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Express Entry · After the ITA
Police certificates for Canada immigration
Police certificates can take weeks to arrive, so they're the first thing to start after an invitation to apply. Here's exactly who needs one, how recent it must be, how to get it in 16 common countries, and what to upload if it doesn't arrive in time.
- Who needs one: the 6-months-in-a-row rule
- Validity rules IRCC actually applies
- How to get one in 16 countries
- What to upload if it's delayed
Download free PDF
PDF · free · no sign-upChecked October 6, 2026
Quick answer
For Canada PR through Express Entry, you and each family member aged 18 or older need a police certificate from every country where you stayed 6 months in a row or longer in the last 10 years, except Canada and time before age 18. The one from your current country must be issued no more than 6 months before you submit your application.
Who needs a police certificate for Canada PR
IRCC's online system asks for a police certificate for you and every family member aged 18 or older, for every country where you or they stayed 6 months in a row or longer during the last 10 years. You don't need one for time spent in Canada or for any period before age 18.
You upload them with your permanent residence application, after the invitation to apply. Your partner's and adult children's certificates belong in the same application, so plan for the whole family. The full list of other documents is in the Express Entry document checklist.
- Count each country separately: a 7-month work contract in the United Arab Emirates counts, two separate 4-month stays don't.
- Your country of citizenship only counts if you stayed there 6 months in a row since age 18 in the last 10 years.
- Upload scanned colour copies of the originals. IRCC doesn't accept certified true copies.
How recent must a police certificate be?
| Country | IRCC's rule |
|---|---|
| The country where you live now | Issued no more than 6 months before you submit your application |
| Any other country | Issued after the last time you stayed there 6 months in a row or longer |
| Expired certificate from a past country | Still accepted if it was issued after your stay ended and it isn't your current country |
Ask for the current-country certificate soon after the ITA. One obtained long before the ITA may be too old by the time you submit.
How to get a police certificate: India, Philippines, Nigeria and more
What IRCC's country pages say for the most common countries. Each country's page on canada.ca has the full instructions and contact details.
| Country | Certificate IRCC wants | Where to apply |
|---|---|---|
| India | Police Clearance Certificate (character certificates are not accepted) | Passport office (Passport Seva) or local district police in India; Indian embassy, consulate or BLS centre abroad |
| Philippines | NBI Multi-purpose Clearance Certificate | Online or at an NBI office; abroad, through a Philippine embassy or consulate, or by mail |
| Nigeria | Police Character Certificate | Central Criminal Registry, Force C.I.D. Annex, Alagbon Close, Ikoyi, Lagos, in person or by mail with certified fingerprints |
| Pakistan | Police Character Certificate or Police Clearance Certificate | Your provincial police in Pakistan; abroad, the nearest Pakistani embassy or consulate |
| China | Certificate of No Criminal Record | Public Security Bureau or police station of your hukou area; abroad, by mail, online or through a representative with power of attorney |
| United Arab Emirates | Police Clearance Certificate from one emirate | Police of the emirate (Dubai Police also online); abroad, the nearest UAE embassy |
| Morocco | Fiche anthropométrique (citizens) or Bulletin no 3 (foreign nationals) | Local police station, Moroccan embassy or consulate, or the Service central des casiers judiciaires in Rabat |
| Algeria | Bulletin no 3 | Ministère de la Justice (online at mjustice.dz) or your local police station |
| Cameroon | Police Clearance Certificate (a Bulletin no 3 alone is not enough) | Get a Bulletin no 3 first, then apply to the Judicial Police in Yaoundé; abroad, through a representative or the Cameroon embassy |
| France | Bulletin no 3 | Online from the Casier judiciaire national |
| United States | FBI Identity History Summary | Online from the FBI's CJIS Division |
| United Kingdom | Police Certificate | ACRO Criminal Records Office, online |
| Brazil | Certidão de Antecedentes Criminais (federal; state certificates are no longer accepted) | Brazilian Federal Police: online if you have Brazilian ID (CIE and CPF), otherwise in person at a Federal Police office |
| Mexico | Constancia de datos registrales | Fiscalía General de la República (FGR), with a supporting letter from IRCC, or through a visa application centre |
| Iran | Certificate of no criminal record | Police+10 centre or the Sana system in Iran; abroad, the nearest Iranian embassy |
| Bangladesh | Police Clearance Certificate | Online from the Bangladesh Police (pcc.police.gov.bd) |
If the certificate isn't in English or French, upload it with a translation by a certified translator. Fingerprints you give for a police certificate are not the same as IRCC biometrics.
When to request police certificates after the ITA
The invitation to apply gives you 60 days, and IRCC advises requesting certificates early because they take time.
Day 1
List every country
For you and each family member aged 18+, write down every stay of 6 months in a row or more in the last 10 years.
Days 1–3
Open each country's page on canada.ca
Check the exact certificate name, where to apply and whether you need fingerprints, photos or a request letter from IRCC.
Week 1
Apply and keep every receipt
Save payment receipts, application numbers, emails and courier tracking numbers. They are your proof if the certificate is late.
On arrival
Translate if needed
Book a certified translator for certificates not in English or French as soon as they arrive.
Before day 60
Upload or explain
Upload the scanned colour certificate. If one hasn't arrived, upload a letter of explanation with your proof of request instead.
Police certificate checklist
0 of 11 done
Your ticks are saved on this device only.
Police certificate delayed? Don't let the ITA expire
If a certificate won't arrive before your 60-day deadline, IRCC accepts a letter of explanation plus proof you made your best effort, such as a confirmation receipt, a payment receipt, a delivery notice or a tracking number. Combine them into one file and upload it in the certificate slot. Use our letter of explanation template, then follow your ITA checklist for the rest.
Common police certificate mistakes
- Request certificates in the first week after the ITA, starting with the slowest country.
- Use the exact certificate named on IRCC's country page.
- Check the issue date of the certificate from the country where you live now.
- Include your spouse and any children aged 18 or older.
- Keep every receipt and tracking number until you have your decision.
- Don't upload an Indian character certificate or a Brazilian state certificate.
- Don't upload a certified true copy: IRCC wants a scan of the original, in colour.
- Don't forget countries where you worked or studied for 6 months in a row.
- Don't leave the upload slot empty if a certificate is late.
- Don't confuse police fingerprints with the biometrics IRCC asks for.
Keep a copy
Download the PDF to print it or keep it on your phone. Prints cleanly on A4 and Letter.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Sources
Last checked against official sources on Oct 6, 2026. Rules change: always confirm on canada.ca before you submit anything.
- IRCC: Express Entry police certificatesWho needs one, validity, delays (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Police certificates, how to get one (all countries) (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: India (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Philippines (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Nigeria (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Pakistan (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: China (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: United Arab Emirates (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Morocco (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Algeria (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Cameroon (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: France (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: United States (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: United Kingdom (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Brazil (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Mexico (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Iran (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Bangladesh (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC Help Centre: I don't have a document I need (opens in a new tab)
- After the ITA: 60-day checklistWhat to do from invitation to submitted application
- Express Entry document checklistEvery document for your profile and PR application
- Citizenship document checklistEverything for your Canadian citizenship application
- Letter of explanation template (IRCC)Explain a gap, a name mismatch or a missing document
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