South African police clearance for the United Kingdom

Which UK visas need a South African police certificate

The UK does not ask every applicant for one. Under Home Office guidance, a criminal record certificate is required for Skilled Worker entry clearance in specified occupations — mainly health, education and social-care roles such as doctors, nurses, teachers and care workers — and for the partner of a Skilled Worker in those occupations. Your sponsor will tell you, when assigning your Certificate of Sponsorship, whether your job needs one.

You need a certificate from every country (other than the UK) where you were present for 12 months or more, in total, in the last 10 years while aged 18 or over. For most South African applicants, that includes South Africa. If you are already in the UK and extending your stay, the Home Office says a certificate is not currently required.

How recent it must be

If South Africa is where you live now, the certificate must be issued no more than six months before you apply. If you have already left South Africa, different timing applies to a previous country of residence — check the Home Office guidance for your case. Because SAPS takes weeks, start around two to three months before you plan to apply.

Apostille, originals and scans

UK Visas and Immigration accepts the certificate as an original or a scanned copy, and its guidance does not require an apostille on the police certificate. SAPS certificates are in English, so no translation is needed. Partner and family applications sometimes need other South African documents (birth or marriage certificates) apostilled; we will tell you which, and the apostille is R1,650.

Getting fingerprinted in the UK

Most UK police forces do not take fingerprints for foreign police checks. South Africans in the UK usually use a private fingerprinting service that takes traditional ink prints, or the South African High Commission in London by appointment. Ink prints on paper only — SAPS does not process scanned or electronic prints. 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 the UKInk 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 2 (Europe and Middle East) courier to the UK is R950.

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: UK Home Office, criminal records checks for overseas applicants and caseworker guidance "Criminal record certificate requirement" (v4.0, Nov 2025); SAPS, Applying for a Police Clearance Certificate. Checked 23 October 2026. Rules change — confirm with the authority handling your application.

Frequently asked questions