A letter of authorization or police certificate may be required for visa and immigration purposes, confirming a person’s criminal record. US visa applicants must obtain police certificates from each location they have lived in. Each country has its own requirements for obtaining a police certificate. The UK does not issue letters of authorization, but will provide information to the consulate.
A letter of authorization is a document confirming the absence of a criminal record of a person in a place where the requesting party has lived or worked. this document may be required to obtain, change or update a visa. Authorization letters are issued by the local law enforcement authority where the person worked or lived and are an affirmative statement that the person has a clean criminal record. “Police certificates” are also issued for visa and immigration purposes. A police certificate lists all arrests and their dispositions or states “none found”.
U.S. resident aliens, as well as U.S. citizens traveling abroad or wishing to adopt a child from another country, may need a letter of authorization. Most countries will require visa applicants to have a letter of authorization or police certificate.
A letter of authorization in the United States can be obtained in person or, in some circumstances, by mail, from the local law enforcement agency where the person has lived. Applications are short and require basic identifying information. Supporting documents must be brought in person. In some jurisdictions, copies of supporting documents may be mailed with the application. The applicant should check with the issuing police authority. The letter can usually be issued within a few days.
U.S. visa applicants age 16 and older must obtain police certificates from each location where they have lived in their country of nationality. In addition, a police certificate is required from each locality where he has lived in another country for more than 12 months since the age of 16. If the applicant has ever been arrested, a police certificate from that locality is required regardless of how long the applicant lived there. US Immigration maintains a list of all countries that do not issue police certificates to their citizens.
To be valid, a police certificate must detail arrests, the nature of the crime, and any disposition, even if there was no conviction. A police certificate can be due to a variety of reasons, including visa applications, including those for school attendance and overseas employment. Each country will have its own rules on what contents of a police certificate can result in a visa application being rejected.
The UK does not issue letters of authorization to individuals. They will still give information to the competent consulate. Most countries issue police certificates to their citizens. The procedure is more or less the same in every country. The request for the certificate must be made to the police authority where the person resides. Each country has its own requirements on length of residence in a particular country which makes a police certificate from that country necessary.
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