Ukraine issues two versions of its criminal record extract, and only the full one works for a US immigrant visa. Brazil wants a certificate from each state you lived in for more than six months in the last five years, plus a federal one. Mexico has state and federal versions, and you are expected to try the state first. The police certificate looks like the simplest document in the file, yet it is the one most often obtained in the wrong form.
This guide covers the residence rules, the two-year validity rule, the correct document in seven common countries, court and prison records, and exactly what a translation of a police certificate must contain.
Who needs a police certificate for a US immigrant visa?
Every applicant aged 16 or older, from each country that meets the State Department's residence thresholds:
| Your situation | Certificate from |
|---|---|
| Lived in your country of nationality for more than 6 months at any time in your life | Your country of nationality |
| Lived in your current country of residence (if different) for more than 6 months | Your current country of residence |
| Lived in another country for 12 months or more while 16 or older | That country |
| Arrested for any reason, at any age, however long you lived there | The city or country of the arrest |
The underlying regulation, 22 CFR 42.65(c)(1), sets six-month and one-year thresholds along the same lines and adds that a consular officer can require a certificate from any place, regardless of how long you lived there, if there is reason to believe a police record exists.
Two points people miss:
- No US certificate. Present and former US residents do not submit US police certificates.
- The nationality rule looks at your whole life. The six months in your country of nationality can be "at any time in your life," so someone who is now 16 or older but left that country as a child can still need its certificate.
K-1 fiancé(e) applicants
The State Department's K-1 page sets a different test: the present country of residence and every country where the applicant has lived for six months or more since age 16, plus certificates for accompanying children 16 or older. Some posts apply the immigrant visa table above instead. Frankfurt's K-1 instructions, for example, ask for the country of nationality, any country lived in for 12 months or more and any place of arrest. Follow your post's instructions, and where the two differ, the extra certificate is the safer choice. More in our K-1 documents guide.
How long is a police certificate valid for a US visa?
Two years. The exception is a certificate from a country of previous residence: it stays valid if you have not returned there since it was issued. That exception matters for people who emigrated long ago, because a certificate from a country you left for good stays usable.
Which police certificate does each country issue?
The State Department's Reciprocity Schedule (the "Document Finder") names the correct police document for each country. The details vary more than most applicants expect.
Ukraine. The document is the vytiah (extract) on criminal records from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, requested online at vytiah.mvs.gov.ua or at an administrative services center (TSNAP). It must be the full version (povna), not the short one, and for immigrant and K visas it must include all previously used names and surnames, which you have to request specifically. Since April 23, 2022 it has been issued online on A4 paper with a serial number, a QR code and a digital stamp. Certified copies are not available.
Brazil. Police records are kept state by state. Immigrant visa applicants need a state certificate (Atestado de Antecedentes Policiais Estaduais or Certidão de Antecedentes Criminais) from each state where they lived for more than six months in the last five years, plus a federal certificate from the Polícia Federal. Online certificates from the Federal Police and some states are accepted. Certificates from the judicial courts (Poder Judiciário) are not. Brazilian police records are not issued for people under 18.
Mexico. The state Carta, Certificado or Constancia de No Antecedentes Penales comes from the state security ministry or the state prosecutor's office, depending on the state. Try the state certificate first; if you cannot get one, provide the federal Constancia de Antecedentes Penales Federales (CAPF). Applicants under 18 do not need one. Mexican nationals need their CURP to apply.
Germany. The Führungszeugnis (certificate of conduct) comes from the Bundesamt für Justiz, the Federal Office of Justice in Bonn. It can be requested online, in writing from abroad, or in person in Bonn, and anyone 14 or older can get one. Certified copies are not available.
China. The police certificate is a notarial certificate from a local Notary Public Office (Gong Zheng Chu), based on the Public Security Bureau's certificate of no criminal record. Ask the same notary office to include the English translation, which comes with additional pages certifying its accuracy.
India. Indian nationals living in India get a Police Clearance Certificate from the Regional Passport Office. Indian passport holders abroad request a statement of no criminal record from the Indian embassy or consulate. Non-Indians who lived in India apply through the FRRO or, once they have left, an Indian embassy.
Philippines. The document is the NBI Clearance from the National Bureau of Investigation, and Philippine embassies abroad can help Filipinos obtain it.
Do I need court and prison records too?
Yes, if you were ever convicted of a crime: a certified copy of each court record and any prison record, even if the conviction was later covered by an amnesty, pardon or other clemency. These are often long judgments full of legal terms, and each must be translated in full, including the sentence, the date it became final and any later decision on rehabilitation or expungement. A partial translation of a criminal judgment invites a request for the full one. See court documents translation.
Does a police certificate need a certified translation?
Yes, unless it is in English or in the official language of the country where you are interviewed. For cases processed through NVC, the certified translation goes into the same CEAC file as the scan of the certificate, in color, with the back included if it carries stamps or writing. You bring the original to the interview. The full upload rules are in our guide to NVC civil documents.
Post instructions can be stricter than the general rule. Frankfurt requires a certified English translation of any police certificate that shows an entry, and of all court and prison records, even though German documents are otherwise exempt there.
What must a police certificate translation contain?
A police certificate is short, but every line carries weight. A compliant translation includes:
- Full name and every other name listed, in the passport's Latin spelling, including maiden names and earlier surnames
- Date and place of birth, and any national ID or taxpayer number shown
- The issuing authority exactly as named, such as the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine or the Bundesamt für Justiz
- The result statement word for word. "No criminal record" is not a translation of a sentence that says the person has not been prosecuted, has no outstanding or unexpunged conviction and is not wanted
- Serial number, date of issue and any validity statement
- QR codes, verification codes and digital signatures, noted with the verification address shown on the document
- Stamps, seals and any apostille, described in brackets
- The translator's signed statement that the translation is accurate and that the translator is competent to translate
Why police certificates get rejected
The short version. Ukraine's short extract is not accepted, however well translated.
A missing previous name. Someone who married and changed surname needs a certificate covering both names. One issued in the married name only does not show the full record. If your name history is complicated, see name changes in foreign documents.
Expired. The certificate is more than two years old at the interview, and the previous-residence exception does not apply.
Federal only, or state only. Brazil requires both. Mexico expects the state certificate unless it is unavailable.
The wrong authority. A Brazilian court certificate instead of a police certificate.
A summarized result. The translation reduces a multi-part statement to "clean record."
Mismatched transliteration. The translation spells the name Iuliia while the passport reads Yuliia.
Checklist: police certificates
Questions people ask
Do I need a US police certificate or FBI check for an immigrant visa?
No. The State Department's instructions say present and former US residents do not need to submit any US police certificates. Certificates are needed only from the foreign countries that meet the residence rules, and from any place of arrest.
Does a police certificate translation need to be notarized?
No. The State Department requires a certified translation with the translator's signed statement that it is accurate and that the translator is competent to translate. Notarization is not part of that requirement.
Does my police certificate need to show my maiden name?
For many countries, yes. Ukraine's page states that for immigrant and K visas the certificate must include all previously used names and surnames. Even where a country page is silent, a certificate covering only your current name leaves part of your history unchecked.
What if my country does not issue police certificates?
Check the Reciprocity Schedule for that country, which states whether a certificate is available and which authority issues it. If it is listed as unavailable, you do not need to submit it. If it is available but you cannot obtain it, explain why in writing, and the consular officer decides whether you must still get it.
Do I need a police certificate for a K-1 fiancé(e) visa?
Yes. The State Department's K-1 page asks for certificates from the present country of residence and every country where the applicant lived for six months or more since age 16, and children 16 or older need them too. Some embassies apply the immigrant visa rules instead, so follow your embassy's K-1 instructions.
Do children need police certificates?
Not under 16, under the general State Department rule. Some countries set their own floor: Brazil does not issue police records for people under 18, and Mexico's page says applicants under 18 do not need one.
Do I need to submit court records if my conviction was pardoned?
Yes. Anyone convicted of a crime must submit certified copies of each court record and any prison record, even after an amnesty, pardon or other clemency. Translate the full judgment and the later decision together.
How long does it take to translate a police certificate?
Most police certificates are one or two pages, and a typical one-page certificate is delivered within 24 hours as a signed PDF. Long court judgments take longer, usually one to three business days.