In United Kingdom, you should get the Police Clearance Certificate from ACPO Criminal Records Office. ACPO stands for Association of Chief Police Officers. The certificate you get has security features and information on criminal records from databases covering England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. You can get the application form from the link below in the appropriate language.
There is also a phone number to call if you have any questions:
ACRO Customer Services on Tel: 0845 60 13 999 (International callers: 0044 1962 87 1111) (This is ACRO the records office )
They have two kinds of Services
- Standard Service – this would get you a police certificate in 10 working days or so
- Premium Service – if you urgently need a police clearance certificate, this is for you, they send you the certificate in 2 working days.
Remember the days do not include the time spent in mail etc., ACPO also adds caution that you will not be eligible for Premium Service if there is an impending Criminal proceedings against you.
Here is the fees as of today ( Dec 14, 2010) :
Standard: £ 35.00
Premium: £ 70.00
Additional Copies: £ 5.00
Payments must be by UK Bank Cheque, UK Postal Order, or Bankers Draft (see FAQ’s).
Payments should be made payable to HPA.
HPA is for Hampshire Police Authority.
There is a more detailed guidelines and FAQs on the ACPO website:
Here is the link to the Police Clearance Certificate Guidelines.
They also have an email to which you can send your questions: customer.services@acro.pnn.police.uk
As always, if you have any specific questions, ask us, we will try to find answers for you.