Reasons Embassies Require Behavior Certificates
Requirements, Contents and Reasons to Get Police Clearance
Called behavior certificates, certificates of good conduct, criminal clearance certificates, personal police clearance certificates or criminal record certificates, these certificates may lead to long delays in procuring visas at the relevant embassies. The frustration abates somewhat when one realizes the reason why governments require them.
How to Obtain a Behavior Certificate
The purpose of a police clearance certificate, as they are called in South Africa, is to satisfy the government of the country where the applicant wants to work, study or reside that the applicant has not been found guilty of a criminal offense. To apply for a certificate of good conduct , the applicant must have a set of ink-rolled fingerprints taken at a police station, embassy, FBI in the USA or Scotland Yard in the UK.
Applicants have to provide the person taking the fingerprints with official identification before the fingerprints will be ink-rolled, thus ensuring the person whose name appears on the set of fingerprints is indeed the person whose fingerprints are submitted to the authorities for verification. The official completing the fingerprint form certifies it by affixing his signature, official dispensation and date to it.
A completed set of ink-rolled fingerprints, a copy of official identification and often a letter of application are handed to the relevant authorities to ascertain the criminal record, or lack thereof, of the applicant.
What Information Does a Police Clearance Certificate Contain
Although the format of the certificate varies from country to country, the basic information remains the same. The applicant is identified by his or her full name, surname and date of birth. If the applicant is a married woman, some, though not all, certificates will indicate her maiden name. The country where the applicant was born also appears on the certificate, hence the requirement of an application form where this information may be supplied. This is verified by the official identification form the applicant hands in, together with the fingerprints.
The details of any criminal record includes the date and place of conviction, the crime the applicant was convicted of and the sentence imposed upon the applicant after conviction.
The signature of the authorizing officer issuing the certificate is affixed to the certificate together with a date stamp containing the details of the issuing office. A reference number enables the issuing office to deal with any queries regarding the certificate. The certificate is valid for 3 to 6 months after date of issue.
Reasons Why Behavior Certificates Are Required
Most counties do not have a public register of offenders. The embassy firstly attempts to protect the safety of its citizens from offenders by screening immigrants from other countries.Safety of the host country's citizens: Most counties do not have a public register of offenders. The embassy firstly attempts to protect the safety of its citizens from offenders by screening immigrants from other countries.
Economic reasons: Should an immigrant commit a criminal offense in a foreign country, it places a further economic burden on the public resources of the host country. Investigation and prosecution of offenders are paid for from treasury funds, depleting resources available to citizens of the host country.
Successful prosecutions often lead to imprisonment of the individual offender, again paid for by the State. Should the immigrant be deported, the host country incurs further expenses in arranging transportation and personnel to accompany the deportee.
In conclusion, obtaining these certificates might be a time consuming and tedious process in some countries, but it is an indispensable requirement, protecting the integrity of both the applicant and the host country.
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