How to Apply for a Character Certificate?

What is a Character Certificate?

A character certificate, also known as a Police Clearance Certificate, is a legal document that certifies that an individual does not hold a bad or criminal record at the institution where they were previously engaged. The police, a government authority, or any other institution is eligible to issue a character certificate.

Why would you need a character certificate?

You might need a character certificate for the following reasons:

1. Education: In the field of education, a student may require a character certificate issued by the principal of the institution along with their stamp and signature. This character certificate takes into account the actions of the student when they were at school.

2. Employment: Similarly, if a fresher applies for a job, they may need a character certificate that will be provided to them by their college or university.

3. Immigration/Travel: The immigration process may also require a character certificate to trace anti-social elements or criminals.

4. General: Often, a character certificate by the police, which is a general police verification, is required by an organization to verify if the person has a criminal record or not.

Documents Required to apply for a Character Certificate:

The following documents are required for applying for a character certificate:

1. Application Form, which is correctly and completely filled,

2. Requirement of the certificate the purpose for which it will be used,

3. A passport-sized photograph,

4. Identity Proof,

5. Residential Address Proof, and

6. Age Proof.

Step-by-step Procedure to apply for a Character Certificate Online

You can now apply for a character certificate online. The application forms for character certificates are available on the official citizen's website of each state government. Follow the process below to apply for a character certificate online:

1. Go to your respective state's Citizen Portal. Under & lsquo Citizen Services,' and look for Character Verification/Character.

2. On the character certificate signup webpage, create an account. You need to enter basic information, an email ID, and a password to create your account.

3. After the completion of the registration process, the login page appears. Enter your new email address and the password to log in.

4. After you have logged in, complete the character certificate application form by filling in the necessary information. This information includes your name, your parents' names, date of birth, residential address, and phone number.

5. You will then be required to list your criminal records on the character certificate application. If you have no previous criminal record, select & lsquo no record' from the drop-down menu.

6. You must state the police station of your area and the name of your district to enable cross-verification of the details you entered.

7. The next step is to upload any required documents. After uploading the documents, save your progress.

8. Payment of a certain fee is required to complete the character certificate application process after saving the details. To make the payment, select the & lsquo pay' option. It will redirect you to a payment gateway where you will be able to make a payment using Visa or MasterCard.

Keep a copy of the application form you submitted along with the unique ID for the verification process.

What happens after the Verification Process is completed?

After the completion of the verification process:

1. You will be able to download the character certificate.

2. It is often recommended to keep a hard copy of the certificate with you.

3. Get the certificate verified by an authorized officer such as Gazetted Officers, Collectors, Police officers, or an MLA or MP.

Step-by-step Procedure to apply for a Character Certificate Offline

If you intend to obtain a character certificate, you can visit your school, college, current employer, or local police station and consult them about the need for a character certificate, and follow their instructions.

1. The character certificate application form must be obtained by you from the appropriate office. Alternatively, a written application can also be used.

2. After filling in the application form, attach all relevant documents.

3. The concerned officials make a record and provide you with a record number for reference after the attached documents and the application has been reviewed.

4. The application is then processed internally. Concerned authorities are required to perform on-the-ground verification. The documentation and information submitted by the applicant are thoroughly examined.

5. After the verification is completed, the officials prepare a report which is sent to the appropriate authority. This authority makes a decision regarding the granting of the certificate.

6. The applicant receives the certificate within a specified time frame after proper processing.

Character Certificate Application Form

To

The Superintendent of Police, District Police Office,

Subject: Application for issuance of PCC

Sir,

It is requested that a Police Clearance Certificate may be issued to me for visa/immigration purposes.

My personal particulars are as follows:

Full Name (Expanded Initials)..................................

Sex..................

Previous Name (in case the name has been changed)..........................................

Date of Birth................................................

Occupation..........................................

Father (Full Name)..............................................

Mother (Full Name)..............................................

Spouse (Full Name).............................................

Permanent Address ........................................................................................................

Present Address...............................................................................................................

Residing at current address since..............................................................................

Passport No......................................Date of issue...........................................Valid till

Passport issued by: Regional Passport Officer

Country for which Visa/Immigration has been applied.................................................

It is further stated that I am a citizen of India and have not been involved in any criminal case in India and that there is no criminal case pending against me in the Court of Law.

..................................... (Signature of Applicant)

..................................... (Date)

Why do you need a Lawyer?

While the process to apply for a character certificate is quite simple, it is best advised to engage the services of a documentation lawyer who is well-versed with documentation. The process of applying for a character certificate requires a lot of documents and involves a lot of steps, which, if done wrong, can lead to the rejection of the application. Therefore, it is suitable to seek legal expertise from a lawyer who can make sure that all documents are filed along with the application form and that the application form is filled correctly.

Advocate Chikirsha Mohanty

4.0 | 2+ user ratings Greater Kailash - 1, Delhi
5 years

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