Police Clearance Certificate vs Criminal Record Check: What Is the Difference?
Police Clearance Certificate vs Criminal Record Check: What Is the Difference?
A police clearance certificate is the official document issued by SAPS in Pretoria, used for emigration, visas, and travel or employment abroad.
What is the difference between a police clearance certificate and a criminal record check?
A police clearance certificate is the official document issued by SAPS in Pretoria, used for emigration, visas, and travel or employment abroad. It takes weeks through the standard SAPS route.
A criminal record check, often called a criminal background check, is a faster verification report used mainly for local screening, such as a job application, an e-hailing driver profile or certain licensing and regulatory processes. It usually comes back within 48 hours.
They answer a similar question, whether you have a criminal record, but they are not interchangeable. Hand the wrong one to the organisation that asked for it and you start again.
SAPS also issues a third document, the Police Clearance Report, which is used specifically for expunging a criminal record.
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Police Clear (Pty) Ltd is an independent document facilitation company. We are not the South African Police Service and we do not issue certificates or reports. SAPS issues police clearance certificates and Police Clearance Reports.
Police clearance certificate vs criminal record check vs Police Clearance Report
| Police clearance certificate | Criminal record check | Police Clearance Report | |
| Issued by | SAPS Criminal Record Centre, Pretoria | A verification provider | Any SAPS Local Criminal Record Centre |
| What it is for | Emigration, visas, and travel or employment abroad | Local employment screening, e-hailing, licensing and some regulators | Expungement of a criminal record |
| Official SAPS fee | R190 | Not applicable | R95 |
| SAPS processing | SAPS currently reports a backlog | Not a SAPS document. Commonly 24 to 48 hours, with faster options | Not published by SAPS |
| What you receive | An original certificate. SAPS does not scan or email it | A report | A report, handed to you in person on collection |
| Accepted for visa applications | Yes, this is the document embassies and immigration authorities usually ask for | Do not assume so | Not its purpose. SAPS issues it for expungement |
What is a police clearance certificate?
A police clearance certificate is an official SAPS document stating whether any criminal convictions are recorded against you. SAPS describes it as a service for people who need confirmation of their criminal status for emigration, or for travel or employment abroad.
A few things set it apart:
- Only one office issues it: the Criminal Record Centre in Pretoria.
- Fingerprints are required. For applicants living in South Africa, SAPS requires them to be taken by SAPS, on the SAPS 91(a) form.
- It is an original document. SAPS does not scan or email completed certificates.
- It takes time. SAPS currently reports a backlog.
If an embassy, an immigration authority or an overseas employer has asked you for a “police clearance”, this is usually what they mean.
What is a criminal record check?
A criminal record check, or criminal background check, is a verification report on whether a person has a criminal record, produced quickly for screening purposes.
It is typically used for:
- Pre-employment and post-employment screening
- E-hailing driver applications, such as Uber and Bolt
- Gambling and liquor licensing
- Some regulatory bodies, including the National Credit Regulator, the South African Council for Educators and the South African Institute of Tax Professionals
Its advantage is speed. Its limitation is that it is not the SAPS certificate, so it will not do for purposes that specifically require one.
What is a Police Clearance Report?
The Police Clearance Report is a separate SAPS document, available to people who need confirmation of their criminal status for the purpose of expunging a criminal record. SAPS states that it can be issued by any Local Criminal Record Centre, the prescribed fee is R95, and the report must be collected in person with proof of identity.
It is one part of the expungement process, not a substitute for a police clearance certificate. If you are clearing a record so that a future police clearance certificate comes back clean, see our criminal record expungement service.
Which one do you need?
You need a police clearance certificate if the document is for:
- A visa, permanent residency or emigration
- A job, study programme or volunteering placement outside South Africa
- An authority that has asked specifically for a certificate from SAPS
A criminal record check is likely to be what you need if a South African employer, platform or regulator has asked for a criminal background check for its own screening.
You need a Police Clearance Report if you are applying to have a criminal record expunged.
If you are not certain, ask the organisation that requested it which document it will accept, before you pay for either. Avoid 2 mistakes: getting a background check for a visa, and getting a police clearance certificate when an employer needed a result in 2 days.
Why the wrong document costs more than its fee
A background check for a visa leaves you starting a SAPS application from scratch, against a visa timeline, with a standard SAPS finalisation time measured in weeks.
A police clearance certificate for a job that needed an answer this week means waiting weeks for a document when a faster check would have done.
In both cases the fee is the smaller loss. The time is the bigger one.
Police clearance certificates and background checks through Police Clear
We handle both, end to end. Police clearance certificates and criminal background checks. The organisation asking for the document decides which one it accepts, so confirm with it first, then chat to us.
Police clearance certificates, expedited. We collect, we expedite, and we deliver. Applications are submitted directly to the Criminal Record Centre in Pretoria. Standard turnaround is 5 to 7 business days, with 3 to 5 and 1 to 3 business day options available, and approximately 80% of cases are completed sooner than quoted.
Criminal background checks in 24 to 48 hours, with faster options available on request.
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What each costs through Police Clear
| Price | Turnaround | |
| Police clearance certificate | R190 SAPS fee, plus a private service fee quoted on request | 5 to 7 business days, with 3 to 5 or 1 to 3 business day options |
| Criminal background check | Private service fee, quoted on request | 24 to 48 hours, faster options on request |
The R190 is the fee SAPS charges for a police clearance certificate, and it is payable whether you apply yourself or through a service. Police Clear charges a separate private service fee for handling each application, quoted on request. Turnaround times are estimates, not guarantees.
Tell us which document you have been asked for and we will confirm what it needs and what it costs.
Fees are quoted in South African rand and include VAT at 15%. A binding price is given in a written quotation. Statutory fees payable to SAPS, Home Affairs or DIRCO are set by those authorities and are payable in addition. Our refund and cancellation terms are in our terms and conditions.
Frequently asked questions
Is a criminal record check the same as a police clearance certificate?
No. A police clearance certificate is the official SAPS document issued in Pretoria for emigration, visas and travel or employment abroad. A criminal record check is a faster verification report used mainly for local screening.
Can I use a criminal record check for a visa?
Do not assume so. Embassies and immigration authorities generally ask for the SAPS police clearance certificate. Confirm with the authority before you apply.
Which is faster, a police clearance or a criminal record check?
A criminal record check, which commonly takes 24 to 48 hours. Through Police Clear, the standard police clearance turnaround is 5 to 7 business days.
What is a Police Clearance Report?
A SAPS report used for expunging a criminal record. SAPS states it can be issued by any Local Criminal Record Centre and the fee is R95.
Does my employer need a police clearance certificate or a background check?
It depends on the role and the employer. A criminal background check is the common choice for local screening, but some roles and regulators ask for something specific, so confirm with your employer which document they will accept.
Do both require fingerprints?
A police clearance certificate requires a full set of fingerprints on the SAPS 91(a) form. Criminal record checks also commonly use fingerprints, captured for the verification.
This page is general information about a document facilitation service. It is not legal advice. Which document is accepted is decided by the organisation asking for it. Confirm with that organisation before you rely on this page.
