Understanding the paperwork

ACRO police certificates and moving abroad: what the document tells you

If you are looking into immigration or residence abroad, you may encounter the term “ACRO police certificate”. Understanding its purpose helps you ask the next question: what does the destination require from you?

What is an ACRO police certificate?

Police.uk describes it as a certificate confirming whether you have a criminal record in the United Kingdom. It is used in the visa process where required by the destination’s authorities. The official guidance also notes that it may contain foreign criminal history supplied to the UK. Read Police.uk’s explanation.

“Having an ACRO certificate” and “having a criminal record” are therefore different things. The document can be relevant to somebody with no convictions as well as somebody whose record needs closer consideration.

Check which document is being requested

GOV.UK distinguishes a police certificate for a visa application from a subject access request for your own police records. Its guidance describes a subject access request as being for personal use. Do not assume that two documents concerning your record are interchangeable for the destination’s application process. Read GOV.UK’s explanation of the different requests.

Before ordering documents, identify the actual requirement for the route you are considering. Keep the official instructions so that you can check the requested document, any timing conditions and any translation or certification requirements with the relevant authority or adviser.

The certificate is evidence, not a residence decision

The certificate and the destination’s assessment serve different purposes. A document describing a record does not, by itself, explain every rule that another country applies to a particular application. Equally, the absence of a record does not answer all the other questions involved in establishing residence.

For your research, keep three questions separate:

• What information does my certificate contain?
• What does the specific residence route require?
• Who can clarify how that requirement applies to my circumstances?

This helps avoid drawing a broad conclusion from a single phrase, a forum reply or an account of somebody else’s application.

Use the official ACRO application route

GOV.UK directs applicants to ACRO for a police certificate. The official ACRO service is linked below. Check its current instructions when you are ready to apply for your ACRO police certificate; this guide does not quote fees or processing times that could change.

Go to ACRO’s police certificate service.

Related guide: Considering moving abroad with a criminal record (ACRO): where do you start?.