By Dr. Zubair Abbas

One of the key things to do on your list whenever you leave a country is to secure a PCC (Police Clearance Certificate) before you exit the country. It is now a standard practice of multiple groups, companies, establishments and hospitals around the world to ask about a PCC when you apply for jobs or are interviewed for some.

I can share my experience of getting a PCC when I left Riyadh, KSA in 2016. I hope my experience helps others as well. However, things and procedures change frequently in KSA, so, if anyone may experience something different then kindly share what you went through.

To start off, you need an Endorsement letter from your Embassy, which in my case was Pakistan Embassy in DQ Riyadh. Although I heard from other sources that it can take up to a week but in my case it was slightly different.

Things you need to carry along before you visit the Embassy:

– Original Passport preferably with a copy
– Original Iqama with a copy
– Salary Certificate (Tareef Ratib)

I had to ask about PCC at Embassy’s reception and I was directed to a numbered counter where they took all the details and asked me to wait. I was given the Endorsement letter after half an hour. The letter is printed on Embassy’s letterhead in Arabic and it doesn’t need translation.

Second step to get this letter attested from MOFA in Nasariyah. Prior to your visit, you need to do pay an online fee and printout the receipt for the purpose of letter verification.
Refer to the link for payment

http://www.mofa.gov.sa/sites/mofaen/EServ/ServiceCatalog/Pages/serviceDetails.aspx?svc=128

The procedure for MOFA attestation demands patience since the queues are long. I went to MOFA around 9:00 AM and got finished past 12:00 PM.

Third and final step is to submit the attested letter at “IDAARA AL-IDAALA AL-JANAA’IYAH”. This place is in Deera and quite easy to access. However, parking can be challenging around the office so have proper arrangements before your visit. Over here, you submit the Endorsement letter and may or may not have your fingerprints done. They usually give you a timeline of 7-10 days to collect your PCC. You will be given a receipt to claim the PCC on the day of collection.
Refer to the link for address

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Finger+Print+Office/@24.6264449,46.7152865,20z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x3e2f03890d489399:0xba974d1c98e79fd5!2sRiyadh+Saudi+Arabia!3b1!8m2!3d24.7135517!4d46.6752957!3m4!1s0x3e2f05a2428e219d:0x1c75f5ec3a1fa3c1!8m2!3d24.6264364!4d46.7157588

Come the seventh day and you have collected your PCC with your picture, details and all the fingerprints on it. If you are moving to GCC countries then you may not need a translation of the PCC but if you are moving to UK, USA, Canada, Australia or other foreign countries then it’s advisable to get the PCC translated from any of the registered translation offices.

Congratulations on getting your PCC. If you had a different experience then please share and keep helping others as well!

Thank you!