General Police Check Requirements/UK Police Checks

[Smcali23]

Hiya -

OK, this is a two-part question. Firstly, has anyone got a police check from the UK done, for residency purposes? If so, which one did you get, as there seem to be a few. And how did you get it (did they send it out here?). Finally, how did you get it apostilled?

Secondly, on the Migraciones website, they say that the police check is only required if you've lived somewhere else for a year within the past 3 years. I've been here all that time. Does that mean I could get away with not having the police check by showing them my passport stamps and what it says on their own website? I've added the Spanish text below:

((d) CERTIFICADO DE CARENCIA DE ANTECEDENTES PENALES emitidos por las autoridades competentes de los países donde haya residido por un plazo superior a UN (1) año, durante el transcurso de los últimos TRES (3) años. Solo exigible a mayores de 16 (dieciséis) años.)

BTW - just for information purposes, I'm applying following marriage, but kind of want to do it quickly as I have to leave the country and have run out of my lives re. renewing the tourist visa.

Any help is greatly, greatly appreciated!!

 

[Smcali23]

Thanks for that info - I did use the search option, but couldn't/can't find the exact answers to my questions.

In your personal case, did you manage to do the second option (the letter) or did you go with the first option (through the British Embassy)? Does this mean that you can just get someone to pick up a letter on your behalf and not have it apostilled?

Again - thanks for your help.

 

[scotttswan]

i skipped the police check and used disclosure scotland instead
which i had translated and i had copies of the translators documents too.

www.disclosurescotland.co.uk
not sure about england.

I had also been living here the past few years but it didn't seem to mater.

 

[jp]

I've done this a few times now.

I got a subject access request, which is essentially a request under the data protection act for all records the police have on you. It should come back saying "no information" providing you have no criminal record. That then needs to be sent off to the FCO, who apostille it and send it back to you.

Don't think you can do it here, I had to send all my docs back to the UK and ask relatives to send things on for me. Its a pain in the arse, and slow. Plus the forms expire depressingly quickly, so if you don't get everything sorted residency-wise within a certain timeframe, you have to ask for them again.

Good luck with it all

 

[EDC]

Interesting that you mention they expire quickly....I've been trying to find out how long the documents are valid for as mine are coming up to 1 year old and not sure whether to try with them or just start again. Any ideas? Cheers!

 

[Smcali23]

Thanks for all that info!

Scottswan - the Disclosure Scotland site seems like a really good option. They say it's valid for England and Wales, as well as Scotland. Did you just fill it out online? Also, did you have to then get this apostilled? I think that's the part that''s gonna take a while.
All the same, I'm thinking of giving it a try, so if you have any more advice of how you went about it I'll be more than grateful!

JP - thanks so much for your reply as well. As you said, the subject access request is a bit of a hassle, but if I have to do this one I will just have to suck it up! The annoying thing is that I had one of those before and then they changed the rules for residency and the category I was going for was taken out. I'm pretty sure its expired.

Maaaan - I've got a feeling there'll be no shortcuts with this one.

 

[Tourist2008]

I have gone for the Subject Access process, but I am in the unfortunate (or foolish) position of having a drink-driving conviction dating back to 2004.

Under UK law this is now statute-barred, or expired. In Argentina also the equivalent offence expires after five years.

However, the Subject Access information being basically a dump of everything that is on the computer does not distinguish ....

anyone had any experience of this?

Or indeed whether a drink-driving offence is a bar to residency, expired or not?

Appreciate any help ....

 

[windy]

I did all this using the met and FCO website. And used my Mums house as a mail staging post inbetween. Once you get the police report it then needs to be sent to a place in Milton Keynes to be Verified as legal. The police report will include everything in your life, warts an all iregardless of whether they have lapsed or not. Mine included an after pub incident that was more than 25 years old.
Then the document needs to come to Argentina to be translated legally and once again legalised. In the midst of this don't dare go home or they will say that your paper work does not cover the days of your holiday and is therefore invalid.
I had been here 6 years when i finally decided to get my paperwork straight and i still had to get the uk police report ect.

 

[scotttswan]

I did all this using the met and FCO website. And used my Mums house as a mail staging post inbetween. Once you get the police report it then needs to be sent to a place in Milton Keynes to be Verified as legal. The police report will include everything in your life, warts an all iregardless of whether they have lapsed or not. Mine included an after pub incident that was more than 25 years old.
Then the document needs to come to Argentina to be translated legally and once again legalised. In the midst of this don't dare go home or they will say that your paper work does not cover the days of your holiday and is therefore invalid.
I had been here 6 years when i finally decided to get my paperwork straight and i still had to get the uk police report ect.

I don't think i ever got my translated version legalised. It was Apostilled in the uk and translated here by an official translator.

It may or may not have been changed since i had mine done though.

 

[Fettucini]

I just got my DNI approved, should have it soon.. if you have a new British passport there's no need to get it translated and waste money - I was told this by the guy at migrations on the day they approved my visa - you can see there'll be a page inside your passport with various languages. I unfortunately was told too late and paid a few extra hundred pesos to the translator for nothing.