How Do You Apply for a Certificate of Clearance in Singapore?

What is a Certificate of Clearance?

Have you been asked to produce a Certificate of Clearance (COC)? The COC is used to certify that a person has no criminal conviction in a particular country within a stipulated period of time. It is also commonly referred to as a “Police Clearance Certificate”, “Certificate of Good Conduct” or “Criminal Record Extract”.

You may be required by a foreign government authority or institution to obtain a COC for overseas purposes, such as migration, adoption, overseas employment or further education.

In Singapore, the COC is issued by the Criminal Investigation Department of the Singapore Police Force (SPF). This article will explain:

• The eligibility criteria for obtaining a Certificate of Clearance in Singapore
• Alternatives to obtaining a Certificate of Clearance

Eligibility Criteria for Obtaining a Certificate of Clearance in Singapore

Singapore citizens, permanent residents, or current holder of valid Foreign Identification Number (FIN)

Singapore citizens, permanent residents, and current FIN holders are assumed to have access to Singpass. As such, such applicants can simply complete the online application form, submit the required documents, and make payment online. Upon approval, an email is sent that contains a link to the digital Certificate of Clearance.

Non-Singapore citizens and non-permanent residents, who had previously held a valid FIN

For Singapore citizens and permanent residents, or even those with valid FINs, you are assumed to be able to apply for Singpass. So this category is for those who had previously held a valid FIN, meaning that they were once residents in Singapore, but who no longer fulfil the requirements for using Singpass.

Such applicants would have to log in using the FIN number held previously, and to make an application and also pay online. Once processed, the applicant would be notified via email to submit a scanned copy of his or her fingerprint impressions via email. The fingerprints have to be recorded at specified institutions in the country of residence, using a specified Fingerprint Form.

Upon successful verification of the fingerprint impressions the approval of the COC, an email will be sent to the applicant with the link to the digital Certificate of Clearance.

Alternatives to Obtaining a Certificate of Clearance

Besides applying for a COC, you can obtain a declaration of no criminal records by making a statutory declaration in the presence of a Commissioner of Oaths or a qualified lawyer. A statutory declaration is a legal document containing a statement made to declare something to be true.

In some cases, making a statutory declaration may be easier than applying for a COC. This is especially so if you are a non-Singapore citizen, since there is no guarantee that the SPF will issue a COC.

Making a statutory declaration is also likely to be a cheaper alternative to applying for a COC. The fee that Commissioners for Oaths can charge is S$25 per statutory declaration and S$5 per exhibit referred to in the document (if any).

Before making a statutory declaration, however, you should first ascertain whether the foreign authority requiring a certification of no criminal conviction will accept a statutory declaration in place of a COC.

For further information, please refer to our article on statutory declarations in Singapore.

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A COC is used to certify that a person has no criminal conviction and you can obtain one via making an online application on the SPF e-services website. The COC application process in Singapore involves different steps for Singapore citizens and non-Singapore citizens.

In particular, if you are a non-Singapore citizen, you are eligible to create an application only after making a successful appeal on the same SPF website. You are also required to submit fingerprint impressions for your application to be considered.

Alternatively, if you have decided to make a statutory declaration of no criminal conviction instead of applying for a COC, you can use our Find a Lawyer service to get in touch with a Commissioner for Oaths or qualified lawyer for this purpose.