Police verification certificate PCC apply 2026

People search “police verification” for two different papers. One is the address check inside a passport file. The other is a Police Clearance Certificate for a job or visa. Mixing the two is why applications bounce. Start with the table, then pick the portal.

On this page

• Passport PV vs PCC
• Passport Seva vs state police
• Apply flow
• Documents
• Delays and pending cases
• RTI to DCP or SP
• FAQ

Passport police verification is not a separate licence you buy. When you apply for a passport, the Regional Passport Office sends the file to local police. The station and special branch confirm the address and look at records. You already paid the passport fee. There is no second Union “PV fee” on top of that.

Track that check on the same Passport Seva login. Sibling walkthroughs: how to apply for a passport and passport status check 2026. Helpline: 1800-258-1800.

Police Clearance Certificate is a document you hold in your hand. Embassies and many foreign employers want the Passport Seva PCC issued for an Indian passport holder. Some Indian employers and local licences instead want a state police character certificate or PCC from the DCP / SP office.

A character certificate from a gazetted officer or a college is a third, informal paper. It is not a PCC.

In an illustrative scenario, a visa applicant files on a state police portal when the embassy asked for Passport Seva PCC. The paper is rejected abroad. Match the product to the letter that asked for it.

If you need PCC for a visa, residence, or job abroad, start at passportindia.gov.in. Use Apply for Police Clearance Certificate. Steps on the MEA page:

1. Register or log in as a Passport Seva user.
2. Open Apply for Police Clearance Certificate.
3. Fill personal details, passport particulars, and the purpose / country the form names.
4. Pay the fee the Fee Calculator shows. Passport Seva's fee table lists PCC at Rs 750. Confirm before you pay, including after the 1 July 2026 passport-fee revision.
5. Book a Passport Seva Kendra or Post Office Passport Seva Kendra slot where the portal requires one.
6. Carry originals listed on the Document Advisor.
7. Police verification still happens in the district. The RPO issues the PCC after that check.

Document list: Document Required for PCC. Fee tool: Passport Seva Fee Calculator.

If you need a local job PCC or character certificate, use the state police citizen portal or the district police office. There is no single national PCC fee for that paper. Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and others run their own forms. Search the official police or e-District site for “Police Clearance Certificate” or “Character Certificate”. Pay only the amount that .gov.in checkout shows.

Do not treat DigiLocker as the police portal. DigiLocker may store a copy later. It does not replace the application.

NRIs usually apply for Passport Seva PCC through the same MEA stack or the Indian mission, which then liaises with police in India. Follow the mission's page. Do not post originals to a WhatsApp “agent”.

Apostille or embassy attestation, if the destination country asks for it, is a separate MEA or mission step after the PCC exists. Do not treat apostille as police verification.

Carry what that form lists. Typical papers, to confirm on the Document Advisor or state portal, are:

• Passport (for Passport Seva PCC) or photo ID for a local character paper.
• Aadhaar. Enrolment is separate: how to apply for Aadhaar.
• Proof of present address: utility bill, rent agreement, or the papers the advisor names.
• Address history the form asks for, often several years.
• Employer or institute letter if the purpose is employment.
• PAN if the state form asks. PAN how-to: how to apply for PAN.

Name spelling must match the passport for a Passport Seva PCC. A new address with no proof is the usual stall. If you moved in the last year, expect checks at more than one police station.

Police verification stalls when the address is thin, the applicant is not found at home, or records show a case.

If a criminal case is pending, say so on the form. A PCC may still issue with the case noted. A clean PCC is not a right while a trial is open. Check the case first on court case status check 2026. A court NOC, if a recruiter asks for one, is a court paper, not a police paper.

Passport PV delay is visible on Passport Seva status. Open the file, read whether police have submitted the report, and keep the file number / ARN.

Local PCC delay sits with the station house officer and then the DCP or SP office. Visit once with the acknowledgement. Do not pay anyone to “speed the SHO”. Verification is official work. A private cut is not a government fee.

The verification report, the movement of the file, and the officer's name are public information. Apply under RTI Act 2005 s.6(1) to the Public Information Officer in the DCP / SP office of the district where the check is pending. For a Passport Seva PCC that is stuck after police sent the report, you may also need the Regional Passport Office PIO. File where the record lives.

The PIO must reply in 30 days under s.7(1). Silence is treated as refusal. File a first appeal under s.19(1). Fees: RTI fees by state.

Draft with the AI RTI Drafter. If the PIO is silent, use the First Appeal Builder. Background: The RTI Playbook.

Ask only these five lines:

1. Status of police verification / PCC / passport file number _ dated _ as on today.
2. Name and designation of the officer holding the verification, and from which date.
3. Copy of the station report and special-branch noting, if already on file.
4. Whether any adverse entry or pending case is recorded against this applicant, as already noted in that file.
5. The pending deficiency, if any, and the date of the next action.

Do not use RTI to force a “clean” certificate that the record does not support. Use it to see where the file is and what the note says.

People use the phrase for two things. Passport police verification is the address check inside a passport file. A Police Clearance Certificate is a separate paper for a job or visa. Read the table at the top of this page.

No. Passport PV is part of the passport process on Passport Seva. PCC is a certificate you apply for, on Passport Seva or on a state police portal, depending on who asked for it.

Log in at passportindia.gov.in, choose Apply for Police Clearance Certificate, pay the fee the calculator shows (fee table: Rs 750), and attend the kendra if a slot is required. Police still verify the address.

Ask the employer which paper they want. Many private jobs want a state police character certificate. Government jobs may run their own police verification after you join. Do not file Passport Seva PCC unless they named that product.

Passport Seva PCC: passport, photo, and the Document Advisor list. State PCC: photo ID, address proof, and whatever that police portal lists. Confirm on the live page.

There is no one Union validity printed for every PCC. The destination country or employer often treats it as recent only for a few months. Read their letter. Apply again if they want a fresh date.

Keep the appointment. Answer a station visit. Then file RTI under s.6(1) to the DCP / SP PIO. Appeal under s.19(1) if there is no reply in 30 days. Passport files also track on the same Passport Seva login with the file number.

• How to apply for a passport
• Passport status check 2026
• How to apply for Aadhaar
• Court case status check 2026
• How to apply for PAN
• All how-to-apply guides
• Status check guides
• AI RTI Drafter
• The RTI Playbook

• Passport Seva: https://www.passportindia.gov.in
• Apply for PCC: https://www.passportindia.gov.in/psp/ApplyPCC
• Passport Seva fee table: https://www.passportindia.gov.in/psp/onlineHtml/feeDocument
• RTI Act, 2005: s.6(1), s.7(1), s.19(1)
• RTI Act text on RTI Wiki

Reviewed for RTI Wiki by Dr. Shrawan Kumar Pathak.