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Police Certificate for Vacation

zuroma999

zuroma999

Member
Hey guys, about twenty years ago I did a 13 month backpacking trip through India (I reside in Canada). I didn't put any of the addresses of that trip on DS-260 since they were related to a vacation.

But I am assuming I will need to get a police certificate from India since the wording on the "if you've been selected" pages is:

lived in a different country for more than 12 months

& was 16 years or older at that time
​
"lived" is kinda vague so to be safe I was going to get a certificate from India.

Do you guys agree?
 
I just checked the reciprocity by country page for India and under Police Records it has:

  • Indian police certificates are not available for foreign (non-Indian) applicants applying outside India.

So does that mean I don't need to get one and will be ok without one?
 
I guess. I know of other cases where applicants have not had to show police certificates as they are not available. Maybe print that out and take it with you to the interview just in case.
 
Since I have some time I will also see if I can get a letter from the Indian consulate saying that police records for foreigners outside India are not available.

But I am curious to hear from people who went to the interview without some police records (because they were unavailable), and what their experiences were like.
 
On the old forum there was someone from a country, maybe Sudan or Somalia?, where police records were unavailable. He didn't have to show one and still had a successful interview. I believe that the consulates use the same reciprocity by country tables as published on DoS website, possibly slightly more info for them but basically the same guidelines.
 
zuroma999 said:
Since I have some time I will also see if I can get a letter from the Indian consulate saying that police records for foreigners outside India are not available.

But I am curious to hear from people who went to the interview without some police records (because they were unavailable), and what their experiences were like.
Click to expand...

US cos already state t get at on the DV selectees site. I think you could print that and be done.
 
Britsimon said:
US cos already state t get at on the DV selectees site. I think you could print that and be done.
Click to expand...

When I read that it sounded like a Trinidadian accent. Awesome imitation of my people!

I did as Susie suggested and went through the old forum. Couldn't find the exact post she mentioned, but found other good ones. I just emailed the Montreal consulate where I'll interview to confirm I don't need the document and take that email along with the reciprocity page. Much easier than dealing with the Indian consulate.
 
zuroma999 said:
When I read that it sounded like a Trinidadian accent. Awesome imitation of my people!

I did as Susie suggested and went through the old forum. Couldn't find the exact post she mentioned, but found other good ones. I just emailed the Montreal consulate where I'll interview to confirm I don't need the document and take that email along with the reciprocity page. Much easier than dealing with the Indian consulate.
Click to expand...

Sorry I should have been more clear.

Check this link - it is the official page for DVselectees and says clearly that non Indian foreigners residing outsiding India cannot get police certificates. Print that. That's it - you're done!

http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/fees/reciprocity-by-country/IN.html
 
Britsimon said:
Sorry I should have been more clear.
Click to expand...

Was joking, as I found the garbled sentence funny.

Yep I had originally saw the reciprocity page and printed that. Then I went on a small, unnecessary detour thinking I needed extra stuff just in case (like a letter from the Indian consulate confirming I couldn't get a police certificate).

Now, after a day of not really liking the scenery on that detour, and after reading old threads with similar issues, I'm comfortable with just a printout of the reciprocity page.
 
Time to reopen this one. I emailed the Montreal consulate where I'll be doing my interview, asking if I do not need a police certificate from India since the reciprocity page indicates foreign nationals outside India cannot get one.

They responded with a copy 'n paste of some general info from the reciprocity page, but also included these paragraphs:

Police certificates from certain countries are unavailable. If the police certificate is unobtainable, you may present a written explanation with supporting evidence from the appropriate authorities that you have tried to obtain the police certificate and that it is unobtainable.

The consular officer will review the documents provided with you on the day of the interview and inform you if additional information is required in order to continue processing your immigrant visa application.
​
(I added the bold and color). What do you guys think?

Dealing with the Indian consulate here has been a nightmare. Emails keep on getting forwarded to different departments, and when I get a response, its a canned form response and so I have to start over.

I'm hoping those paragraphs are referring to countries where the reciprocity page says you can get a police cert, but then the applicant couldn't get one, vs my situation where the reciprocity page says I can't even get a police cert from India.
 
zuroma999 said:
Time to reopen this one. I emailed the Montreal consulate where I'll be doing my interview, asking if I do not need a police certificate from India since the reciprocity page indicates foreign nationals outside India cannot get one.

They responded with a copy 'n paste of some general info from the reciprocity page, but also included these paragraphs:

Police certificates from certain countries are unavailable. If the police certificate is unobtainable, you may present a written explanation with supporting evidence from the appropriate authorities that you have tried to obtain the police certificate and that it is unobtainable.

The consular officer will review the documents provided with you on the day of the interview and inform you if additional information is required in order to continue processing your immigrant visa application.
​
(I added the bold and color). What do you guys think?

Dealing with the Indian consulate here has been a nightmare. Emails keep on getting forwarded to different departments, and when I get a response, its a canned form response and so I have to start over.

I'm hoping those paragraphs are referring to countries where the reciprocity page says you can get a police cert, but then the applicant couldn't get one, vs my situation where the reciprocity page says I can't even get a police cert from India.
Click to expand...
Keep copies of the canned form responses etc you get. Try calling them and see if you can speak to anyone. But I wouldn't stress overly about this, chances are you are not the first applicant there who has spent time in India.
 
Hmmm... I just did a search. This page kind of implies it doesn't just apply to Indian nationals, because they have fees for US and other passport holders, and from what I understand India does not allow people to hold other passports?

And here is an agency in Canada which also makes it seems foreign nationals can get it -
http://www.blsindia-canada.com/pol_clr_cert.php
 
SusieQQQ said:
Hmmm... I just did a search. This page kind of implies it doesn't just apply to Indian nationals, because they have fees for US and other passport holders, and from what I understand India does not allow people to hold other passports?

And here is an agency in Canada which also makes it seems foreign nationals can get it -
http://www.blsindia-canada.com/pol_clr_cert.php
Click to expand...

Yeah, blsindia is where I started. About a week ago I went in with all the filled-in forms and they said I needed proof of my stay in India over 22 years ago! They said I needed my passport from back then with the entry/exit stamps. When I said I didn't have it, they gave me the email address of the officer at the Indian consulate who deals with these issues. He's the one who keeps forwarding my email to outsourcing companies and asking them to respond and they (blsindia and vfs canada) always respond with canned responses like "your police certificate application is in process" -- when I haven't even submitted the forms yet!

I'm going to go back into blsindia and see if they can print out something saying I need my passport from back then. Beyond that I guess all I can do is continue to email and call and print everything out to bring to the interview.
 
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