step-by-step plan Qatar PCC application
Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) from Qatar
Unfortunately, the process of applying for a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) in Qatar has become more complicated due to a change in the law. You can now only submit the application directly to the Qatar Ministry of Interior, which then sends the PCC to you by regular mail. This is often where things go wrong: the PCC either does not arrive or takes a long time to reach you.
Do you need the PCC quickly? It is advisable to travel to Qatar and submit the application in person. You will then receive the PCC immediately.
You can apply for your Police Clearance Certificate from Qatar in two ways:
- Through the MeTrash2 app (only if you have a Qatar ID number).
- By filling out a paper application form yourself.
If you don't have a Qatar ID number, you will need to go through several steps in the country where you are currently located before you can complete the application. This makes the process of obtaining your PCC from Qatar a bit complicated. However, we can assist and provide information on all these steps and how to navigate them as smoothly as possible, hopefully making it more manageable for you.
Please note that the Qatar Embassy in the Netherlands has decided that a comprehensive legalization process must occur before they can approve the documents to be sent to the Qatar Police. Therefore, you cannot request the certificate within a few days, but you will need at least a week or two to gather all the required documents.
This legalization process involves notarization, court approval, ministry verification, and ultimately obtaining an attestation from the Qatar Embassy. Below, I will explain the steps you need to follow to complete this application.
Step 1
- Make an appointment to take your fingerprints, make sure you do this with an accredited fingerprint technician.
- Provide the personal data that is requested after making your appointment. These details are required to prepare the fingerprint cards and identity statement and to initiate an appointment with the public notary.
- After taking your fingerprints, go to the notary together with the fingerprint technician to legalize both signatures and passports.
Step 2
- Have the documents legalized at the court in The Hague. The court checks whether the information that has been legalized by the civil-law notary is correct and whether the fingerprint technician is registered as authorized signatory in the Chamber of Commerce.
Step 3
- Have the documents legalized at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague. They also check the details of the public notary and the Court and then give their approval.
Step 4
- The next step is to apply for the attest at the Qatar Embassy in The Hague. If the above 3 legalizations and stamps are on the documents, the embassy gives approval.
It is possible to engage a company at step 2, step 3 and step 4 to help you with the necessary legalizations. The company where we work with for this applications is CIBT. We also explain the steps they go through below in the step-by-step plan, so that you can also go through these steps yourself if you choose not to engage a company for this.
All legalization steps in one overview? You can find them here
Step 5
- You now have the documents that have been reviewed and approved by four parties.
- Download the application form here
Step 6
After completing the application form, all documents should be sent to the Qatar Police.
Collect all the documents you need to send to Qatar, these are the following documents:
1) Fingerprint cards approved by Qatar Embassy
2) three recent passport photos (4x6 cm)
3) Copy of your valid passport
4) Copy of your previous passport if it also has a Qatar VISA
5) Copy of your latest Qatar VISA
6) Letter stating the reason for your Qatar Police Clearance Certificate
7) Certificate of good conduct of the country where you are when making the application (if you are applying from the Netherlands, this is your VOG (certificate of conduct) which you must enclose)
8) If you apply via the form, i.e. by post, you must also send the money in the envelope, which must be 10 QR. If you apply via the App, you can pay online.
If you are applying on your own, you can send or have all the documents sent to the following address:
Police Clearance Certificate Qatar Location
Ministry of Interior,
P.O. Box 23004,
Doha – Qatar