Do you need a police clearance certificate for a UK visa?

You need one if you are applying from outside the UK for a Skilled Worker visa in certain health, education or social care roles, and you have been present in South Africa for 12 months or more in total in the last 10 years since turning 18. Partners applying from outside the UK to join you need one too.

The UK Home Office calls it an overseas criminal record certificate. For South Africa, that is the police clearance certificate issued by the South African Police Service.

The certificate for the country you live in now must normally be issued no earlier than 6 months before you apply. Get the timing wrong and the certificate is out of date before you submit your application.

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Which UK visas require a criminal record certificate

The requirement applies to entry clearance applications, meaning applications made from outside the UK. The route most South Africans meet today is:

• Skilled Worker visa, for roles in certain health, education and social care occupations. The Home Office lists the specific occupation codes that trigger the requirement. They cover roles such as doctors, nurses, teachers and social workers.
• Partners of those Skilled Worker migrants, applying from outside the UK.

The requirement also still appears for the Tier 1 Investor and Tier 1 Entrepreneur routes and their partners, although both routes are closed to new applicants.

Most other UK visa routes do not currently require an overseas criminal record certificate as standard. That does not mean criminality is ignored: every UK application asks about your history, and a caseworker can still ask for more.

Not sure whether your role is on the list? Your sponsor can confirm whether your occupation code is on the Home Office list. If it is, talk to us about getting your certificate in time.

Who has to provide one: the 12 months in 10 years rule

The Home Office asks for a certificate from every country where you have been present for 12 months or more, in the 10 years before your application, while you were aged 18 or over.

A few things catch people out:

• The 12 months do not have to be continuous. Time adds up across separate stays.
• It applies to every qualifying country, not only South Africa. If you have also lived in another country for 12 months in that period, you need that country’s certificate as well.
• The UK itself is excluded. Time spent in the UK does not count towards this requirement.
• “Present” is wider than “lived”. The Home Office counts time you were present in a country, whether continuously or in total.

How recent the certificate must be

Getting the timing right matters, because the window is fixed.

Country	How recent the certificate must be
The country you live in now	Normally issued no earlier than 6 months before the date you apply
A country you have since left	Issued within the 6 months before your stay there ended

If you still live in South Africa, your South African certificate has to be issued inside that 6 month window. Applying for it too early can mean applying twice.

If you have already moved away from South Africa, the rule is different, and a certificate you obtained before you left may still satisfy it. Whether yours does depends on when it was issued against the date you left.

Timing a certificate against a visa application is worth getting right before you pay anyone anything, including SAPS. Tell us your dates and we will talk you through the timing of your certificate.

Applying for your South African certificate while living abroad

Because the requirement applies to applications made from outside the UK, some applicants are living in a third country when they need their South African certificate. If your partner is outside the UK and applying to join you, they will need their own certificate too.

Applying from abroad works differently from applying at home:

• Fingerprints are taken in the country you are in, on that country’s official fingerprint forms or on the SAPS form where available. They must be original. SAPS does not process copies or scans of fingerprints.
• Your application still has to reach the Criminal Record Centre in Pretoria, because that is the only office that issues the certificate.
• SAPS does not email certificates or return applications sent from abroad. Once finalised, the certificate is handed to a person you nominate or to a courier.
• SAPS destroys certificates that are not collected within 3 months of being finalised.

Each of those is a point where an overseas application can stall for weeks, so it is worth getting each one right before you start.

What happens if you cannot get a certificate in time

The Home Office only exempts an applicant where getting a certificate is not reasonably practicable, for example where a country has no procedure for issuing one. You would need to explain in writing why it is not possible.

South Africa does have a procedure, so a slow certificate is not usually a reason for an exemption. The practical answer is to plan for the timeframe from the start.

How Police Clear helps with UK applications

We collect, we expedite, and we deliver. Applications are submitted directly to the Criminal Record Centre in Pretoria and handled end to end, whether you are applying from South Africa or from abroad.

Speed you can plan around. 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. Timeframes are estimates, not guarantees, but when a certificate has to land inside a 6 month window, a realistic one matters.

Prepared before it is submitted. An application that arrives incomplete is not processed. Getting it right the first time is the difference between 1 submission and 2.

A registered South African company. Police Clear (Pty) Ltd, with offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg, working with applicants at home and abroad.

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What a police clearance for a UK visa costs

Official SAPS fee	R190, paid to SAPS
Police Clear service fee	Private service fee, quoted on request
Standard turnaround	5 to 7 business days
Need it sooner	3 to 5 or 1 to 3 business days

The R190 is the fee SAPS charges to run the check, and it is payable whether you apply yourself or through a service. Police Clear charges a separate private service fee for handling the application, quoted on request. Turnaround times are estimates, not guarantees.

Send us your details and we will confirm what your application 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

Do I need a police clearance certificate for a UK Skilled Worker visa?

Only if you are applying from outside the UK, your role is in one of the health, education or social care occupations the Home Office lists, and you have been present in South Africa for 12 months or more in total in the last 10 years since the age of 18. Your sponsor can confirm your occupation code.

Does my partner need a police clearance certificate too?

Yes, if they are applying from outside the UK as the partner of a Skilled Worker in one of those roles, and they meet the same residence test.

How long is a South African police clearance certificate valid for a UK visa?

SAPS does not publish a validity period. The Home Office rule is that, for the country you live in now, it must normally be issued no earlier than 6 months before you apply.

I have lived in another country as well. Do I need 2 certificates?

You need one from every country where you have been present for 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 18, excluding the UK.

Can I apply for a South African police clearance certificate while living abroad?

Yes. The fingerprint rules are different from a local application and the certificate cannot be emailed to you, so it is worth confirming the process before you start.

Does the UK need my police clearance certificate apostilled?

The Home Office guidance on criminal record certificates does not set an apostille requirement. Your employer or a professional regulator may have its own requirements, so confirm with them.

How long does a South African police clearance certificate take?

5 to 7 business days as standard through Police Clear, with 3 to 5 and 1 to 3 business day options available at a higher price. SAPS states that finalisation takes approximately 15 working days from the date all required documents are received, excluding postal time, and currently reports a backlog. Timeframes are estimates, not guarantees.

This page is general information about a document facilitation service. It is not legal or immigration advice. UK visa requirements are set by the Home Office and change from time to time. Confirm the current requirements for your application with the Home Office or your sponsor before you rely on them.