“However good a Constitution may be, it is sure to turn out bad because those who are called to work it, happen to be a bad lot. However bad a Constitution may be, it may turn out to be good if those who are called to work it, happen to be a good lot.”
Dr B R Ambedkar, Constituent Assembly of India, 25 November 1949
Ambedkar was speaking about a constitution, but the point holds for any official process: it is only as sound as the way people use it. A police clearance certificate is a real safeguard when you apply for it yourself, through the office that issues it, at the fee that office publishes. It stops being one the moment a stranger offers to arrange it for you. This page is about doing it the first way, and about the one question most people forget to ask before they begin.
Sources: Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026, notified by the Ministry of External Affairs on 25 June 2026 and in force from 1 July 2026, as published by SCC Online; Telangana State Police, Police Clearance Certificate (Individuals), document list on pvc.tspolice.gov.in. Checked September 2026. Fees and document lists change, so confirm both on the official portals before you pay anything.
Two certificates, not one
A police clearance certificate, usually shortened to PCC, is a certificate issued after the police have verified you. A Telangana resident can apply for one in two different ways, and they are not the same document.
- Through Passport Seva, the Ministry of External Affairs' passport service, on passportindia.gov.in. Its fee for a police clearance certificate is ₹750 under the Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026.
- Through Telangana State Police, on its verification portal at pvc.tspolice.gov.in, where the certificate for individuals is applied for against a ₹500 challan paid at State Bank of India.
Different office, different fee, different paperwork. The mistake is assuming that because both are called a police clearance certificate, either one will do. Whether it will is not yours to decide, and it is not ours either.
| Passport Seva | Telangana State Police | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you apply | passportindia.gov.in | pvc.tspolice.gov.in |
| What it costs | ₹750, from 1 July 2026 | A ₹500 challan at State Bank of India |
| Stated exclusion | Read the portal's own conditions when you apply | Not applicable for visiting or tourist visas |
| Paperwork | Shown by the portal as you apply | A published list, including copies of every passport page and proof of address |
| Address rule | Shown by the portal as you apply | The list refers to addresses within Hyderabad City limits |
| Who decides which one you need | The employer or the embassy for your destination. Ask them before you apply for either. | |
Ask one question before you apply
The requirement comes from whoever asks for the certificate, which is the employer or the embassy handling your visa. Before you pay for either route, ask them three things in writing:
- Which certificate do you accept? Passport Seva's, Telangana State Police's, or either.
- How recent must it be? A certificate issued too early can be stale by the time your visa is processed.
- Does it need to be legalised for my destination? If it does, the country's treaty status decides whether that means an apostille or embassy attestation.
The third question matters more than people expect. Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain are parties to the Apostille Convention, while the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Malaysia are not, so a document legalised the wrong way for your destination is a fee paid twice. The detail is in our guide to apostille and embassy attestation.
Applying through Passport Seva
Apply yourself at passportindia.gov.in/psp/ApplyPCC, and once you are logged in choose Apply for Police Clearance Certificate. The fee is ₹750, under the Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026, which the Ministry of External Affairs notified on 25 June 2026 and which came into force on 1 July 2026.
- Choose the right purpose. Passport Seva issues a certificate for purposes including employment abroad, residential status, a long-term visa and immigration. For a job, employment abroad is the one to select.
- You attend in person. The appointment is at your designated Passport Seva Kendra, Post Office Passport Seva Kendra or Regional Passport Office, and you carry your original documents.
- Check the fee on the day. It was revised on 1 July 2026, so older figures are still circulating in forwarded messages.
Two cautions. First, pay only the fee the portal states, and check it on the day, because the schedule was revised as recently as July 2026 and older figures are still circulating in forwarded messages. Second, do not rely on a website that looks like Passport Seva but is not on passportindia.gov.in. The genuine portal will never need a middleman to complete your application.
Applying through Telangana State Police
Telangana State Police runs its certificate for individuals through its verification portal. The flow it sets out is a challan, then a document submission, then verification by a field officer, who sees your originals. Its published document list includes, among other items:
- The challan receipt for ₹500, paid at State Bank of India.
- Colour copies of every page of every passport you hold, blank pages included, with the original passport for verification.
- A copy of your visa application form.
- Proof of your present address and any earlier addresses within Hyderabad City limits, such as an Aadhaar card, an electricity bill, a landline bill, a voter identity card or a residential certificate from the MRO.
- A purpose letter explaining why the certificate is needed.
- Two affidavits on ₹20 non-judicial stamp paper: one from a serving government servant certifying you, and one confirming your residential address.
- Four passport-size photographs, taken against a light background in light-coloured clothes, since black or dark blue is not accepted.
The list is longer than this and it can change, so read the full version on the portal before you gather anything. Its address items refer to Hyderabad City limits. If you live elsewhere in Telangana, ask your district police how the process applies to you rather than assuming.
Start early, because verification is not in your hands
Both routes depend on police verification, and neither the Telangana State Police page nor the passport fee rules give a fixed timeline for it. That is the practical reason to begin as soon as a destination is likely, rather than after the offer letter arrives. A police clearance certificate is one of the few documents in an overseas application whose pace is set entirely by someone else.
Starting early is not the same as starting blind, though. Ask the three questions above first, then apply for the certificate that has actually been asked for, so the time you save is not spent on the wrong document.
Where Disha fits, honestly
Disha Global Workforce recruits candidates with Non-ECR passports and a minimum qualification of 10+2, for the countries we actually serve in the Gulf, Southeast Asia and parts of Europe.
For our Middle East and Gulf roles, we take care of the police verification step. You are told which certificate the employer has asked for, and we take the process on rather than leaving you to work it out at a counter. You still provide your own documents and the certificate is still issued by the authority, not by us. Applying to us costs nothing, and any charge that ever becomes payable is explained in writing with a receipt before you pay it.
For a role anywhere else, or if you are not applying through us, the two routes above are yours to use directly, and this page is written so you can.
Not sure which certificate your job needs?
Send us the destination and the role. We will tell you what the employer has asked for before you spend anything on it, and for our Middle East and Gulf roles we take the police verification on ourselves.
Frequently asked questions
What is a police clearance certificate for a job abroad?
It is a certificate issued after the police have verified you, which an employer or an embassy abroad can ask for before a work visa is issued. A Telangana resident can apply for one through Passport Seva or through Telangana State Police. The two are issued through different offices, so the employer or embassy decides which one they accept.
Should I get the Passport Seva certificate or the Telangana Police one?
Whichever the employer or the embassy for your destination asks for. The two come from different offices, at different fees, with different paperwork, and an authority that asks for one may not accept the other. Ask in writing before you apply, so you pay for the right certificate once. If you are going to the Middle East or the Gulf through Disha, we take care of the police verification for that role.
How much does a police clearance certificate cost in Telangana?
Passport Seva charges ₹750 for a police clearance certificate under the Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026, in force from 1 July 2026. Telangana State Police asks for a ₹500 challan, paid at State Bank of India, with its own certificate. Anyone asking for more than that to arrange either one is charging you for something you can do yourself.
Can I get a police clearance certificate for a visit visa?
Telangana State Police says its certificate is not applicable for visiting or tourist visas. A job offer that asks you to travel on a visit visa and sort out the work permit later is a warning sign in its own right, whatever certificate you hold.
How long is a police clearance certificate valid?
Neither the Telangana State Police document list nor the passport fee rules set one. How recent a certificate must be is for whoever asks for it to decide, which is the employer or the embassy, so ask them before you apply. That way it is still recent enough when your visa application is processed.
This article describes the position as it stood on 12 September 2026 and is general information, not legal advice. Fees are set under the Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026 and by Telangana State Police, and document lists change. Always confirm the current requirements on passportindia.gov.in and pvc.tspolice.gov.in, and with the employer or embassy that asked for the certificate, before paying for anything.