South African police clearance for Canada

When IRCC requires a South African police certificate

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) requires police certificates for permanent residence (including Express Entry and provincial nominee streams), citizenship and International Experience Canada. You need one from every country where you spent six months or more in a row since age 18 — not for time in Canada. Family members aged 18 or older may need their own, depending on the program. Study and work permit applicants are not routinely asked, but IRCC can request one.

How recent it must be — the rule most people get wrong

• If you currently live in South Africa: the certificate must be issued no more than six months before you submit your application.
• If you have already left South Africa: the certificate must be issued after your last stay of six months or more there. It does not have to be recent — a certificate issued after you left is valid.

IRCC can always ask for an updated certificate. For Express Entry you have 60 days after your Invitation to Apply to submit, and SAPS takes weeks — so start while you are still in the pool.

No apostille needed

IRCC's police-certificate instructions do not ask for an apostille on the SAPS certificate. Be wary of anyone telling you an apostille is mandatory for a Canadian PR file — we only add one if another authority in your file specifically asks.

Getting fingerprinted in Canada

The South African High Commission in Ottawa says fingerprints can be taken at your nearest police station, a fingerprint-taking centre or a notary — and that electronic prints on police cards are not accepted. Ask for ink prints on the physical form. See the SAPS fingerprint form.

How we do it

1. We send you the formThe fingerprint form, the application form and a short note for whoever takes your prints.
2. You get fingerprinted in CanadaInk prints, fully rolled — see where to get prints taken.
3. You courier the originals to usFingerprint form, application form and a certified copy of your ID or passport.
4. We submit, track and collectWe pay the SAPS fee at cost (R190), lodge the application in Pretoria, track it and collect it.
5. We courier it to youZone 3 (USA, Canada and Mexico) courier to Canada is R1,050.

You can also post an application to SAPS yourself — SAPS accepts applications directly from abroad. People use us so that someone in Pretoria checks the file before it goes in, follows it up, and collects it before the three-month collection deadline.

Sources: IRCC, police certificates: South Africa, when you need one; South African High Commission, Ottawa; SAPS, Applying for a Police Clearance Certificate. Checked 23 October 2026. Rules change — confirm with the authority handling your application.

Frequently asked questions