# Indian PCC timeframe



## Aksi (Aug 22, 2013)

Hi All,

I applied for my Indian Police Clearance and received an update on 02/04/2014 stating "Your application is received and under assessment at the High Commission/Consulate General of India". However, there has been no update after that. 

In the VFS website the timeframe suggested are as below - 

"5 working days except if clearance is required from India. If you do not get your PCC in 7 working days, you will know that it has been referred to Authorities in India and will take up to 6 weeks"

Does this mean that my PCC will take 6 weeks 
Anyone in the same situation?

****PS; I had booked my medicals this Friday but looks like I need to cancel it because I need my passport as proof :frusty:


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## Huss81 (May 17, 2013)

which country have you applied from?


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## Aksi (Aug 22, 2013)

Huss81 said:


> which country have you applied from?



Applied from Australia.


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## krs_cdr (Apr 11, 2014)

Hi Aksi,
Thanks for your post. My situation is not exactly the same as yours but similar. I definitely share your frustration!
I lived in India till 2005 but hold a foreign passport. As I have applied for a visa to a third country, I am required to obtain a police check from all the countries I have lived in the last 10 years. So this means I need an Indian Police Clearance Certificate.

I applied through VFS in March but as I am a foreign passport holder, my application is submitted on a preapproval basis which means I don’t even have the lodgement receipt. When submitting my application I got told by VFS staff it might be rejected because I would need a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from my local thana in India from when I was living there. Which I personally think is absurd (why would I apply for Police Clearance outside of India if I could just go to my local thana in India? Isn’t that what consulates are for?). 

So after more than the 10 days VFS said it would take to process my application the VFS website just says “A Visa Application for you has been created on 27/03/2014. Please submit the same with your signature, supporting documents and the applicable fees within 30 days to avoid forfeiting your fees”
I called VFS up and they said they have requested information from the Indian High Commission, who are meant to get back to them within 48hours. 48 hours was up yesterday but VFS hasn’t received any information yet.
When I asked what I should do, I was told to just wait indefinitely. 
So now I don’t know if my paperwork has been sent to India and that it might take 2 months  

So basically now I have to wait indefinitely just to find out if my application for a PCC is rejected or approved.

Meanwhile, I have plane tickets in May with no visa (or passport) since I will not be issued a visa without my Indian PCC. I am wondering if my hopes for this visa will be dashed just because I cannot procure an Indian Police Clearance Certificate on time


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## Aksi (Aug 22, 2013)

Hi krs_cdr,

Sorry to hear about your situation.. I started following up with VFS from day 5 and I kept getting the same response that I would receive response within 5-8 working days or I had to wait for 6 weeks. Read a lot of horror stories about how some members waited for 3+ months and I gave up hope that I would get mine before June.

However, I got my PCC on saturday (i.e., on the 8th working date). Relieved..!!! 

Guess bugging them everyday helps 

Good luck with your application, hope you get your PCC soon


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## krs_cdr (Apr 11, 2014)

Hi Aksi,
That's great news about your PCC! Congratulations!
Unfortunately for me, I found out foreigners go through a preapproval process, which means processing for the PCC starts only after the Indian Consulate approves the application.
So basically after all this time, the Indian Consulate hasn't even approved my application to enable the High Commission to start processing it yet. 
I have emailed the Indian Consulate Sydney with no reply 
I am not sure what to do, will have to keep bugging them except it ruins my mood in the process 
Here is hoping the Indian Consulate Gods have some mercy on me! :frusty:


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## TYC (Aug 20, 2014)

Hi krs_cdr,
Wondering if there is any progress in obtaining your preapproval from the Indian Consulate?

My mum is in exactly the same situation as you. I have emailed twice to the Indian Consulate, they are still waiting for a reply from Indian.


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## krs_cdr (Apr 11, 2014)

Hi TYC,
Sorry about the late reply, I have not been active on this forum lately.
Sorry to hear about your mother's situation. Since it has been a few months, hopefully it has been resolved already.
However, I will just write what happened in my situation, in case it comes in handy for someone else in the future.
After waiting longer at my end, I went to the Indian Consulate in Sydney. They told me they had send my application to India and they could not do anymore. When I asked what was the normal timeframe for a PCC for a foreign passport holder, I got told they did not have any idea as I was the first person to request this.
In the meantime, my family in India had been enquiring at my city's FRRO as well. Where they got told, the FRRO could not issue a PCC for a foreigner without the orders from the Ministry of Home Affairs Foreigners Division. Which my mother then had to go request for at MoHA, carrying with her, all the necessary paperwork (paperwork I had already supplied in my application in Sydney). The MoHA needs to mail this request to the FRRO, which means it goes through the mailing system in the MoHA and that takes about 10 days just within their various offices. My mother had to go to MoHA about 5 times, just to check at what stage and in which office my request was stuck. After waiting longer, my mother in India got a call from the local FRRO, saying my paperwork from Sydney had reached the FRRO and that she needed to bring more documents to the FRRO. 
After she did that, they had to make an appointment to come to my residential address in India to verify the address.
After this final step, it took about a week for the FRRO to issue it. 
When my mother went to collect it, she was told to come back the next day as the printers were not working.
Anyway finally, I did receive my Indian PCC. Although I am not sure, if I did not have family living in India to chase it up at every step, if I would ever receive it.
I hope since then, this process with the Indian consulate has improved!


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## TYC (Aug 20, 2014)

Hi krs_cdr,
Thank you for your reply, which is very informative.
Unfortunately, my mum has not received the PCC as yet. I may try out MoHA, only problem is there is no one in India who can chase up the case.
Will let you know of the results.


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## charm3d (Jan 14, 2015)

krs_cdr said:


> Hi Aksi,
> Thanks for your post. My situation is not exactly the same as yours but similar. I definitely share your frustration!
> I lived in India till 2005 but hold a foreign passport. As I have applied for a visa to a third country, I am required to obtain a police check from all the countries I have lived in the last 10 years. So this means I need an Indian Police Clearance Certificate.
> 
> ...


Wow I am in the same boat! I need to get a visa for France but need a PCC from India as I lived there. Sounds like a pain! I hope the process has improved.

Thanks for sharing your experience.


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## gurunan (Jul 6, 2015)

I was an Indian citizen from my birth in Goa 25 years ago until last year i.e. when I acquired Portuguese citizenship while studying in Australia. I subsequently got my Portuguese passport issued to me at Sydney and proceeded to surrender my Indian Passport and got the cancelled passport and surrender certificate issued by the Indian High Commission in Sydney. I also have an application in process now at Sydney for my OCI.

My question was regarding the PCC which I need now for the Australian PR. I need the PCC for my time in India. I lived there for 25 years of my life as a citizen until I came to Sydney. Now my concern is about applying as a Foreign national since I no longer am an Indian citizen but my required PCC is from the time when I was one. Should I follow the same method with the online form and if so how long will it take? I was wondering if it would take longer than the 5 working days mentioned on the VFS website as I have heard it has to go through a pre-approval stage. Does it apply for OCIs too?


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## delhi_ratnesh (Sep 11, 2013)

Dear Experts,
Please can you advise when shall I expect approval on my PCC application from passport office ? timeline is in signature.


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## Brane (Feb 26, 2016)

Dear Experts,
The Indian PCC of my spouse was applied on 7th Nov,2016 in PSK. She renewed her passport recently. The address verification was also done by police after visiting the residence last saturday on 12th nov,2016 and the police personnel asked her to submit docs in police station. We submitted the docs on sunday 13th Nov,2016.

When I called up the regional passport office Mumbai today, they communicated the status to be as "Pending with local police station".

So how much time does it usually take for the PCC to be delivered at PSK?

Regards,
Brane


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