Homes for Ukraine: when you need a police certificate and how to get one

Who orders a police certificate for the Homes for Ukraine route, when a DBS check is enough, what to do if a certificate is impossible to get, and how checks work in.

Homes for Ukraine scheme eligibility

The Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme lets people in the UK sponsor Ukrainians (and certain non-Ukrainian residents of Ukraine) to come and stay with them. A guest qualifies if they are a Ukrainian national, or a resident of Ukraine who held permission to live there before 1 January 2022, and they have a named sponsor offering at least six months of accommodation.

Applications go through UK Visas and Immigration, part of the Home Office. Guests give biometrics at a visa application centre (VAC) and, once approved, receive a biometric residence permit confirming their permission to stay and work.

The scheme sits alongside two related routes. The Ukraine Family Scheme covers people joining close family members already in the UK, and the Ukraine Extension Scheme allowed people already in the UK to extend their stay without a sponsor. The newer Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme (UPE) now handles most extensions, and successful UPE applicants can eventually move toward Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) under the rules in force at the time.

People who already hold status under the EU Settlement Scheme do not need Homes for Ukraine at all, since their permission comes from a different route.

Checks needed to be a sponsor

Here is the short answer: sponsors are checked mainly through DBS checks and local council visits, not through a police certificate. The Home Office relies on councils, and in Scotland and Wales on the devolved governments, to vet sponsors before a match is approved.

The standard package for a sponsor household includes:

• a DBS check (Disclosure and Barring Service) for every adult in the household

• an enhanced DBS check where a child without a guardian or a vulnerable adult will be hosted

• accommodation inspection by the council

• ongoing welfare visits after arrival

A police certificate from the guest’s country of origin is not a standard requirement of the Homes for Ukraine route. This surprises many sponsors who read generic visa guidance, because other work and study routes do ask for overseas criminal record certificates. For example, applicants under the old Tier 2 (General) route in health, education and social care had to provide a criminal record certificate from every country where they lived for 12 months or more in the last 10 years (since turning 18), excluding the UK, according to gov.uk guidance on criminal records checks for overseas applicants. That logic does not carry over to Homes for Ukraine.

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Police and criminal record checks: when each one applies

The confusion between DBS checks and police certificates is the single most common question sponsors ask. They are different documents issued by different bodies for different people.

ACRO, the Association of Chief Police Officers Criminal Record Office, issues police certificates for visa and immigration purposes, and also issues the International Child Protection Certificate. An ACRO police certificate is the document required for visas to countries such as Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Cayman Islands, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States. None of that makes it a default requirement for Homes for Ukraine guests.

If you are asked for a police certificate anyway, order it from ACRO if the certificate concerns time spent in the UK, or from the police authority of the country concerned if it concerns time spent there.

How to get a police certificate from abroad

If a certificate from Ukraine or another country is genuinely needed, the process depends entirely on that country’s own rules. Two verified examples show how different the procedures are.

In Austria, the criminal records office at the Vienna state police department adds data from other EU countries’ registers to Austrian certificates. A standard certificate can be applied for online through ID Austria or EU Login; special certificates cannot be applied for online. The applicant must appear in person at least once, either when applying or when collecting, except where the application was made online. If someone applies or collects on your behalf, they need proof of legal authority, such as a power of attorney.

In Israel, the criminal record certificate is issued by the Israel Police, and it must be requested in a bilingual format through the online service on the police website.

Ukraine has its own procedure through the Ministry of Internal Affairs, including online ordering and collection through diplomatic missions, but details change, so confirm on the current official portal before paying anything.

One more practical trap: if a certificate needs an apostille for use in the UK, note that gov.uk states the e-apostille service is not available for several document types, including ACRO police certificates, DBS certificates in England and Wales, and disclosure certificates in Scotland. Paper legalisation is the fallback.

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What if a police certificate is impossible to get

This is the gap most guidance leaves blank, and it matters most for guests from occupied territories or areas where registries are not functioning.

Situation: a guest lived in a part of Ukraine where civil registries and police records are inaccessible, and the visa process asks for a document that cannot realistically be produced.

Steps:

• Write a short, factual explanation of why the document cannot be obtained, naming the territory and the reason.

• Gather alternative evidence that exists: any older certificate, an international passport, documents showing residence history.

• Submit the explanation with the application rather than leaving the field empty, so the caseworker sees a considered answer.

• Respond if UK Visas and Immigration follows up with a request for further information.

Result: gov.uk guidance on criminal record checks for overseas applicants states that a missing certificate leads to refusal only where there is no satisfactory explanation. A well-documented explanation tied to the war is exactly such a satisfactory explanation in principle, though each case is decided individually.

DBS and safeguarding checks

DBS checks are the backbone of sponsor vetting. Every adult in the sponsoring household is checked, and the level of check rises with the vulnerability of the guest. Hosting an unaccompanied child triggers enhanced checks and local authority involvement, which is a far heavier process than hosting an adult.

Sponsors should expect the council to visit the accommodation before approval and to keep in contact afterwards. Refusing a DBS check effectively ends the application, because there is no alternative vetting path for the sponsor side.

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Hosting a child without a guardian

Hosting an unaccompanied child is possible but tightly controlled. The local authority must assess and approve the placement, all adults in the household need enhanced DBS checks, and the council continues safeguarding visits after arrival. The Welsh Government and the Scottish Government run their own coordination for unaccompanied children in their territories, alongside arrangements in England.

If you are considering this, contact your local council’s safeguarding team first. Do not agree to host a child through informal matching channels before the local authority assessment is complete.

Sponsor requirements and accommodation

The core sponsor requirement is simple: suitable accommodation for at least six months. “Suitable” means the guest has a private room or, in agreed cases, appropriate shared space, and the home is safe and habitable.

One requirement sponsors overlook: permission from the landlord or mortgage provider. If you rent, your landlord must consent to a guest living in the property. If you have a mortgage, check your lender’s terms. Council tenants need their landlord’s (the council’s) agreement. Getting this in writing before matching avoids a failed accommodation inspection later.

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Matching sponsors and guests

Matching happens through several channels: direct personal connections, local authority matching services, and charities. The British Red Cross is among the organisations providing support to guests and sponsors across the UK, and many local councils run their own matching portals.

The Super Sponsor Scheme, run with the Scottish Government, works differently: guests apply to a “super sponsor” (the Scottish Government) rather than a named individual, and accommodation is allocated after arrival. Wales has its own sponsorship arrangements coordinated with the Welsh Government.

Whichever channel you use, the safeguarding checks described above apply before the match is confirmed.

The thank you payment and other money questions

Sponsors in England receive a thank you payment per guest, per month, for up to 12 months. Where a guest moves to a new sponsor during that period, the new sponsor receives the payment from then on. A further payment has been used in specific top-up arrangements for hosts who continue beyond the initial period; check your local council’s current terms, because devolved administrations and councils have varied the detail over time.

Two effects sponsors often ask about:

• Benefits: the thank you payment is intended not to affect means-tested benefits, but you must still report it to the benefits office so the correct treatment is applied.

• Council tax: hosting a guest does not by itself trigger a council tax increase; the property keeps its existing band, and discounts for a single adult discount can be affected, so confirm with your council.

Ukraine Permission Extension scheme and later status

Guests who arrived under Homes for Ukraine do not stay indefinitely on the original permission. The Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme (UPE) is the current route for extending stay, and it does not require a new sponsor. Applications again go through UK Visas and Immigration with biometrics at a visa application centre.

For sponsors, the practical point is this: the vetting you passed at the start is not automatically repeated at extension stage, because UPE does not depend on your accommodation. But if a guest moves to a new sponsor, that new household goes through the full DBS and council checks from scratch.

Longer term, the path toward Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) depends on rules that have been changing, so verify the current position on gov.uk before making plans based on any fixed date.

Applying to the scheme: the guest’s steps

The application itself is straightforward once a sponsor is in place.

• The sponsor records their offer with the local council (or applies through the Super Sponsor Scheme in Scotland).

• The guest completes the online Homes for Ukraine visa application through UK Visas and Immigration.

• The guest attends a visa application centre (VAC) to give fingerprints and a photograph. VACs operate in neighbouring countries for those who left Ukraine.

• If a valid biometric passport is not available, the guest can still apply; the Home Office accepts alternative identity evidence, and the VAC will explain what to bring.

• Once approved, the guest travels to the UK and collects their biometric residence permit.

Checklist for the guest’s application:

• Valid or expired Ukrainian passport, plus any explanation if a new passport cannot be obtained.

• Sponsor’s details as recorded with the council.

• Proof of the relationship if applying with family members.

• Any documents the caseworker later requests, including a police certificate if one is specifically asked for.

England, Scotland and Wales: who checks what

Arrangements differ across the four UK nations, and this affects who orders and pays for checks.

In all three cases, DBS checks are ordered through the standard Disclosure and Barring Service process, and the cost of sponsor vetting is not passed on to the sponsor personally.

Consequences of a missing or problematic check

If a sponsor household fails or refuses a DBS check, the match cannot be approved and the guest must find a different sponsor. If a guest is asked for a police certificate and provides nothing, with no explanation, the application risks refusal on the same logic gov.uk applies to other routes: no certificate and no satisfactory explanation means the application will be refused.

The safest position for everyone: answer every document request with either the document or a written explanation, and never leave a request unanswered.

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

Guests are not normally asked for a police certificate from their home country under this route. Sponsors and adult household members are screened with DBS checks instead. If a caseworker specifically requests one, order it from ACRO for UK periods or from the police authority of the country concerned.

Yes, if you are a Ukrainian national or a resident of Ukraine who held permission to stay in Ukraine before 1 January 2022, and you have a sponsor in the UK willing to host you for at least six months. Applications are made online through UK Visas and Immigration, and you give your biometrics at a visa application centre.

Any adult in the UK with at least six months of suitable accommodation available can sponsor. The Home Office checks the sponsor and everyone over 16 living in the household, mainly through DBS checks and council visits, rather than through a police certificate.

The sponsor first records their offer with the local council, then the guest completes the online application through UK Visas and Immigration and books an appointment at a visa application centre to give fingerprints and a photograph. Once approved, the guest travels to the UK and collects their biometric residence permit.

You book the nearest available visa application centre when completing the online application. For guests who left Ukraine, centres operate in neighbouring countries, and the booking system shows the available locations for your country of residence.

You can still apply. The Home Office accepts alternative identity evidence, including an expired passport with an explanation of why a new one cannot be obtained, and the visa application centre will confirm what to bring to your appointment.

Under Homes for Ukraine, each guest applies individually with a named sponsor, and family members can be included as long as the sponsor’s accommodation fits everyone. Close family members may have a path through the Ukraine Family Scheme instead.

You can host an adult or a family, and in some cases an unaccompanied child, but hosting a child without a guardian requires extra local authority approval and enhanced DBS checks on every adult in the household.

Helpful guides

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

Which countries accept a UK apostille, which require embassy attestation, and country-by-country guides for UK documents used abroad.

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

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