Police Clearance Certificate Translation

Prism Language Solutions translates police clearance certificates, criminal record extracts and certificates of no conviction into English, complete and certified, for immigrant visa interviews, USCIS filings, employment screening and intercountry adoption. The translation reproduces the issuing authority, every stamp and the exact wording of the finding, because a consular officer reads "no record found" and "no record found in this state" very differently. Most certificates are one or two pages and are back within 24 hours.

Last reviewed September 11, 2026 by Sarah J, Prism Language Solutions

The police certificate is the document with the most names and the shortest shelf life. Every country calls it something different, issues it from a different office, and dates it for a different period; the State Department’s own rule is that it expires two years after issue for consular purposes. So the practical questions are always the same: is this the right certificate for that country, is it still in date for the interview, and does the translation say precisely what the original says.

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Police Certificate Translation for USCIS and Consular Processing

The two green card routes treat this document differently. Adjustment of status (Form I-485) inside the US does not require a general foreign police certificate: the I-485 instructions ask for certified police and court records only where the applicant has been arrested, charged or convicted, and for local police clearances in the special case of T-1 applicants. If a certificate is filed anyway, or USCIS requests one, it needs a full English translation under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3); see USCIS translation.

Consular processing is where the certificate is mandatory. Under 9 FAM 504.4-4, an applicant aged 16 or over needs one from the country of current residence if they have lived there six months or more, from the country of nationality if they have ever lived there six months or more, and from any other country where they lived a year or more since turning 16. The originals go to the interview with a certified translation, and consular posts read the translation closely, so we translate the finding exactly rather than smoothing it into "no criminal record".

Police Clearance Certificate Names by Country

Send the right certificate and the translation is straightforward; send the wrong one and no translation will rescue it.

Country	What it is called	Issued by	Points to watch
India	Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)	Regional Passport Office or Passport Seva Kendra, Ministry of External Affairs	A local police station letter is not the same document
Mexico	Carta or constancia de no antecedentes penales (state); Constancia de Datos Registrales (federal, FGR)	State fiscalía or judiciary; Fiscalía General de la República	Municipal letters from a town hall are not accepted for US visas
Philippines	NBI Clearance	National Bureau of Investigation	Request it with every alias and former name; the US Embassy in Manila asks for the AKA entries
United Kingdom	ACRO Police Certificate	ACRO Criminal Records Office	The list of convictions that comes with it must be included or the London embassy will not accept it

Translator teams for the languages behind these documents: Spanish, Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tagalog, and Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Portuguese for the countries that follow.

Police Certificate Validity and When to Translate

The State Department treats a police certificate as valid for two years from issue, unless it comes from a country the applicant has not returned to since, in which case it does not expire. Issuing countries have their own ideas: the NBI clearance is generally treated as good for a year. Send a birth certificate or marriage certificate for the same interview with it.

So translate as soon as the certificate arrives, not the week of the interview, because a faded stamp or an unclear alias entry sometimes means going back to the issuing office. The translation does not expire; it follows the certificate.

Police Clearance Translation for Employment and Licensing

Employers screening a candidate who has lived abroad, and state boards licensing a nurse, teacher or security guard trained overseas, ask for the foreign criminal record certificate with a certified translation. The reader needs who issued it, for what period, covering which jurisdiction, and the finding in the issuer’s own words. We keep the scope visible: a Mexican state letter covers one state, not the other thirty-one, and a translation that hides that is misleading.

Police Clearance for Intercountry Adoption Home Studies

USCIS requires the home study for a Form I-800A or I-600A to assess the criminal background of every adult in the household and to include child abuse registry checks from any state or foreign country each adult has lived in since turning 18. So a couple who spent three years in Brazil brings back a clearance in Portuguese, and the home study preparer needs it in English, certified, before the study can be finalized. The child’s country of origin, in turn, usually wants the parents’ US background checks in its language, often apostilled first. We handle both directions; see adoption document translation.

Apostille on a Police Certificate

An apostille authenticates the signature on a public document for use in another Hague Convention country; it is not a translation. A police certificate leaving the US gets its apostille from the office that matches the issuer: a state police record from that state’s Secretary of State, an FBI Identity History Summary from the US Department of State Office of Authentications. Then it is translated into the destination language, apostille page included, so get the apostille first. Details on apostille translation.

Translating the Finding, Aliases and Stamps on a Police Certificate

The finding. Certificates rarely say "no criminal record". They say no record was found in a particular database for a particular period, or, in Mexico, that no proceedings are registered against the name in that state. We translate that sentence as written and never upgrade it. Names and aliases. The certificate must match the passport, and the NBI in particular prints AKA entries; every one is carried over. Stamps and the reverse. Stamps and barcodes are transcribed or described; an apostille on the back is translated. Dates. The issue date is the date everything turns on, so the month is spelled out.

Police Clearance Translation Cost and Turnaround

A police certificate is a short official document priced per page; as a guide certified translation in the US market starts at around $24.95 per page, including the signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy and a second-linguist review. Notarization is available where a board or foreign authority asks for it (notarized translation); ranges are on the pricing page. Scan every page, front and back, including the ACRO conviction list, and send it through the quote form with the receiving office named. A short certificate normally comes back the next business day.

Ready to start? Send the document or the booking details through the quote form, call +1 (833) 282 8883, or email info@prismlinguistics.com. You get a fixed written price within 60 minutes during business hours.

Questions we get asked

Do I need a police certificate for an I-485 adjustment of status?

Not as a general requirement. The I-485 instructions ask for certified police and court records only if you have been arrested, charged or convicted, and for local police clearances in the specific case of T-1 applicants. Consular processing abroad is different: police certificates are required under 9 FAM 504.4-4 for every applicant aged 16 or over.

How long is a police clearance certificate valid for a US immigrant visa?

The State Department treats police certificates as valid for two years from issue, and does not expire a certificate from a country you have not returned to since it was issued. Some issuing countries state shorter periods. The certificate must be in date on the day of the interview.

Does the translation need to be notarized or apostilled?

For a US consulate or USCIS, a certified translation is what is asked for; notarization is optional. An apostille authenticates the original certificate, not the translation, and is needed when a US police record goes abroad.

Which Mexican police letter does a US consulate accept?

A state certificate (carta or constancia de no antecedentes penales from the state fiscalia or judiciary) or a federal one (the FGR Constancia de Datos Registrales). A letter from a municipal office or town hall is not accepted. We translate whichever you obtain and keep its state or federal scope visible.