police Clearance Certificate is mandatory for work, study or business visa in a Hague country.


  • UPDATED A MONTH AGO

Searching for an apostille police clearance certificate in Kochi? You have come to the right place. You may be wondering why you need an apostille for a police clearance certificate. Is it okay if you submit a PCC without an apostille in a foreign country for your work or study visa purpose? Do it if you want your visa to be rejected. An apostille on your PCC is necessary for it to be accepted as a legal document in a Hague country. 

In this detailed article we will guide you through the Apostille Police Clearance Certificate in Kochi, its relevance, procedures to get it, and cost. 

4 Simple steps to get MEA Apostille on your Documents 

  1. Register on Apostille Portal 
  2. Collect all  Documents you want to Apostille 
  3. Submit the Original / Photocopies of documents
  4. Receive Documents with Apostille Directly to your home
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What is a Police Clearance Certificate?

A Police Clearance Certificate is a document issued by the government authority such as the police department or passport office stating that the person does not have any criminal background in the country. PCC is also known as a good conduct certificate or good citizen certificate or Non Involvement in offenses(NIO) certificate.

How to Get a Police Clearance Certificate in Kochi?

You can get a Police Clearance Certificate in Kochi, Kerala, through various methods. They are: 

  • PCC through Passport Seva Kendra: This is the most commonly used method if you are planning to get your PCC apostilled. You can submit the application through Passport Seva Kendra official website. 
  • PCC from local police station: You can apply online through https://thuna.keralapolice.gov.in/ website or the Kerala Police mobile application(Pol App)
  • Offline Method: You can apply for PCC offline by visiting the district police office or local police station.
  • PCC from district commissioner’s office: You can personally visit and submit applications at the DC’s office. 
  • If you are an NRI, you can apply for PCC from Indian embassies abroad. 

List of Places Where You Can Apply Offline for PCC in Kochi

Police Station to Apply for PCC in Kochi Police Station Address
Ernakulam Town South Police Station
Mahatma Gandhi Rd, Thevara Junction, Perumanoor, Kochi, 682015
Ernakulam Town North Police Station
Chittoor Rd, opp. SIB Bank, Kacheripady, Kochi, 682018
Central Police Station
Old Railway Station Road, Near, High Ct Rd, Ernakulam, 682018
Fort Kochi Police Station
Tower Rd, Fort Nagar, Fort Kochi, Kochi, 682001
MATTANCHERRY POLICE STATION
Bazaar Rd, near Government W & C Hospital, Mattancherry, Kochi, 682002
Vanitha Police Station
Chittoor Rd, Kacheripady, Ernakulam, 682018
Elamakkara Police Station
Thanikkal Keerthi Nagar Rd, Keerthi Nagar, Mamangalam, Elamakkara, 682026
Panangad Police Station
NH 47 Bypass, Panangad, Madavana, Ernakulam, Kochi,682506
Kadavanthra Police Station
Market Road Near Kendriya Vidyalaya Elamkulam, Kadavanthra, Kochi, 682020
Janamythri Police Station
Civil Line Rd, opposite Palarivottam Busstop, Palarivattom Junction, Sonia Nagar, 682025
Puthencruz Police Station
Choondi, Kochi-Madurai-Tondi Point Rd, Puthenkurish, 682308
Palluruthy Police Station
Nadakadavu Rd, Palluruthy, Kochi, 682005
Maradu Police Station
P A Ullahan Rd, Near Govt. VHSS, Maradu, Kochi, 682304
Kalamassery Police Station
3rd Floor, Manath Tower, TOG Rd, opp. Kalamassery, South Kalamassery, Kalamassery, Kochi, 682033
Thoppumpady Police Station
Harbour, Tagore Rd, Karuvelipady, Thoppumpady, Kochi, 682005

Document Required to Apply for a PCC in Kochi

You need to submit following documents to apply for a Police Clearance Certificate in Kochi: 

  1. Passport size photo of the applicant
  2. Address proof: Any of the following documents need to be submitted as address proof
  • Ration Card
  • Voters ID
  • SSLC Book
  • Aadhaar Card
  • Passport
  1. Identity proof- any one of the following documents
  • An ID card provided by state or central government
  • Aadhar Card
  • Drivers License 
  • Passport
  1. Photocopy of the letter or document proving the requirement of a police clearance certificate. 

What is an Apostille?

Apostille is a certification issued by MEA India to legalize your documents in a foreign country. A document such as PCC issued in Kochi is a foreign public document for another country. They have no way to check whether it is an authentic document. Thus, an embassy attestation was required for legalizing documents abroad. However, after Hague convention, member countries require only an apostille stamp from designated authority to authenticate documents. 

India is a Hague Convention Apostille Country. Thus, any certificate issued in Kochi such as PCC needs to get an apostille stamp to legalize the use in a Hague country. However, if you are submitting it to a non Hague country, you need to get embassy attestation for legalizing documents. 

Why Do You Need an Apostille Police Clearance Certificate in Kochi?

You need to get a PCC apostille in Kochi to submit in a Hague country for the following purposes: 

  • Work Visa
  • Student Visa
  • For business visa
  • For PR application
  • For Temporary Residence permit

How to Get an Apostille Police Clearance Certificate in Kochi

Hope you have your original Police Clearance certificate with you by now. Now we will look into the details of obtaining a PCC Apostille.  

There are two ways to get an Apostille Police clearance Certificate in Kochi. They are: 

  1. SDM Attestation Method
  2. Kerala State Attestation Method

We suggest you go for a state attestation method only if your destination country demands it. Some countries such as Italy demand obtaining it since certain documents are issued by the state government, and checking the authenticity of it at its origin is important. 

Since the state attestation method is time consuming and costly, people rarely choose this method. Moreover, if you have received your PCC from passport Seva Kendra, it is not possible to get a state attestation. This is because Passport Seva Kendra comes under the union government and the state has no role in it. 

Even for PCC obtained from Kerala Police department, state attestation is not mandatory. You can do SDM attestation for it. 

Step By Step Procedure to Obtain an Apostille Police Clearance Certificate in Kochi

Given below are the steps Secure Apostille Services in Kochi follows to get a PCC apostille in Kochi: 

  1. Notarization: In this step a public notary will verify and attest your PCC. 
  2. SDM/State Attestation: In this step you can choose either to get attested by SDM or state home department. If submitted to the sub divisional magistrate, he will just verify the document and attest it then itself. However, if you are submitting it to the state home department, they will verify with the local station where your PCC was issued. This verification process may take time. After thorough verification only the state home department attest it.
  3. MEA Attestation: In this step, SAS will submit your PCC to the ministry of external affairs located in Delhi. MEA makes a final round of verification and pastes an apostille stamp on the backside of your PCC. 

Now your Police clearance certificate issued in Kochi is a valid document in any Hague Apostille Country. 

Documents Required to Apply for a PCC Apostille in Kochi

You need to submit following documents to Secure Apostille Services to get an apostille police clearance certificate in Kochi: 

  • A valid Police Clearance Certificate
  • Applicant’s passport scanned copy of front and back side as a supportive document

Apostille Police Clearance Certificate in Kochi: Processing Time

You can get your PCC with all the attestation and apostille within 3 to 7 days. However, depending on the following factors it may take more time: 

  • If your PCC is issued in any local language, you may need to translate it into English before apostille. This may take more time.
  • If you have obtained your PCC from Kochi Police and want to get a home department attestation, it may take more time. 
  • If you are choosing a normal process for apostille, it may take around 14 days. If you want to expedite the process you can choose fast or premium(3days) services.
  • If you want to submit your PCC in a country where English is not an official language, you need to get an apostille translation. This may take additional time of two or three days. 

Conclusion: Apostille Police Clearance Certificate in Kochi is an important document legalization requirement for people who are planning to go abroad. It is mandatory whether you are going for work, study, or business. Submitting a police clearance certificate without an apostille has no value in a Hague country. In order to consider your PCC as a valid legal document, you need to get an apostille on it. Similarly, to submit your PCC in a non Hague country as a valid legal document, you need to get embassy attestation on it. 

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Frequently asked questions

No. PCC attestation is required for legalization purposes in a non Hague country. However, a PCC apostille is required for Hague countries. 

The cost may vary depending on various factors such as: 

  • The method of authentication
  • State of issuance if the state authentication method is used
  • Speed of processing
  • Additional services such as translation

Fill the Embassy Attestation Application to get PCC attestation for Qatar in Kochi. Secure apostille services will take care of the whole process  until you get your PCC attestation.

  1. Notarization
  2. SDM/State Attestation
  3. MEA Attestation
  4. UAE Embassy Attestation