Police clearance is the result of a background check conducted by local or national law enforcement, or the government agency of a particular country to uncover any criminal records an applicant may have or to certify that an applicant has no criminal record. Criminal records may include arrests, convictions, and possibly, criminal proceedings. Some countries require police clearance as part of the immigration process to obtain the right to work or live in that country.
Once the background check is completed, a police certificate, which is an official document detailing any criminal records that the applicant may have or showing no criminal activity, is issued. Depending on the country or territory, a police certificate may also be called a good citizen certificate, good conduct certificate, police clearance certificate, national police history check, or judicial record extract. Typically, only law-abiding citizens with a clean criminal background check are issued a certificate of clearance and are permitted entry into another country or territory.