Now, get police clearance certificate online

Tribune News Service

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Chandigarh, November 25

There is something to cheer for city residents as the UT police are going to launch an online Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) service.

With the new facility, to be launched on November 27, residents will be able to fill a form for PCC while sitting back home and pay fees online. Earlier, they had to fill the form manually and visit the local police station.

With the online application process, the Chandigarh Police expect to cut down the time taken for issuance of a PCC from the present one month to less than 15 days.

A large number of residents and institutions seek PCC to enable themselves to apply for a visa, employment, periodic background checks etc, which requires them to visit the police station, fill a form and submit supporting documents. The application and documents are then processed from office to office and subsequently a PCC is issued manually.

This work flow was analysed and an online application process has been devised.

After an initial registration process, the applicant will have to fill the details in the application form and upload photo and digital copies of supporting documents.

The Chandigarh Police have tied up with the SBIePayTM, a payment gateway portal of the State Bank of India (SBI), which will enable the applicants to pay through net banking or by debit or credit cards.

The processing fee for issuance of PCC will be Rs 250 for individuals and Rs 500 for institutions.

Once an online application is submitted and the requisite fee paid, a digital copy will be sent to the police station concerned, followed by a physical verification at the stated address. The report will be uploaded using digital signatures of the Station House Officer (SHO) concerned to the Supervisory Officer (ASP/DSP), who will securitise the report and thereafter, transmit it to a Centralised PCC Issuing Authority (DSP/CID). The latter will authorise issuance of the PCC subject to a clear report from the police station.

A digitally signed and verifiable report will be emailed to the applicant, who can print the same as per convenience. An SMS confirming the issuance or denial of the PCC will be sent to each applicant.

Police officials said the Embassy or High Commission of the country to which the applicant was applying for emigration or employment-based visa as well as other requisitioning employers would be able to verify the authenticity of the PCC by logging on to the website of the Chandigarh Police and submitting the details through a barcode or entering the unique number manually.