About the Author
Kwok is a practising solicitor based in London, admitted in England & Wales and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. He is registered with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Kwok has worked as legal counsel and in-house solicitor across leading firms and corporations. He personally oversees every apostille and legalisation case at Ginkgo Advisory, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and end-to-end quality control.
Kwok Lam
Legal Consultant of Ginkgo Advisory
If you need an ACRO Police Certificate and then a UK FCDO apostille, Ginkgo Advisory can assist in two practical ways.
You can either apply for the certificate yourself and ask ACRO to send the original certificate directly to our London office, or you can ask Ginkgo Advisory to apply for the certificate on your behalf and then arrange the apostille.
Option 1: You Apply for the ACRO Police Certificate Yourself
You can complete the ACRO Police Certificate application yourself.
During the application, you can ask ACRO to send the original certificate directly to our London office.
Once we receive the original certificate, Ginkgo Advisory can arrange the UK FCDO apostille in 2 working days, where the document is suitable for our express apostille route.
This option may suit applicants who prefer to manage the ACRO application themselves, but want professional support with the apostille stage.
The process is:
You submit the ACRO application → ACRO sends the original certificate to our London office → Ginkgo Advisory arranges the UK FCDO apostille → We return the apostilled certificate to you
Option 2: Ginkgo Advisory Applies for the ACRO Police Certificate for You
If you prefer a managed process, Ginkgo Advisory can apply for the ACRO Police Certificate on your behalf.
After ACRO issues the certificate, we can arrange the UK FCDO apostille for you.
This option may suit applicants who want support with the ACRO application, declaration pages and apostille process.
The process is:
Ginkgo Advisory prepares the ACRO application → ACRO issues the certificate → Ginkgo Advisory arranges the UK FCDO apostille → We return the apostilled certificate to you
Impending Prosecutions on the ACRO Form
The Police Certificate and International Child Protection Certificate, also known as ICPC, forms both include an impending prosecution page.
If the applicant has any impending prosecutions, ACRO will ask for details such as:
- The alleged offence or offences
- The date of the court hearing
- The name of the court
- Any additional information the applicant can provide
The additional information field is not mandatory.
However, if the applicant can provide further details about the alleged offence, this may help ACRO process the application.
If the applicant does not know the court hearing date or the court name, this can be stated in the additional information field.
Offence History on the ACRO Form
The Police Certificate and ICPC forms also include an offence history page.
If the applicant has offences or convictions, ACRO will ask for information such as:
- The offence or offences
- The date of the court hearing
- The name of the court
- The disposal
- Any additional information the applicant can provide
The further information field is not mandatory.
However, if the applicant can provide extra details about the offence, this may assist the progress of the application.
If the applicant does not know the court hearing date or the name of the court, this can be explained in the further information field.
Why These Declaration Pages Matter
The impending prosecution and offence history pages should be completed carefully.
If the applicant has relevant information, it is usually better to provide clear and accurate details rather than leave ACRO without context.
This is especially important where the applicant does not know the exact court date, court name or disposal. In those cases, the form allows the applicant to explain what is known in the additional or further information field.
If Ginkgo Advisory applies for the ACRO Police Certificate on your behalf, we can help manage the form completion process, but the applicant must provide accurate information for these declaration sections.
Terms and Conditions
Before submitting the ACRO form, the applicant must read and confirm agreement to ACRO’s Terms and Conditions.
This is done through a checkbox on the online form.
The Terms and Conditions can be accessed through ACRO’s publications page.
You should review the terms carefully before submitting the application, because the form cannot be completed without the required confirmation.
Sending the ACRO Certificate Directly to Our London Office
If you apply yourself, you can ask ACRO to send the original ACRO Police Certificate directly to our London office.
This can help the apostille stage proceed more smoothly because the original certificate can move directly from ACRO to Ginkgo Advisory.
Once we receive the original certificate, we can arrange the UK FCDO apostille in 2 working days, where suitable.
How Ginkgo Advisory Can Help
Ginkgo Advisory can assist with:
- ACRO Police Certificate application support
- Impending prosecution declaration guidance
- Offence history declaration guidance
- Terms and Conditions submission guidance
- Application on behalf of an eligible applicant
- ACRO Police Certificate delivery to our London office
- UK FCDO apostille after ACRO issues the certificate
- 2 working day UK FCDO apostille, where suitable
- Return delivery of the apostilled certificate
Whether you apply yourself or ask us to apply on your behalf, we can help create a clear route from ACRO application to FCDO apostille.
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