How to Get a Police Clearance Certificate for a Nomad Visa

A police clearance certificate is an official document that shows whether you have a criminal record, and many digital nomad visa programs ask for one. Some programs want a certificate from each country where you recently lived.

This guide explains how to find the right issuer, order the certificate, add an apostille, and fit the process inside the age limit that consulates set. It gives examples for applicants from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Nigeria. The full list of papers is in the document checklist.

How to Get Your Police Clearance Certificate, Step by Step

1. Find Out Which Countries Must Issue a Certificate

Each visa office decides how far back in your history it looks. The rules below come from consulate and ministry pages checked on 27 October 2026.

Portugal: The VFS Global checklists for the Portugal D8 visa ask for a certificate from the country where you lived during the past year. Applicants aged 16 and over need one.
Spain: Consulates publish their own versions of the rule. The Canberra and Beijing pages ask about the past two years. The Houston page asks about the past five years. Beijing counts a stay of more than 180 days. The page on Spain’s digital nomad visa covers the rest of the Spanish file.
Croatia: The Ministry of the Interior asks for proof from your home country. A country where you lived for more than one year just before arriving also counts. The steps for Croatia’s temporary stay show where the proof goes.

A list of each country where you lived in the past five years, with dates, makes these checks easier.

2. Order the Certificate From the Correct Issuer

The document has a different name in each country. Four common examples follow.

United States (FBI Identity History Summary)

Fee: $18 per person. The FBI says faster service cannot be bought.
Speed: The FBI lists about 48 hours after electronic fingerprints at a participating post office. A mailed fingerprint card takes about 15 days, and a full mail request takes up to 50 days.
From abroad: FBI-approved channelers only serve U.S. citizens and permanent residents who are in the United States, and they charge extra. A nomad abroad can complete the online request and mail a fingerprint card. U.S. embassies and consulates do not take fingerprints.
Age limit: Spain’s Houston consulate asks for an FBI check issued within the past six months.

United Kingdom (ACRO police certificate)

Issuer: The ACRO Criminal Records Office. The Portuguese and Spanish consulates in the UK both name the ACRO certificate for UK records.
Fee and speed: Recent guides list the standard service at about £65 to £70 and 10 to 30 working days. Fees and times have shifted over the past year, so the ACRO site is the place to confirm both. One guide dated July 2026 reports that ACRO paused premium applications because of high demand.

Canada (RCMP certified criminal record check)

Issuer: The RCMP, using fingerprints. Spain’s embassy page in Ottawa accepts only the RCMP certificate that carries fingerprints.
Fee: The federal fee is CAD 25. The police service or accredited fingerprinting company collects it and adds its own charge.
Speed: The RCMP says three business days or less when there is no match to a criminal record. A possible match that needs manual review can take up to 120 business days. Mail adds more time.

Nigeria (Police Character Certificate)

Issuer: The Nigeria Police Force, through the POSSAP portal at possap.gov.ng. Nigerian guides say applicants need a National Identification Number or a Bank Verification Number.
Fee: Recent guides list ₦30,000. A 2023 news report cited ₦40,000, so the portal price should be checked before paying.
Fingerprints: Applicants in Nigeria give fingerprints at a police command. Applicants abroad can choose the diaspora option on the portal. The Nigerian embassy in Abu Dhabi lists AED 200 for fingerprints. The embassy gives the applicant a sealed envelope to send to the Force CID in Lagos.
Warning: A 2023 report from the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism described applicants who were asked for extra money at fingerprint capture. Paying only through the portal and keeping the receipt leaves a record of the official fee.

Applicants with a Nigerian passport can also read about visas for Nigerian passport holders.

3. Add the Apostille or Other Legalisation

An apostille is a stamped certificate that confirms the signature and seal on a document. It does not confirm what the document says. Countries that joined the Hague Apostille Convention accept an apostille instead of embassy legalisation. Portugal, Spain, and Croatia all use it, as do the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

United States: The State Department’s Office of Authentications issues the apostille for FBI results. The fee is $20 per document, with Form DS-4194 naming the country where you will use it. Mail requests take up to five weeks from receipt. Walk-in drop-off in Washington, D.C. takes seven business days. The FBI does not pass results on to the State Department, so the applicant sends them.
United Kingdom: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office issues it. The paper service is processed within 15 working days of receipt, and courier return costs £32 to Europe or £42 to the rest of the world. Recent sources list the paper fee at £45 per document. The e-Apostille takes two working days but needs a PDF signed by a UK notary or solicitor. A paper ACRO certificate usually goes through the paper service.
Canada: Global Affairs Canada issues the apostille. Spain’s Ottawa page says the visa will not be issued without it and advises starting early.
Nigeria: The Hague member list updated in September 2026 does not include Nigeria. Nigerian legal firms say the certificate goes to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja first. The embassy of the destination country then legalises it.

The Hague Conference status table shows current members, since the list changes.

Overhead view of a document with a round official stamp pressed into its corner

4. Translate the Certificate if the Consulate Asks

Translation rules differ by country.

Spain: The Canberra and London pages ask for an apostille and a translation. The Ottawa page asks for a sworn translation into Spanish. It adds that the translation does not need its own apostille, and the apostille does not need a translation.
Croatia: Documents must be in Croatian or English. Other languages need a translation by an authorised translator.
Portugal: The checklists reviewed do not state a translation rule, so the consulate checklist is the source to follow.

5. Plan the Timing Around the Age Limit

The age limit counts from the day the certificate was issued. The apostille and translation steps use up part of that window.

Portugal: The newest VFS Global checklist asks for a certificate issued within 90 days. A March 2025 version said four months. The shorter limit is the safer one to plan around.
Spain: The London checklist allows six months unless the certificate states a longer validity. A BLS Spain checklist for Istanbul asks for three months.
Croatia: The ministry page does not state a maximum age. The certificate is needed only for the first application, so the extension rules do not repeat the step.

A worked example shows how fast the window shrinks. An American applicant who mails the FBI result for an apostille uses about 35 days of a 90-day window, which leaves about 55 days. A British applicant who waits 15 working days for an FCDO apostille uses about 21 days, which leaves about 69 days. Shipping, translation, and the appointment all have to fit in what remains.

Other papers also take time, including proof of income and health insurance. Booking the consulate appointment first, and ordering the certificate afterward, protects the window.

Wide shot of a bright airport boarding gate window at golden hour

Common Mistakes to Check Before You Submit

Wrong level of check: Spain’s Houston page asks for the federal FBI check, so a local or state police letter would not match.
Apostille on the wrong signature: Spain’s Ottawa page says the apostille must certify the signature on the criminal record check, not other signatures.
Removed staples or seals: The Houston page says not to remove the staples, rivets, or security seals from an apostilled document.
Missing countries: A consulate may ask for a certificate from each country in your recent history, as Section 1 shows.
Old certificates: A certificate that is a few days over the limit can be refused, so the issue date should be checked against the consulate checklist.

Official Pages to Check

Plan the Trip Around Your Paperwork

Police certificates and apostilles take weeks, so the paperwork usually comes before the flight. Once your documents are on their way and a consulate date is set, you can search flights on FlyBibe for Lisbon, Madrid, or Zagreb. Build your arrival plan around that date. FlyBibe is built around what remote workers weigh, such as wifi reliability, visa rules, and cost of living.

Immigration and tax rules change. Confirm current requirements with the relevant embassy or a qualified professional before making plans. This article is general information, not legal advice, and it reflects information as of 27 October 2026.