How to get a UAE police clearance certificate

A UAE police clearance certificate records whether the applicant has a criminal record in the UAE. It is also called a good conduct certificate. Employers, universities, immigration authorities and licensing bodies may ask for one, but the organisation receiving it decides whether it is required.

The application is separate from document attestation. First obtain the certificate. Then ask the receiving organisation whether the electronic certificate is enough or whether it requires a later legalisation stage.

Where to apply for a UAE police clearance certificate

The official UAE government portal points applicants to the Ministry of Interior website and MOI UAE app. In Dubai, it also lists the Dubai Police website and app. Dubai Police offers the service through DubaiNow, Smart Police Stations and police stations as well.

Use the authority named by the organisation requesting your certificate. Do not pay two authorities for duplicate certificates unless that organisation specifically asks for them.

Dubai police clearance certificate requirements

Dubai Police states that an application can use a valid or expired Emirates ID number. Applicants who have no Emirates ID must attend a service centre for fingerprints. Its listed fingerprint locations include Al Qusais, Ports, Al Rashidiya and Jebel Ali police stations.

For former residents abroad, UAE government guidance lists a fingerprint card approved by a UAE embassy, two recent photographs, a valid passport copy, the previous UAE visa and the reason for applying. Dubai Police’s current service card presents a shorter document list, so follow the fields shown for your own application and provide the fingerprint card when the service asks for it.

UAE police clearance certificate fees

For Dubai, the published online total is AED 120 for a citizen or AED 220 for a resident after the AED 20 knowledge and innovation fees. An applicant outside the UAE pays AED 300 or USD 88, plus AED 20. Applying through a service centre adds AED 100.

These are Dubai Police fees. Do not apply them to an MOI, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah application: the UAE government says fees vary by language, nationality and whether the applicant is inside or outside the country.

How to track a Dubai Police application

Dubai Police provides a separate Application Status service. Use the application reference number supplied after payment. The published completion time is five working days, so a request that is still inside that window is not necessarily delayed.

If the status does not move after the published period, contact Dubai Police through 901 and quote the reference number. Do not create a duplicate paid application first.

Do you need MoFAIC attestation afterwards?

Only if the organisation receiving the certificate asks for it. A UAE employer may accept the certificate as issued, while an overseas immigration authority may have a different document rule. Some countries do not require legalisation of foreign public documents at all.

Ask one precise question: “Will you accept the electronic UAE police clearance certificate as issued?” If the answer is no, ask which authority must stamp it. That written answer determines whether you need MoFAIC attestation or a destination-country step.

If your police certificate was issued outside the UAE and is coming into the country, use the separate guide to foreign police clearance certificate attestation.