Why a UAE file may ask for a PCC
The UAE has changed its position on police certificates several times. A good conduct requirement for residence visas was announced in 2018 and later suspended. Since then, whether you are asked for a PCC has depended on your nationality, your visa route and the authority handling the file. A mainland employer and a free zone authority can ask for different things.
In 2026 a report described a PCC requirement for certain nationalities and visa routes, with the foreign PCC legalised through the UAE Embassy and the UAE foreign ministry, and valid for at least 90 days. This was reported in 2026; your employer or sponsor confirms if it applies to you.
So do not get a PCC attested on guesswork. Ask the HR team or PRO handling your visa to confirm three things in writing: that a PCC is needed for your case, whether it should come from the passport office or the police, and how recent it must be.
Your PCC type decides the first step
Look at the top of your certificate. It was issued either by the Regional Passport Office through Passport Seva, or by a police station, SP or Commissioner's office. The UAE Embassy stage is the same for both. What comes before it is different.
Issued by the passport office
Passport office PCC
The usual case for anyone who applied through a PSK or POPSK. No state step is normally needed before the MEA.
Issued by the police
Police PCC
A certificate from a police station or district office needs state authentication first. Where the Home Department is used, it must be the department of the state that issued the PCC.
After the UAE Embassy stamp, the UAE foreign ministry adds its attestation inside the Emirates. You or your employer arrange that there. For the same step on degrees and family certificates, see our UAE embassy attestation page.
The 90-day point and your dates
If the 90-day validity applies to you, the clock is tight. That window has to cover our work in India, the courier back to you, your travel and the attestation in the UAE. Expect the receiving office to count from the issue date printed on the PCC. The attestation stamps do not restart it.
- Offer and checklist firstWait until your employer has told you which PCC they want.
- Get the PCCApply at Passport Seva or the police yourself.
- Send it to us quicklyThe day it arrives, WhatsApp us a photo so the route is fixed before the original travels.
- Plan the UAE stepFly with the attested original, or courier it ahead to your sponsor.
We give you a time estimate with the price, before you send anything.
Kerala and other state certificates
When UAE good conduct certificates were in high demand, Kerala set up a dedicated state mechanism to issue them to people going to the Emirates. A certificate issued through a state police arrangement like this counts as a police PCC. It goes to the Home Department of that state before the MEA, not straight to the MEA. Our Kerala PCC attestation for the Gulf page covers this in more detail.
If any part of your PCC is in Malayalam, Hindi or another regional language and your UAE contact wants it in Arabic or English, we translate it. Ask your sponsor whether the translation also needs to be attested, so it can run alongside the PCC.
Sending your PCC from anywhere in India
- The original PCC, unfolded and not laminated
- Passport copy showing the front and back pages
- Your employer's or sponsor's message naming the PCC, if you have it
- Tell us whether the visa is mainland or free zone
Delhi residents can hand the PCC over at our New Ashok Nagar office and collect it there. From other states, courier the original to us. It comes back by Blue Dart or another secure courier with a tracking number.
Questions about PCC attestation for the UAE
My employer asked for a good conduct certificate. Is that my PCC?
For an Indian applicant, yes. The UAE side often uses the term good conduct certificate. The Indian document that answers it is the police clearance certificate, attested for the UAE.
I already had my PCC apostilled for another country. Can I reuse it for the UAE?
Usually not as it stands. The UAE route uses MEA attestation and the UAE Embassy stamp, and a PCC issued for another country may name that country on it. Send us a photo and we will tell you what can be done.
I work in a free zone. Will my rules match the mainland?
Not necessarily. Free zone authorities and mainland offices have handled PCCs differently. Your PRO or HR team is the right source for your case.
Is the 90-day limit fixed for everyone?
It was reported in 2026 for certain nationalities and routes. It may not apply to you. Your employer or sponsor confirms if it does.
My PCC is from the Kerala police but I live in Delhi now. Which state attests it?
Kerala. The state step is done by the state that issued the PCC, wherever you live today. We arrange it from Delhi.
I am already in Dubai. Can you apply for a PCC for me?
No. We do not apply for PCCs anywhere. If you live in the UAE, ask the Indian mission there how to get one. Our work covers a PCC issued in India that reaches our Delhi office.