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 it 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 create an ACRO customer account and apply for the ACRO Police Certificate 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 complete the ACRO application themselves, but want professional support with the apostille stage.
The process is:
You create an ACRO account → 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 both the ACRO application and the 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
Who Can Apply for an ACRO Police Certificate on Someone Else’s Behalf?
ACRO allows a person to apply for a Police Certificate for themselves or on behalf of another person in specific circumstances.
You may apply for:
- Yourself
- Your child under the age of 18, if you have parental responsibility
- An adult who has given you permission to apply on their behalf
- Someone for whom you hold a power of attorney
- Someone you represent as a legal representative
- An applicant who has authorised your organisation to apply on their behalf
If Ginkgo Advisory applies for the ACRO Police Certificate on your behalf, we will follow ACRO’s authorisation requirements and help prepare the application route correctly.
Why Create an ACRO Customer Account?
Creating an ACRO customer account allows you to apply, save, edit and submit ACRO online forms.
You can use your email address as your username and set a password. After creating the account, you can start an application, save your progress, return later and submit the form when ready.
This is useful because ACRO’s online forms, including the Police Certificate, International Child Protection Certificate and Subject Access Request forms, can be saved to your account while you complete them.
Without an account, you may need to complete the full multi-page form in one visit. ACRO states that pages may time out after 90 minutes of inactivity.
What Can You Do Through an ACRO Account?
Through an ACRO account, you can:
- Start a Police Certificate application
- Save your progress
- Return to an incomplete form
- Submit the completed application
- Apply for multiple forms from one account
- View the submission status
- Delete incomplete applications
- Download a PDF copy of a submitted form for 30 days
After 12 months, the record of the form submission will be deleted from the account.
What Details Do You Need to Register an ACRO Account?
To set up an ACRO account, you need to provide:
- Your title
- Your full name
- Your email address
- Your telephone number, if you wish to provide it
- A password
You should enter your email address carefully. If you enter the wrong email address, you may not be able to access your account.
When logging in, ACRO may ask you to enter an authentication code in addition to your username and password. This code can be sent by email or generated through an authenticator app.
What Happens on the “My Account” Page?
For forms you have started or submitted, your ACRO account will show a table with key information.
This may include:
- The type of form
- The applicant’s name
- The form status, such as “In Progress” or “Submitted”
- The last updated date
- The expiry date for unsubmitted forms
- Available actions, such as continue, delete or download
For forms in progress, you can continue or delete the form.
For submitted forms, you can download a PDF copy.
How Long Can You Keep an Incomplete ACRO Form?
ACRO keeps a partially completed form for 30 days after you last edited it.
After that, the form and uploaded files will be automatically deleted.
To save a completed page, you need to click Next. ACRO states that clicking “Next” saves the details and files uploaded on that completed page. It will not save a partially completed page.
What Happens After You Submit an ACRO Form?
After you submit the form, the status should change from In Progress to Submitted.
You should then receive a confirmation email.
At that point, you can download a PDF copy of the submitted application form through your account.
However, ACRO states that updates and correspondence will be sent by email, not through the portal. Therefore, you should check your mailbox, including spam and junk folders.
Can You Change a Submitted ACRO Form Through the Portal?
You can only make changes to a form while it is still in progress.
Once you submit the form, you cannot change it through the customer portal.
If you need to update information after submission, you should contact ACRO Customer Services.
This is one reason to review the application carefully before submitting it.
How Long Will the PDF Copy Stay in Your Account?
For submitted application or request forms, ACRO allows you to download a PDF copy for 30 days after submission.
After that period, the PDF copy may no longer be available in the account.
Therefore, if you want to keep a copy for your own records, you should download it soon after submission.
Can You Request an Updated Police Certificate Through the Portal?
No. If you need an updated Police Certificate or ICPC showing a new date of creation, you need to submit a new application through the portal.
You cannot simply request an updated certificate through the existing submitted form.
Can You Delete an Incomplete ACRO Form?
Yes. If you started a form but no longer need it, you can remove it by clicking Delete in your account.
This applies to forms that are still in progress.
Can You Update Your ACRO Account Details?
You can update your contact details on the My Account page by clicking Edit your Details.
However, updating your account details will not update a form that is already in progress or already submitted.
The updated contact details will be auto-filled only into new or future forms.
How Long Does an ACRO Account Stay Active?
Your ACRO account will remain active for 12 months after you last log in.
After 12 months of inactivity, the account will be deleted automatically and you will need to register again.
You can also delete your account manually through the My Account page.
Deleting your account will not delete applications that have already been submitted. However, after deleting the account, you will no longer be able to view previous submitted applications through that account.
How Ginkgo Advisory Can Help
Ginkgo Advisory can assist with a clear ACRO-to-apostille route.
We can help in two ways.
First, you can apply yourself through your ACRO account and ask ACRO to send the original certificate directly to our London office. Once we receive it, we can arrange the UK FCDO apostille in 2 working days, where suitable.
Second, Ginkgo Advisory can apply for the ACRO Police Certificate on your behalf and then arrange the UK FCDO apostille after ACRO issues the certificate.
We can also help you understand which route is more suitable based on whether you want to manage the ACRO account yourself or prefer a more managed process.
Contact Us
Address
Suite 161, 30 Red Lion Street, Richmond, London
English 
Chinese