Police Clearance Certificate Translation.
Professional translation of South African and foreign police clearance certificates for immigration, work visas, citizenship, professional registration and official use in South Africa and abroad.
Sworn and certified translation can be provided where required by the receiving authority.
Police clearance certificates we translate.
Premium Lingua translates police clearance certificates issued in South Africa and abroad. Different countries use different names and formats for the same kind of document, so the translation is prepared from the certificate supplied rather than from a generic template.
- South African police clearance certificates
- Foreign police clearance certificates
- Criminal-record certificates
- Certificates of good conduct, where that is the term used by the issuing country
- Equivalent certificates from other national police or security authorities
If you are not sure what your document is called or which authority issued it, send us a clear copy and we can identify it before quoting.
Send your police clearance certificateWhat information is translated?
The translation reflects the information on the source certificate so that the receiving authority can compare the translated document with the original. Where present and legible, this may include:
- The applicant’s names
- Identity or passport details where shown
- Date and place of birth
- The issuing police or security authority
- Certificate or reference numbers
- Date of issue
- The criminal-record wording or clearance result
- Official stamps
- Signatures
- Seals
- Endorsements
Names, identity numbers and the clearance wording are handled carefully because an inconsistency can create problems when the translation is compared with passports, identity documents or the underlying certificate. Where a stamp or seal contains meaningful text, it is translated or described according to standard translation practice rather than reproduced as an authentic seal.
When is a police clearance translation commonly needed?
Immigration and residence
Police clearance certificates are a standard supporting document in visa, permit and residence applications.
Work visas
Many work-visa routes require a recent police clearance from the applicant’s country or countries of residence.
Citizenship applications
Nationality and citizenship procedures may call for a translated clearance certificate.
Employment abroad
Employers and recruitment processes abroad frequently ask for a translated certificate as part of onboarding or vetting.
Professional registration
Regulators and professional bodies may require a clearance certificate when registering a practitioner trained or resident elsewhere.
Court or legal requirements
Courts and legal processes may request a translated clearance certificate where a person’s record is relevant.
Study or long-term residence overseas
Universities and long-stay routes sometimes require a translated police clearance as a condition of enrolment or settlement.
DIRCO notes that South Africans working, travelling or residing abroad may need a police clearance certificate for purposes including residence permission, employment and court requirements. The receiving authority determines which documents, language and type of certification it will accept, so tell us where the certificate will be submitted when requesting your quote.
South African police clearance certificates.
A South African police clearance certificate is issued by the South African Police Service through its Criminal Record and Crime Scene Management service. Applications are made to SAPS, and SAPS issues the certificate.
Premium Lingua does not apply for or issue police clearance certificates. We translate the certificate you already hold, or the one you are about to receive, into the language the receiving authority requires.
If you are still waiting for your SAPS certificate, you can send us the details in advance and a scan as soon as it arrives, so the translation can start without delay.
Police clearance certificate validity.
Police clearance certificates are usually treated as time-limited documents. For South African immigration purposes, a police clearance certificate generally may not be older than six months at the time of submission, and certificates can be required for each country where an applicant lived for 12 months or longer after the age of 18.
DIRCO similarly indicates that a South African police clearance certificate submitted for legalisation should be an original SAPS certificate that is not older than six months, and refers to a six-month validity period from the date of issue.
The receiving authority determines how recent a police clearance certificate must be for its particular application. Some processes are stricter than six months and some are more flexible, so confirm the requirement before you obtain the certificate and before it is translated, to avoid it expiring mid-process.
Translating a South African police clearance certificate for use abroad.
A person may obtain a SAPS police clearance certificate and then, depending on the destination, need a translation, a legalisation or Apostille, or both.
Translation and legalisation are separate processes. A translation makes the certificate readable in another language; an Apostille or authentication speaks to the official origin of the document. DIRCO lists original SAPS police clearance certificates among South African documents that may go through the country’s legalisation procedures when the applicable requirements are met.
Which steps you need, and in what order, depends on the country and authority receiving the document. Confirm their requirements before starting, and tell Premium Lingua where the certificate will be submitted so the translation is prepared to suit.
Police clearance translation vs Apostille.
Translation
A translation reproduces the content of the police clearance certificate in another language so that the receiving authority can read and compare it with the original.
Apostille or authentication
An Apostille or authentication verifies the official origin, signature or seal of the public document for international use. It does not translate the content.
Depending on the destination and receiving authority you may require a translation, legalisation, both, or neither. Confirm the requirements, and the order they must be done in, before submission.
Learn about Sworn TranslationForeign police clearance certificate translation for use in South Africa.
People who have lived abroad often need a police clearance certificate from a foreign police or security authority for a South African immigration or administrative process. Where that certificate is not in a language accepted for the procedure, it needs translation.
South African immigration regulations define police clearances in relation to certificates from the authorities of countries where an applicant resided for the prescribed period, and applicable foreign supporting documents can require translation, certified as correct by a sworn translator, in immigration procedures.
Premium Lingua regularly translates police clearance certificates and certificates of good conduct from countries such as France, Germany, Portugal, China, Brazil, Mozambique, Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, among others. Tell us the issuing country and where the translation will be submitted.
Sworn TranslationWhat do we need to quote?
- A clear scan or photograph of the complete police clearance certificate
- The source language of the certificate
- The language you need it translated into
- The country where it will be submitted
- The receiving authority, embassy or organisation, if known
- Any instruction that the translation must be sworn or certified
- Your required delivery date
You do not need to know the correct translation type before contacting us. Tell us where the certificate is going and share any instructions you have received from the authority.
Send your police clearance certificate for a quoteNeed your police clearance certificate translated?
Upload a clear copy of the complete certificate and tell us where it will be submitted. We will review the document and provide a written quote. Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*)
