The short answer
A Police Character Certificate (PCC) is the Pakistani police's confirmation that you have no criminal record in Pakistan. If a UK employer, an embassy or an immigration department has asked you for one, you can get it without travelling to Pakistan. The essentials:
Your last address in Pakistan decides the route. The certificate comes from the police of that province, and the provinces work very differently.
There are three ways to get it from the UK: through the High Commission, through a close relative in Pakistan, or through a service like ours.
Check three things before you order: how recent the certificate must be, whether a PDF is accepted, and whether it needs MOFA attestation.
The timing trap: the High Commission's own estimate for its form-based route is 3 to 5 months, and many organisations only accept a certificate issued within the last six months. Start early, or use a route that takes days rather than months.
Who asks for one
Most of the requests we see come from one of these:
UK employers in teaching, healthcare and social care. A DBS check cannot see records held abroad, so schools, NHS trusts and care providers ask anyone who has lived abroad as an adult for a certificate from that country.
UK visa applications made from abroad. Skilled Worker applicants applying from outside the UK for listed jobs in education, health and social care, and their partners, need a certificate from every country they have lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 18. GOV.UK's guidance expects it to be issued no more than six months before the application.
Moving on from the UK. Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the US all ask for a police certificate from each country you lived in as an adult.
Foreign embassies and employers, for work visas, jobs in the Gulf, adoptions and similar applications.
If you left Pakistan as a child, check the exact rule before you order. Most requirements only count the years you spent in a country after the age of 16 or 18.
Your province decides the route
A PCC is issued by the police of the province where you last lived in Pakistan, and each province runs its own system:
| Last address in | Issued through | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Punjab | Police Khidmat Markaz centres in all 36 districts | The smoothest route. Any centre in Punjab can issue it, not only the one in your home district |
| Islamabad | Islamabad Police | Straightforward, and also available through the High Commission's portal route |
| Sindh | Sindh Police | The same documents as Punjab, nothing extra |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | The district SSP office, in person | The slowest: someone has to attend in person |
Azad Kashmir residents can use the same High Commission portal route as Punjab and Islamabad. A single national online system, run by the National Police Bureau, was approved in principle in August 2026, but as far as we can see it is not yet taking applications, so the provincial routes are still the ones that work.
Through us, we currently take applications for addresses in Punjab and Sindh only. We are not taking applications from AJK or KPK until further notice. KP certificates are dealt with in person at the district SSP office, which makes them the hardest to obtain from abroad.
Three ways to get it from the UK
1. Through the High Commission
The Pakistan High Commission in London offers three options:
The Punjab Police portal, in person. For a last address in Punjab, Islamabad or Azad Kashmir: book an appointment at the High Commission in London and bring your original CNIC or NICOP and your passport.
An application form attested at the High Commission, with four passport-size photos and copies of your ID. The High Commission quotes 3 to 5 months for this one.
An authority letter for a relative in Pakistan, which is the second route below.
2. Through a relative in Pakistan
A close relative can apply on your behalf with your written authority. The High Commission's version of this route has five steps:
Write an authority letter in your relative's name.
Have it attested at the High Commission or a consulate in the UK, by appointment, with your ID.
Send it to your relative, who applies to the police for you.
Have the certificate attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pakistan.
Have it attested again at the High Commission or a consulate before you show it to UK authorities.
Two more rules from GOV.UK's guidance: only close relatives can act for you, and a prospective employer cannot apply on your behalf. Some police offices also ask the relative for an affidavit on judicial stamp paper confirming they will collect the certificate for you.
3. Through a service like ours
We apply through the right provincial channel for your last address and send you the certificate, with no appointment and no trip to London. A typical case takes 7 to 10 working days, against the months the form route can take.
A certificate in days, not months
We handle the application with the right provincial police, chase it, and send you the certificate, with MOFA attestation if you need it. Your documents stay private on our own server and are deleted once your application is approved.
Start your applicationDocuments you'll need
For an application through us:
Your valid CNIC or NICOP
Your passport (the front page)
Your last address in Pakistan
A photo against a white background
Your Pakistani mobile number, or a blood relative's if you do not have one
Your documents are handled under UK GDPR: they live on our own private server, are seen only by the person working on your case, and are permanently deleted once your application is approved.
PDF, paper copy, and MOFA attestation
The certificate comes in two forms, and the right one depends on who asked for it:
| Option | Price | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| £40 | When the organisation accepts a digital certificate | |
| Paper copy | £60, delivered to your UK address | When an original is required, and whenever MOFA attestation is needed |
| MOFA attestation | £65 add-on | For embassies and foreign authorities that ask for Pakistan's Foreign Office stamp |
MOFA attestation goes on the physical certificate, which is why only the paper copy can carry it. Not sure which you need? Ask the organisation that requested the certificate before you order. A certificate at the wrong level gets bounced weeks later, exactly when you have no time left.
How long it takes, and how long it lasts
Through us: typically 7 to 10 working days, for addresses in Punjab and Sindh.
Through the High Commission's form route: 3 to 5 months, by its own estimate.
Through a relative: depends on the province and on your relative's time, plus the attestation round trip at both ends.
A police certificate describes your record on the day it is issued, so the organisations that ask for one set their own limits on how old it can be. For UK visas, GOV.UK expects the certificate from your most recent country of residence to be issued no more than six months before you apply. Order it when you are ready to use it, not months ahead.
Special situations
I left Pakistan years ago
That is normal: most of our applicants left years or decades ago. The certificate is issued for your last address in Pakistan, however long ago you lived there.
My NICOP has expired
The High Commission's routes and our own application both need a valid CNIC or NICOP, so renew it first. Renewing a NICOP from the UK is entirely remote, with biometrics done on your own phone.
I never lived in Pakistan as an adult
You may not need a certificate at all. Most requirements only count adult years spent in a country, so check the exact rule with the organisation that asked. If it still wants one, the same routes apply.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a Pakistan police character certificate without going to Pakistan?+
Yes. From the UK you can apply through the Pakistan High Commission, through a close relative in Pakistan with your written authority, or through a service like ours, which applies with the right provincial police for you and sends you the certificate.
How long does a police character certificate from Pakistan take?+
Through us, typically 7 to 10 working days, for addresses in Punjab and Sindh. The High Commission quotes 3 to 5 months for its form-based route. Through a relative it depends on the province, plus time for attestation.
Can my father or brother in Pakistan apply for me?+
Yes, a close relative can apply with your written authority. The High Commission's route needs the authority letter attested at a mission in the UK first, then the certificate attested by MOFA in Pakistan and again at the High Commission before UK authorities see it.
Do I need MOFA attestation?+
Only if the organisation asking for the certificate wants it, which embassies and foreign immigration departments usually do. MOFA attests the paper certificate, so choose the paper copy if you need the stamp. Ask the requesting organisation before you order.
How long is a police character certificate valid?+
It has no fixed expiry, but organisations set their own limits on how recent it must be. For UK visas, GOV.UK expects a certificate from your most recent country of residence to be issued no more than six months before the application.
My last address was in KPK or AJK. Can you help?+
Not at the moment. We are not taking applications from AJK or KPK until further notice; for now we apply for addresses in Punjab and Sindh only. The High Commission's routes described above are still open to you.