How Long Does an ACRO Certificate Take in 2026? FAQ

What is an ACRO Police Certificate

An ACRO Police Certificate is an official document that lists any convictions, cautions and other relevant records held on UK police systems for a person who has lived in the United Kingdom. It is issued by the ACRO Criminal Records Office (ACRO), the body responsible for criminal record checks connected to visas, immigration and residence applications abroad.

ACRO also issues the International Child Protection Certificate for people planning to work with children overseas, which is a separate document with its own purpose.

If you are preparing a visa, citizenship or employment file and the destination country asks for a “police certificate” or “certificate of good conduct” from the UK, this is the document they have in mind.

How to apply for an ACRO certificate

The application is fully online, which is why people living outside the UK can complete it without returning. The general flow looks like this:

• Fill in the online form on the official ACRO website with your personal details and passport information.

• List every address where you lived in the UK during the relevant period.

• Upload proof of identity.

• Submit and wait for confirmation that your application has been accepted for processing.

The application can only proceed once ACRO has everything it needs. Missing addresses or an unreadable passport scan are the most common reasons an application is held up before processing even begins, so it pays to check the form twice before submitting.

The direct-send option

When you apply, you can arrange for the finished certificate to be sent onward for legalisation instead of coming to you first. This direct-send route removes one international transit entirely.

If a third party, such as a family member, an agent or a legalisation service, handles the apostille and courier stages for you, they will need a letter of authorisation or a power of attorney confirming they may act on your behalf. The FCDO and notaries ask for this paperwork before releasing or handling documents, so it is worth preparing it in advance.

What the certificate contains

An ACRO Police Certificate contains your personal details, including name, date of birth and passport information, together with the outcome of a search of UK police records. If records exist, the certificate describes the convictions, cautions or other relevant entries. If nothing is found, it states one of two outcomes.

No Trace means no records of any kind were found on UK police systems. No Live Trace means something exists on file, but it is no longer live, for example a conviction that is spent under rehabilitation rules.

Applicants often worry when they see “trace” in the second phrase, but for an immigration authority both outcomes are routine and expected. The certificate does not judge your file; it simply reports what the systems hold. What matters is how the receiving authority treats the content, and spent or minor entries are handled differently by different countries.

No universal expiry date

ACRO does not print an expiry date on the certificate. There is no universal validity period, because validity is decided by whoever receives the document, not by the issuing office.

In practice, immigration authorities and embassies commonly expect a police certificate to be recent, and the exact rule belongs to each receiving authority. Before you order the certificate, confirm with the immigration authority, embassy or employer how old a certificate may be at the moment you file. A certificate that is too old for the receiving authority has to be ordered again, so check this point first.

ACRO certificate validity abroad

A certificate issued in the UK is an English-language document, and many receiving authorities want more than the paper itself. Three layers may apply: the certificate, an apostille confirming the signature for use abroad, and sometimes a certified translation into the language of the destination country.

The translation, where required, sits on top of the apostilled original, so it comes last in the chain. The full validity picture, in short: the certificate proves the record status, the apostille proves the document is genuine, and the translation makes it usable by the receiving authority.

Apostille for an ACRO Police Certificate

An apostille is a certificate attached by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) confirming that the signature on a UK document is genuine, which allows it to circulate between countries that are parties to the Hague Apostille Convention. For an ACRO certificate, the apostille is what turns a UK police document into one a foreign immigration authority will accept as authentic.

One detail catches many applicants: an e-apostille is not available for ACRO police certificates. Government guidance on document legalisation explicitly lists ACRO police certificates among the documents excluded from the electronic apostille route, alongside register office certificates and DBS certificates for England and Wales (source: gov.uk). The apostille therefore has to be done on the paper original.

The same guidance notes that legalisation services can take longer than advertised when a signature needs verification, and the Legalisation Office will notify you if that happens.

Other personal documents in your visa file, such as a power of attorney, a contract, a qualification certificate or copies of a passport or driving licence, can also be legalised through the same office provided they are certified by a UK public official, such as a notary or solicitor (source: gov.uk).

Embassy attestation for non-Hague countries

Countries that are not parties to the Hague Apostille Convention do not accept an apostille as final proof. For those destinations, the document needs embassy attestation: the certificate is first legalised by the FCDO, and then attested by the embassy of the destination country in the UK.

Procedures vary by embassy: some work on appointment or counter-submission schedules, and some return documents only by post. If a representative handles the attestation for you, the embassy will typically require a letter of authorisation or power of attorney naming them, so prepare that document before the certificate is even produced. Confirm the current requirements directly with the embassy in question.

Country requirements at a glance

Requirements differ by destination.

Because the same certificate can follow different routes depending on the destination, confirm the requirement with the receiving immigration authority rather than copying a checklist from another country’s application.

Checking receiving authority requirements

The most useful habit in this process is asking the receiving side first. The immigration authority, embassy or employer that will review your file can tell you three things: whether an apostille is needed, whether a certified translation is required, and how old the certificate may be when filed.

Requirements differ between countries and between applicants, so both the issuing route and the legalisation route depend on where the document is going and who the applicant is.

ACRO vs DBS vs Subject Access Request

Three different UK documents get confused with each other, and submitting the wrong one means a rejection.

A DBS check serves employment inside the UK, typically roles involving children or vulnerable adults. It is not designed for use abroad and immigration authorities do not ask for it. The Subject Access Request (SAR) is a way to obtain a copy of your own records from a police force, useful for personal review, but it is not formatted or certified for visa purposes and an immigration authority will not accept it in place of a police certificate. The ACRO Police Certificate is the one of the three built for visas, immigration and residence abroad.

This page is for general information only and is not legal advice. Apostilles for UK public documents are issued exclusively by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Legalisation Office; this site is not affiliated with any government body. Please consult a qualified professional before making decisions.

FAQ

The application is submitted online, so you can apply from anywhere in the world. You provide your passport details and the addresses where you lived in the UK, and the finished certificate is posted to you.

It shows your personal details and any record of convictions or cautions held on UK police systems. If nothing is held, the certificate states No Trace or No Live Trace.

The certificate is legalised by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and countries outside the Hague Apostille Convention may also require embassy attestation.

A DBS check is for employment inside the UK, such as work with children or vulnerable adults. An ACRO Police Certificate is designed for visas, immigration and work abroad, and it is the document immigration authorities ask for.

No. The certificate is an official document that the FCDO legalises directly. Notary or solicitor certification is relevant for other personal documents, such as a power of attorney, that you submit alongside it.

No Live Trace means UK police systems hold something on your record, but it is no longer live, for example a spent conviction. For visa purposes this is a normal outcome and does not automatically block an application.

An e-apostille is not available for ACRO police certificates, so the apostille is done on the paper original. Legalisation by the FCDO Legalisation Office is required in either case.

Helpful guides

Which UK documents can be apostilled: certificates, degrees, company and court papers, e-Apostille rules, FCDO rejections and embassy attestation.

Which countries accept a UK apostille and which require embassy attestation.

Apostille meaning for UK documents: what the FCDO certificate looks like, which documents qualify, e-Apostille and when embassy legalisation.

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