We do not issue police clearance certificates or apply for them. If you need one, you apply yourself through Passport Seva (PSK, POPSK or the Regional Passport Office) or at the police. We apostille the PCC once you have it.
What the IND actually asks for
Most Indians heading to the Netherlands are highly skilled migrants, students, researchers, or partners joining someone already living there. For these residence permits, the IND (the Dutch immigration service) normally does not ask for a police clearance certificate. Instead, you sign an antecedents certificate: a declaration, part of the application forms, in which you state whether you have ever been convicted of a crime.
Your employer or university usually files the application as your recognised sponsor and sends you the forms to sign. If your IND paperwork only mentions this declaration, you do not need a PCC for the permit, and you do not need to pay anyone to apostille one.
When a Dutch organisation still wants a PCC
A PCC can still come up outside the IND file. The cases we see include:
- An employer in healthcare, childcare, education, finance or security that runs its own background check on new staff
- A school or training programme that places students with children or patients
- A municipality or another Dutch body asking for it in a specific registration or procedure
- A relocation agency working from a general checklist that includes a PCC for every country
In the last case, it is worth asking whether the PCC is really needed for you. In the others, ask for the request in writing so you know exactly what they want. Dutch employers sometimes run a separate Dutch conduct check for roles in the Netherlands, and you arrange that with the employer. An Indian PCC does not replace it.
The route for an Indian PCC going to the Netherlands
The Netherlands is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, and the Dutch government's own guidance for documents from India says they need an apostille from the MEA. There is no Dutch Embassy step.
Passport office PCC
From Passport Seva
Usually goes to the MEA directly. ₹1,000 per PCC.
Police-issued PCC
From a police station, SP or Commissioner
₹1,500 for the full route. If State Home Department attestation is needed instead, it is done by the issuing state, on quote.
Translation: usually not needed
Dutch authorities accept documents in English, as well as Dutch, French and German. A PCC from Passport Seva is printed in English, so in most cases it goes to the Netherlands with just the apostille. If a Dutch organisation does ask for a Dutch translation, or your police certificate is partly in a regional language, we can translate it. Ask the organisation first whether the translation must be made by a translator sworn in the Netherlands, because some bodies insist on that.
What to send us
- The original PCC
- A clear copy of your passport (front and back pages)
- The email or checklist from the Dutch employer, school or office
Drop the PCC at our New Ashok Nagar office in Delhi, or courier it from your city. We return it by Blue Dart or another secure courier with a tracking number. We give you a time estimate with the price, before you send anything.
Questions about a PCC for the Netherlands
My highly skilled migrant application did not ask for a PCC. Should I get one anyway, to be safe?
No. If the IND forms only ask for the signed declaration, a PCC adds nothing to the application. Get one only if your employer or another organisation asks for it.
My partner and I are moving together. Does my partner need a PCC?
For the IND, partners normally sign the same kind of declaration. A PCC is needed only if an organisation asks your partner for one specifically.
My Dutch employer wants a "certificate of good conduct". Is that my Indian PCC?
Not always. The Dutch Certificate of Conduct (VOG) is a Dutch document that the employer arranges in the Netherlands. Ask whether they want the VOG, an Indian PCC, or both. If they want the Indian PCC, it needs the MEA apostille.
Does the Dutch Embassy in New Delhi need to stamp my PCC?
No. For Indian documents, the Netherlands relies on the MEA apostille. No embassy legalisation is added.
How old can the PCC be?
That is up to the organisation asking for it. Many offices want a recent PCC, so check before you apply, and send it to us soon after it is issued.
I also need my degree for the Netherlands. Can you do both?
Yes. Dutch employers and universities often ask for an apostilled degree, and it can travel with the PCC. See degree apostille for the education route.