Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) Nepal: Free Online OPCR Application and Attestation Chain

A Police Clearance Certificate (PCC), sometimes called a police character certificate or police report, is an official document issued by Nepal Police stating whether an applicant has any recorded criminal history in Nepal. It is one of the most commonly requested supporting documents for Nepalis dealing with foreign governments and employers.

The certificate is most often required for foreign employment and work permits, visa applications, immigration and permanent residency, study abroad, and certain legal matters such as adoption. Destination countries' embassies, immigration departments, universities and overseas employers use it to confirm an applicant's background before granting entry, employment or residence.

Nepal Police runs the Online Police Clearance Registration (OPCR) system at opcr.nepalpolice.gov.np, the official government channel for applying for a PCC over the internet. The portal lets applicants register, submit their details and required documents, and later download a digitally issued certificate without visiting a police office in person.

Police clearance services are also available through the Nagarik App, the Government of Nepal's official digital-services platform, which is published for Android and iOS. Both the OPCR portal and the Nagarik App are operated by the government, and online applications through either channel are free of any government fee.

For applicants who cannot use the online portal or the app, a PCC can still be requested in person at a District Police Office, where a counter form is completed and photocopies of the required documents are attached.

The online application is a short, multi-step form. Accuracy matters: the name, citizenship number, date of birth and address you enter must match your official documents exactly, because any mismatch can delay or invalidate the certificate.

Online applications submitted through the OPCR portal or the Nagarik App carry no government fee and are typically processed in around 2-3 working days, after which the certificate can be downloaded digitally. An in-person application at a District Police Office may involve a small office charge and additional handling time.

Nepal Police does not print a fixed expiry date on the PCC. In practice the document is treated as valid for a limited recent window, and the acceptable age is set by the requesting authority rather than by the police. Many embassies, immigration offices and employers expect a certificate issued within the previous three to six months, so it is best to apply close to the time you actually need it.

Nepali citizens can apply for a PCC, and the online channels make the certificate accessible to Nepalis living overseas, including Non-Resident Nepalis, who can submit using their citizenship and passport and download a digitally issued certificate without travelling back to Nepal.

Applicants who cannot complete the process online may instead apply through the nearest Nepali Embassy or Consulate, or authorize a representative in Nepal through a notarized power of attorney. These offline routes generally take longer than the online application, so plan ahead if you are working to a visa or employment deadline.

A PCC downloaded from the OPCR system is sufficient for many domestic purposes, but most foreign authorities require the certificate to be authenticated before they will accept it. Nepal is not a party to the 1961 Hague Convention abolishing the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents, so no Nepali authority issues the single-sticker Apostille. Instead, Nepal uses a multi-step consular legalisation chain.

The core chain runs from local notarisation, to attestation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of Consular Services, and finally to legalisation by the destination country's embassy or diplomatic mission. Where the document is in Nepali, a certified translation by a licensed notary may also be required. The MoFA Department of Consular Services is located at Tripureshwor, Kathmandu, and operates an online portal for police-character-certificate attestation, which lets applicants apply, pay the consular fee and download the attested document; a toll-free enquiry line (1152) is available within Nepal.

Because requirements vary by destination, applicants should confirm the exact order, any translation requirement and the embassy step with the specific country's mission before starting, as some countries add or waive stages.