Fees and steps checked on
A US state police clearance for the UAE is the criminal history record of one state, issued by its justice department or state police in a signed form meant for foreign use. That signature is what the Secretary of State of that state authenticates. The US Department of State follows, then the UAE Embassy in Washington, which attests the record together with MOFA. The key is to order the right version of the record, because the personal review copy some states send is not valid abroad.
Price: AED 1,025 per record plus VAT and about 1 month and 3 weeks once the record is issued. The federal, UAE Embassy and MOFA fees and courier are included; the state's own record fee is paid by you. See attestation fees.
Order the foreign-use version
Each state runs its own service. Three examples from the official pages:
| State | Office | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| California | Department of Justice | The visa and immigration request, not the personal record review, which the state says cannot be used for foreign transactions |
| New York | Division of Criminal Justice Services | The record review with the travel or other country purpose, so DCJS sends a signed document fit for an apostille |
| Texas | Department of Public Safety | A certified fingerprint-based record, mailed to you |
California also says that once you have the result, you can ask its visa and immigration team for a certified or wet-signed letter for the apostille. In New York, results arrive by mail in about 3 to 4 weeks.
If you no longer live in the state, ask how it takes fingerprints from outside. California, for example, accepts an FD-258 fingerprint card from applicants outside the state.
FBI check or state record
The UAE office decides. Some name the FBI check, which covers national records. A state record covers only that state. If the request just says "police clearance from the USA", ask whether a state record is enough. The FBI route is on FBI background check attestation.
The chain for a state record
- State record signed by the state official, in the foreign-use form.
- Secretary of State of the same state authenticates that signature.
- US Department of State adds the federal certificate. The State Department notes that local police records need more than their own seal and sends you to the state Secretary of State first.
- UAE Embassy and MOFA through VFS Global in Washington, issued digitally.
Documents to send
- A scan of the signed state record, showing every page and seal
- Your passport copy
- The name of the UAE employer, school or authority, and its deadline
What goes wrong
- The personal review copy. California's personal copy is refused for foreign use. Order the immigration version.
- A city police letter. It has only a local seal and adds a step. A state record avoids that.
- Wrong purpose ticked. In New York, a record ordered without the travel or other country purpose may not carry the signature an apostille needs.
- Too old. Many receiving offices only take a recent record. Order it close to your deadline.
For a UAE police certificate going abroad, see police clearance certificate in Dubai. Other US documents are on USA certificate attestation.
