PCC Apostille in Uttar Pradesh: Passport Office and Police Certificates
PCC apostille in Uttar Pradesh depends first on which office signed your certificate. Uttar Pradesh is served by three passport offices, at Lucknow, Bareilly and Ghaziabad, and a PCC from any of them goes straight to the MEA. A character certificate from the UP Police district office takes a longer path through notary and SDM.
By the INFINITYGRO documentation teamUpdated Facts checked against MEA and HCCH
PCC apostille sample
I got my police clearance from the Lucknow passport office. Does it need a notary before the apostille? No. A PCC signed by a passport officer at Lucknow, Bareilly or Ghaziabad is a central government document, so PCC apostille in Uttar Pradesh for it goes directly to the MEA. A character certificate from a district police office is different. It needs notary and SDM verification in Delhi, or the UP state route, before the MEA adds its Rs 50 apostille.
Two certificates that both get called a PCC
Clients often send us a document and call it a PCC without knowing which kind it is. The signature at the bottom settles the question.
- Passport PCC. You apply on passportindia.gov.in, attend a Passport Seva Kendra or Post Office Passport Seva Kendra, and the passport office issues it after police verification. A passport officer signs it.
- Police character certificate. A district police office or a Police Commissionerate issues it. The request usually goes through the state police citizen service or the local police office for your address.
Both can be apostilled. They simply take different roads to the MEA.
Key facts
| Passport offices serving UP | Lucknow, Bareilly and Ghaziabad |
|---|---|
| Lucknow RPO address | Passport Bhawan, Vipin Khand, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow 226010 |
| Lucknow RPO coverage | Eastern, central and Bundelkhand districts, including Kanpur Nagar, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur and Jhansi |
| Application portal | passportindia.gov.in |
| Passport PCC route | Direct to MEA, no notary or SDM |
| Police certificate route | Notary, SDM, then MEA (or UP state route) |
| State route authority | HRD / GAD designated officers, Lucknow |
| MEA fee | Rs 50 per document |
Lucknow, Bareilly or Ghaziabad: which passport office is yours
The Lucknow office once handled all of UP and Madhya Pradesh. Offices at Bhopal, Bareilly and Ghaziabad were opened later, and Lucknow now serves 48 districts across eastern UP, central UP and Bundelkhand.
The Lucknow list includes Lucknow, Kanpur Nagar, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Ayodhya (Faizabad), Jhansi, Rae Bareli and Unnao. Western districts fall under Bareilly or Ghaziabad. Check your district on passportindia.gov.in before booking, because the PCC is issued by the office that covers your current address.
Getting the passport PCC before the apostille
Apply on passportindia.gov.in under the police clearance option and book a slot at the Passport Seva Kendra or Post Office Passport Seva Kendra shown for your address. Carry your current passport and proof of the address you live at now.
The passport office then asks the local police to verify your address and record. When the report comes back, the office issues the PCC on its letterhead with a passport officer's signature. That signature is what the MEA checks later.
If you have moved within UP recently, apply from the address where you live now. A PCC issued against an old address can raise questions abroad if it does not match your other papers.
PCC apostille in Uttar Pradesh, step by step
For a passport office PCC:
- Courier the original PCC and your passport copy to our Delhi office.
- We submit it through the MEA's authorised outsourced centre.
- The MEA verifies the passport officer's signature and adds the apostille.
- We return it by Blue Dart or a similar tracked courier.
For a UP Police character certificate, a notary and the SDM in Delhi verify it first. Some clients use the UP state route through the designated authority in Lucknow instead. The MEA then apostilles it. Our PCC apostille hub explains both paths in more detail.
Clients in Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra and Noida
Lucknow and Kanpur: Both districts sit in the Lucknow passport office's list. Passport PCCs from here are usually the quickest to process because no notary step is needed.
Agra: Agra is not in the Lucknow list, so confirm on the passport portal whether your PCC comes from Ghaziabad or Bareilly. The apostille process is the same either way.
Noida: Clients in Gautam Buddh Nagar are close to our office in New Ashok Nagar, Delhi, and can hand over the original in person. Everyone else couriers it in.
Which kind a foreign office usually wants
Employers and immigration offices abroad often name the issuing authority in their checklist. Many visa and residence applications ask for the passport office PCC, because it is linked to your passport number. Some employers or licensing bodies accept a local police certificate. Read the checklist closely, or ask the receiving office, before you apply.
Gulf countries such as the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait do not accept the apostille. They need MEA attestation followed by embassy legalization. See our embassy attestation service for those cases.
Freshness and name checks
Most receiving offices want a recent PCC. The accepted age differs by country and by purpose, so confirm the window with the office that asked for it rather than relying on a general figure. Apply for the apostille soon after the PCC is issued.
Check that the name on the PCC matches your passport letter for letter. A police certificate in Hindi may need a certified English translation, which we arrange through our translation desk.
Countries outside the apostille system
The apostille works in member countries of the Hague Convention, such as the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and most of Europe. China and Germany do not accept it from India. Germany verifies Indian documents through its own embassy.
If you are not sure which process your destination follows, send us the checklist on WhatsApp at +91 85955 58517 and we will tell you which route applies.
Real police clearance certificate apostille samples
Click any sample to enlarge. Personal details are masked.
Uttar Pradesh police clearance certificate apostille FAQs
Does the MEA check whether my police record is clean?
No. The MEA only verifies the signature of the officer who signed the PCC. It does not review what the certificate says.
What is the cost of PCC apostille in Uttar Pradesh?
Our all-inclusive Delhi route service is Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 per document, which already covers the Rs 50 government fee charged by the MEA. Courier is charged separately.
Can I walk into the MEA with my PCC myself?
No. Since July 2012 the MEA accepts documents only through its authorised outsourced centres, not from individuals at the counter.
I live in Varanasi. Do I need to travel to Delhi?
No. Courier the original to us. We do not offer home pickup, but we return the apostilled PCC by a tracked courier.
Can a photocopy of the PCC be apostilled?
No. Only the original signed certificate can be apostilled.
Can one PCC be used for two countries?
Each receiving office keeps the original it receives. If you are applying in two countries, get two PCCs, or ask each office what it accepts, and apostille each one separately.
Other documents from Uttar Pradesh
- Marriage Certificate apostille
- Birth Certificate apostille
- Degree Certificate apostille
- Diploma Certificate apostille
- PCC apostille
PCC apostille in other states
Getting a Uttar Pradesh police clearance certificate ready for abroad?
WhatsApp a photo of the document and the destination country. We reply with the route, the timeline and one total price.