UAE Police Certificate for Canada Immigration: How to Get One
Last updated: October 2026
Apply for a Police Clearance Certificate from your emirate’s police department, in person, online or through a representative. IRCC accepts one clearance from any emirate, and you need it when you apply for permanent residence. Express Entry applicants have 60 days after an invitation to submit it, so start early.
Who needs a UAE police certificate for Canada?
You need one if you lived in the UAE for 6 months in a row or longer since you turned 18 and you are applying for permanent residence. This applies to expats of any nationality, not only UAE citizens. IRCC may also ask for one if you declared a criminal record on another application.
Here is how the rule works:
- You need a certificate for every country where you lived 6 months in a row or longer since you turned 18
- You do not need one for time before you turned 18
- You do not need one for time in Canada
- Your UAE residence visa does not replace the certificate
- You also need a certificate from your country of citizenship if you lived there for 6 months or longer since you turned 18
Which UAE police certificate does IRCC accept?
IRCC accepts a Police Clearance Certificate issued by an emirate’s police department. It also lists the Criminal Clearance Certificate (national) and the Good Conduct Certificate as acceptable names. Only one clearance from any emirate is needed, per IRCC.
Whatever the name on your document, check that it is a police clearance and not a different kind of letter, such as a character certificate. Our documents checklist shows everything else you may need.
How do you apply for a UAE police certificate?
Apply to the police department of your emirate, in person, online or through a representative with power of attorney. IRCC lists the Dubai Police website and each emirate’s police portal for online applications. Each department sets its own forms, documents and fees, so check yours before you apply.
Pick the emirate police department you will use
One clearance from any emirate is enough, so choose the department where you can apply most easily.
Choose how you apply
Apply in person at the police department, online through the Dubai Police website or your emirate’s police portal, or through a friend, relative or colleague who holds your power of attorney.
Follow your department’s instructions
Forms, documents and fees differ by emirate, and IRCC does not list them. Check your department’s website before you go.
Give fingerprints if the department asks
Police fingerprints are separate from the biometrics you give IRCC for your application.
Check the certificate and scan it
Your name and passport details must match your application. Submit a colour scan of the original, because IRCC rejects certified true copies.
IRCC publishes its own instructions on its UAE police certificate page.
What if you no longer live in the UAE?
Outside the UAE, IRCC says to apply in person at the nearest UAE Embassy. Embassy procedures and processing times vary, so start before you receive an invitation to apply.
If you have moved on, remember that your certificate for your current country of residence follows its own rules. See the next section for the timing.
How long do you have to submit it, and what if it is late?
Express Entry applicants have 60 days after an invitation to submit a complete application, including police certificates. If a certificate is late, you can submit a letter of explanation and proof that you asked for it on time, such as a receipt or tracking number. An officer decides whether you made your best effort, so an incomplete file can be rejected.
For your current country of residence, the certificate must be issued no more than 6 months before you submit your application. For other countries, it must be issued after the last time you stayed there for 6 months in a row or longer.
Our guide to the invitation to apply explains the 60-day clock.
UAE police certificate for Canada: your questions answered
Do I need a police certificate from every emirate?
No. IRCC says only one police clearance from any emirate is necessary.
Pick the department where you can apply most easily, and check its instructions on its own website.
Can my UAE residence visa replace a police certificate?
No. A residence visa does not replace the certificate, and IRCC asks for the certificate when you apply for permanent residence.
You also need certificates from other countries where you lived 6 months in a row or longer since you turned 18. See our documents checklist.
Do I need a UAE police certificate if I lived in the UAE for only a few months?
Only if you lived in the UAE for 6 months in a row or longer since you turned 18. A shorter stay does not need one.
Time before you turned 18 and time in Canada do not count. Keep your passport stamps and residence records so you can show your dates.
Can someone else apply for the certificate for me?
Yes, if you are in the UAE. IRCC says applicants in the UAE may authorize a friend, relative or colleague through power of attorney.
Check your emirate’s rules for the power of attorney it accepts before you sign anything.
Where do I apply online?
IRCC lists the Dubai Police website and each emirate’s police portal as the online options.
Applying online depends on your emirate, so start on your department’s official site.
Are police fingerprints the same as immigration biometrics?
No. Fingerprints for a police certificate are separate from the biometrics you give IRCC for your application.
You will usually give both, at different places and for different reasons.
Do I need police certificates from my home country as well?
Yes, if you lived there for 6 months in a row or longer since you turned 18. You need one certificate for each country that applies to you.
Each country has its own process, and some take weeks. Start every one of them before you receive an Express Entry invitation. See our guide to the invitation to apply.
What does IRCC accept as the UAE document?
IRCC accepts a Police Clearance Certificate issued by an emirate, a Criminal Clearance Certificate (national) or a Good Conduct Certificate.
Submit a colour scan of the original. Certified true copies are rejected and can lead to the application being refused.
Want your whole Canada file checked?
A police certificate is one piece. 30 minutes with a licensed RCIC maps your route, your documents and your timeline, and gives you a written plan.
Amir Ismail is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC R412319) who has been associated with the immigration consulting industry since 1991.
Last updated: October 2026. Source: IRCC UAE police certificate page; IRCC.
