ACRO Police Certificate Apostille and Legalisation for Overseas Visa, Immigration, Residency and Citizenship Applications

If you need a UK criminal record document for an overseas visa, immigration, residency, citizenship, work or travel application, the overseas authority may ask you to provide an ACRO Police Certificate.

In many cases, the authority may also ask you to legalise the certificate before you submit it. Therefore, you may need a UK FCDO apostille. In some countries, you may also need embassy legalisation, consular legalisation or document attestation after the apostille.

Ginkgo Advisory can help with both routes.

Route 1: You apply for the ACRO Police Certificate yourself. You can ask ACRO to deliver the original certificate to our London office. After we receive it, we can arrange the UK FCDO apostille in 2 working days.

Route 2: We apply for the ACRO Police Certificate on your behalf. After ACRO issues the certificate, we can arrange the UK FCDO apostille. If the destination country requires it, we can also arrange embassy legalisation or attestation.

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What Is an ACRO Police Certificate?

The ACRO Criminal Records Office issues the ACRO Police Certificate. People commonly use this certificate when they want to:

• Emigrate overseas
• Travel for official purposes
• Apply for a visa
• Live and/or work abroad
• Apply for citizenship or residency in another country

The certificate may show the applicant’s:

• Personal details
• Photograph
• Applicable convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings under the ACRO step-down model
• Impending prosecutions and offences under investigation
• Overseas criminal records shared with the United Kingdom, where applicable

However, you should always check the exact requirement before you apply. ACRO states that applicants must contact the relevant embassy, high commission or requesting authority to confirm whether that authority accepts an ACRO Police Certificate.

This matters because overseas authorities do not accept ACRO Police Certificates for every country or every procedure.

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Important ACRO Service Update: Middle East Postal Restrictions

ACRO has published a service update about postal and courier disruption linked to the current situation in the Middle East.

At present, ACRO says it cannot send hard copies of Police Certificates and International Child Protection Certificates, also known as ICPCs, to the following countries:

Iran, Iraq, Israel, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Lebanon.

Therefore, if you apply for an ACRO Police Certificate or ICPC for one of these countries, you should give ACRO an alternative postal address in another country.

This point is important. In most cases, you need the original hard copy certificate before the UK FCDO apostille, embassy legalisation or attestation can proceed.

ACRO also states that it will continue to monitor the situation, stay in contact with postal service providers and publish further updates on its website. In addition, ACRO says it will contact applicants who applied before the notice to arrange an alternative address.

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What Do You Need to Apply for an ACRO Police Certificate?

To apply for an ACRO Police Certificate, you need to complete ACRO’s online application form.

You will usually need:

• A recent passport-style photograph of the applicant
• The photograph in JPG or PNG format, with a maximum file size of 3MB
• Colour copies of the applicant’s passport or travel document
• The passport or travel document copies in JPG or PNG format, with a maximum file size of 3MB
• A valid email address
• The applicant’s address history for the last 10 years
• Details of the applicant’s impending prosecutions and past convictions
• A valid debit or credit card for payment

If you apply on behalf of another person, ACRO may ask for additional information. Therefore, you should check the application requirements carefully before you start.

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Should You Create an ACRO Account?

ACRO recommends that applicants create an account before they complete the online form.

With an ACRO account, you can:

• Save each page of the online form as you complete it
• Return to the form later
• Complete the application over several visits

Without an account, you need to complete the full multi-page form in one go. You cannot save the form and return to it later.

For this reason, creating an account can make the process easier, especially if you need time to collect your address history, passport copy or photograph.

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Can You Use an ACRO Police Certificate for UK Employment or UK Immigration?

You should use an ACRO Police Certificate for overseas purposes only.

You cannot use it to gain employment or immigrate to the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

In addition, if you plan to work with children in another country, your overseas employer may also ask you for an International Child Protection Certificate, known as an ICPC.

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Does an ACRO Police Certificate Need an FCDO Apostille?

Many overseas authorities ask applicants to legalise the ACRO Police Certificate with a UK FCDO apostille.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office issues the apostille through the UK Legalisation Office. The apostille confirms the relevant UK signature, seal or stamp so that the document can be recognised overseas.

For many countries, the UK FCDO apostille is enough. However, some countries require one more step after the apostille. In those cases, you may need embassy legalisation, consular legalisation or document attestation.

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When Do You Need Embassy Legalisation or Attestation?

Some destination countries require a longer legalisation chain.

Depending on the country, the next step may be called:

• Embassy legalisation
• Consular legalisation
• Embassy attestation
• Consulate attestation
• Document attestation

This extra step often applies to visa, immigration, residency, family visa, long-term stay, employment and relocation applications.

Therefore, before you submit your ACRO Police Certificate overseas, you should check the rules of the receiving authority.

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How Ginkgo Advisory Can Help

Ginkgo Advisory provides a clear route for ACRO Police Certificate apostille, legalisation and attestation.

We can help in two main ways.

Route 1: You Apply for ACRO Yourself

You can create an ACRO account and apply for the Police Certificate yourself.

Then, you can ask ACRO to deliver the original certificate directly to our London office.

Once we receive the original ACRO Police Certificate, we can arrange the UK FCDO apostille in 2 working days, where the document is suitable for our express apostille route.

This option works well if you prefer to control the ACRO application yourself but want professional support with the apostille and legalisation stage.

Route 2: We Apply for ACRO on Your Behalf

Alternatively, Ginkgo Advisory can apply for the ACRO Police Certificate on your behalf.

After ACRO issues the certificate, we can arrange the UK FCDO apostille. If the destination country requires further legalisation, we can also arrange embassy legalisation, consular legalisation or attestation.

This option works well if you want a more managed process from application to legalised document.

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ACRO Police Certificate Legalisation Route

The usual process is:

ACRO Police Certificate Application → Original Certificate Received → UK FCDO Apostille → Embassy Legalisation or Attestation, if required → Courier Delivery

This route gives you a clear sequence. As a result, you can reduce delays, avoid incorrect submissions and prepare the document in the format expected by the overseas authority.

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Need Help With an ACRO Police Certificate Apostille?

Ginkgo Advisory can assist with ACRO Police Certificate apostille, embassy legalisation and attestation for overseas visa, immigration, residency, citizenship, work and relocation applications.

We can help if you need your ACRO Police Certificate legalised for use in countries such as Spain, Portugal, Italy, UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and other overseas jurisdictions.y, UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and other overseas jurisdictions.