Police Clearance Certificate Translation for UK Employers

Police clearance certificate translation for your case: what you receive

A police clearance certificate is an official letter from a police force or interior ministry. It says whether the person has a criminal record in that country. UK employers sometimes ask for one when you have lived abroad, because a UK DBS check only covers UK records.

With our police clearance certificate translation you receive:

• A full English translation of every line, including headings, the certificate number, validity dates and the issuing officer's title.
• A description of each stamp, seal, signature, QR code or hologram, for example "[Round stamp: District Police Office]".
• A signed certification statement. It follows the wording GOV.UK sets out on certifying a document (opens in a new tab): that it is a "true and accurate translation of the original document", with the date, the translator's full name and contact details.
• A PDF by email, and a posted hard copy if you want one.

Sample

Certified translation

Police clearance certificate

Urdu → English

Full name

redacted

Father's name

redacted

Passport or ID number

redacted

Certificate number

redacted

Date of issue

redacted

Statement

No criminal record found [as written in the original]

Issuing authority

redacted police

• [Round stamp: police office, partly illegible]
• [Photograph]
• [Signature]

Translator's statement

I confirm that this is a true and accurate translation of the original document.

Date

DD/MM/YYYY

Translator

Full name

Signature

Certificates we translate

Police certificates look different in every country. Some are single-page letters. Others are printed forms with a photo and fingerprints. We translate them all as they appear, without adding or leaving out anything.

Many certificates are partly in English already. We still translate the parts that are not, and we note which text was in English in the original. This criminal record certificate translation keeps the layout close to the original, so the reader can match each line.

Dates may use another calendar. Iranian and Afghan documents often use the Solar Hijri calendar. We give the date as written and add the Gregorian equivalent in brackets.

A word of caution about asking for a certificate

If you have claimed asylum or have refugee status, contacting the police or government of the country you left may not be safe or wise. Speak to your solicitor or an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) before you request anything. Tell the employer if you cannot get a certificate. We only translate documents you already have.

Using the translation with employers

Employers use an overseas police certificate as part of pre-employment checks, alongside a UK DBS check. Roles in care, health, education, security and transport ask for it most often.

An overseas police certificate translation for job applications works best when:

• You send the employer the original (or a copy) together with our translation.
• The names on the certificate match your UK documents. If spelling differs, we transliterate names as they appear on your passport or eVisa, if you tell us.
• The certificate is recent. Some employers want one issued within a set period. Check with the HR team.

We do not decide what an employer accepts. The employer or check provider makes that decision. Our job is to make the translation complete, accurate and easy to verify.

Where your translated police clearance certificate is used

• Employers and recruitment agencies: pre-employment screening for regulated work.
• Licensing bodies: for example taxi and private hire licensing by local councils, or security industry licences.
• Professional regulators: some ask for overseas records when you register.
• Overseas check providers: services that handle overseas criminal record checks for UK employers.

For other everyday paperwork, such as NHS, DWP, housing or bank forms, see our refugee document translation service.

Languages for police clearance certificate translation

Our translators work from the languages most police certificates arrive in:

• Arabic certificates from Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Egypt and elsewhere, through our Arabic asylum document translation team.
• Urdu and bilingual Pakistani certificates, through our Urdu asylum document translation team.
• Farsi, Dari, Pashto, Bengali, Tigrinya, Kurdish, Somali and many more. See all languages we translate.

Police clearance certificate translation price and delivery time

Most police certificates are one or two pages, so the cost is usually low and fixed.

• Price: from £15 per document for a single-page certificate, or from £18 per page for longer certificates.
• Standard delivery: 1 working day for most certificates, 2–3 working days for longer documents.
• Urgent delivery: same day or within 24 hours, from £10 extra per document.

Prices shown are starting prices and include VAT. We confirm your exact price in a written quote before any work starts.

If a job offer depends on it, choose our urgent asylum document translation option. Full rates are on our translation prices page.

Notarised police clearance certificate translation for use abroad

UK employers normally accept a certified translation. A notarised translation is usually only needed when the certificate will be used outside the UK, for example for a job or visa in another country. A notary public then confirms the translator's identity and signature. Some countries also want an apostille. Read more about notarised translation for refugees. We arrange notarisation with a UK notary public, from £45 per bundle (VAT included, confirmed in your written quote), and it adds 1 working day.