Ghanaian students and residents in South Korea may sometimes need a police report or police clearance document issued in Ghana for immigration, employment, education, legal or other administrative purposes.
Because the exact document and authentication requirements depend on the organization requesting it, confirm the required format before starting the process.
1. Identify the Document You Need
First determine whether the requesting organization needs:
- A police report concerning a specific incident
- A Police Clearance Certificate
- Criminal background/vetting information
- An authenticated copy
- A notarized document
- A legalized document
- An apostilled document
These are not necessarily the same thing.
The Ghana Police Service identifies Police Clearance as a criminal background check used for purposes including immigration and employment, and it also provides an authentication service for police clearance documents.
2. Apply Through the Ghana Police Service
The Ghana Police Service currently provides an online eServices portal through which applicants can apply for police services, including Police Clearance and different forms of vetting.
The portal allows applicants to:
- Create an account
- Select the appropriate service
- Enter personal information
- Provide supporting information
- Make payment
- Select an appointment
- Select certificate delivery information
- Print the application documents
For applicants living outside Ghana, the Ghana Police Service specifically provides a Nominal Vetting (Non-Resident) option and requires passport information to be uploaded.
3. Authentication
If the receiving organization requires confirmation that the police document is genuine, Ghana Police Service provides an Authentication of Police Clearance service.
4. Notarization and Legalization
Do not assume that notarization alone will make a Ghanaian document acceptable in South Korea.
The receiving Korean institution may require one of several authentication methods depending on the purpose and document type.
Before paying for notarization or legalization, ask the organization:
“Do you require a notarized copy, authentication by the Ghanaian authorities, legalization, or apostille?”
This distinction is important because international document authentication procedures depend on both the issuing country and the country where the document will be used.
5. Keep Copies
Keep:
- Original police document
- Application receipt
- Authentication receipt
- Notarized copy
- Scanned PDF
- Translation, if required
Important: Requirements can differ significantly between Korean immigration offices, universities, employers and other institutions. Confirm the exact requirement with the organization requesting the document before beginning the process.
