For those who have lived in Ireland for more than half a year and plan to travel to a third country to immigrate, study abroad, or for other purposes, it is essential to understand how to apply for an Irish Police Clearance as well as the process of apostille. This is not only a basic requirement for you in the destination country, but also a crucial step to ensure a smooth passage between the countries. Below, we will break down the entire application process for you in detail.
1. Application for no criminal record in Ireland
First, you need to go to the police station at the address where you live at the time to apply for a police clearance certificate. When applying, please be sure to bring the following documents:
A copy of the first page of your passport: Make sure your passport is valid and legible.
Application form: You can fill out a police clearance application form at the police station or the relevant official **.
After submitting your application, you usually need to wait about 5 business days for you to receive your Police Clearance Certificate.
2. Application for apostille
If the country you plan to travel to is a member of the Hague Convention, then you will also need to have your police clearance certificate apostilled. Apostille is a simplified legalization process that eliminates the need for cumbersome consular legalization when passing documents between member states.
When applying for an apostille, you will need to prepare the following documents:
A copy of the first page of your passport: the same as when you applied for a clean criminal record.
Original Police Clearance Certificate that needs to be authenticated: Please make sure that the original is clear, complete and has not been altered.
Application form: You can do this in Ireland*** or the relevant official **on ** and complete the Apostille application form.
Next, you need to follow these steps to apply:
Find an Irish notary to notarize your police clearance certificate. The notary will verify the authenticity of the certificate and affix a notary seal to the certificate.
Submit the notarized Police Clearance Certificate to Ireland*** for apostille. **The signature and seal of the notary public will be verified, and the certificate will be stamped with an apostille.
Normally, the normal processing time for apostille is about 3 weeks. If you have an urgent need, you can opt for an expedited service, which can usually be completed within 2 weeks.