police clearance certificate
Proof that Nepal Police holds no criminal record against you. Not every destination asks for it — but the ones that do will not move without it, and it has a shelf life, so timing matters more than difficulty.
The Police Clearance Certificate — PCC, sometimes called a police report or character verification — is issued by Nepal Police and states that no criminal record is held against you.
It shows up in three places in a study-abroad file: some student visa applications, most post-study work and residence routes, and almost every professional registration abroad in health and education. If you are heading into nursing, medicine or teaching, assume you will need one eventually even if the student visa doesn't ask.
Most missions will not accept a police certificate issued more than three to six months before you apply — get it near the application, not early.
There is an online route and a counter route, and they cost very different amounts.
Online, through the police portal or the Nagarik app: free
At a district police office: around NPR 500
Express service at headquarters: around NPR 1,500–2,000
Typical turnaround: a few working days
We could not reach the police portal from outside Nepal when checking, so the online route is marked partial here rather than verified. It is widely used and widely cited — but confirm it resolves for you before planning around it, and keep the counter route as a fallback.
Gather your identity documents
Citizenship certificate, passport, a recent photograph, and proof of your address. The certificate is issued against your identity records, so the details must match your passport exactly.
Apply online, or at a district police office
The online police clearance report portal is the cheaper route and the one most students use. If you cannot use it, apply at the district police office covering your address, or at headquarters in Naxal.
Wait for verification
Your record is checked against police databases. This is the part you cannot speed up by standing in the queue longer — plan the wait rather than fighting it.
Collect the certificate
Check the spelling of your name and your passport number before you leave. An error here means reapplying, not correcting.
Get it attested, if your destination requires it
Several missions want the PCC attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The consular department runs a dedicated online route for police-certificate authentication.
Online Police Clearance Report (OPCR)
Nepal Police Headquarters
Department of Consular Services, MoFA
This catches out students who worked in the Gulf, India or Malaysia before applying.
A Nepal PCC covers Nepal. If you have lived in another country for a stretch — the threshold is often six or twelve months — several destinations want a police certificate from that country too, and obtaining one from abroad is slow.
Check your destination's rule before you start, and begin the foreign certificate first: it is almost always the long pole in the tent.
Do I need a PCC for a student visa?
It depends on the destination, and it changes. Some student visas require one outright, some require it only above a certain age or course length, and some never ask. Check the mission's own checklist — and get one anyway if you are entering a regulated profession.
Is the online certificate accepted by embassies?
Generally yes, where it carries the police seal and can be verified. Where a mission wants MoFA attestation on top, the attestation is what makes it acceptable, not the route you applied by.
I have a case pending. What happens?
Be honest and take advice. A certificate that misstates your position is far more damaging to a visa file than the underlying issue, and immigration systems share information. This is a point to talk to a lawyer rather than an agent.
How long is a PCC valid?
The certificate does not carry an expiry, but missions do — many will not accept one issued more than three or six months before you apply. Time it to the application, not to your convenience.
Can my family apply on my behalf while I'm abroad?
There are routes for applying from outside Nepal, including through Nepali missions. They are slower. If you are in Nepal now and might need one later, getting it near the time you apply is still better than getting it early and having it go stale.