Police Certificate of Character in Grenada: Who Needs One and How

A police certificate of character, often just called a police record, is the document that tells an employer, university or immigration department whether you have a criminal record in Grenada. Grenadians need one for jobs, visas, emigration and nursing or teaching posts abroad. Foreigners who have lived in Grenada, including former students at St George's University, are asked for one by immigration authorities in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

Certificates are issued by the Royal Grenada Police Force under the authority of the Commissioner of Police. You can apply in person in St George's or, if you are abroad, through a Grenadian embassy, high commission or by post. The process is simple once you know the documents, and slow mainly when something is missing.

Who asks for it and why

Immigration departments are the biggest users. Canada, for example, asks applicants for permanent residence and some temporary visas for a police certificate from every country where they lived for six months or more since age 18. That catches thousands of medical students who spent years in Grenada and many Grenadian nationals applying to emigrate.

Employers ask for it too: hotels, banks, schools, security firms and government departments in Grenada, and overseas recruiters hiring Grenadian nurses, teachers and care workers. Some courses and professional registrations require one, as do certain licences, such as those for taxi and bus operators or private security.

Each requester sets its own rules on how recent the certificate must be. Many accept certificates issued within the last six months; some insist on three. Check before you apply so that you do not end up paying twice.

Note that a Grenadian certificate covers Grenada only, including Carriacou and Petite Martinique. Someone who also lived in St Vincent, Trinidad or another neighbouring state needs a separate certificate from each of those countries' police services, and each has its own forms, fees and processing times.

Documents you will need

Requirements published by Grenadian missions in recent years are broadly consistent. Prepare all of the following before you start.

• A completed application form, available from the police or a Grenadian mission, stating the purpose of the certificate.
• Identification. Grenadian nationals provide a passport, NIS card or electoral ID card, plus a birth certificate. Foreign nationals provide a passport or government ID and a birth certificate.
• Fingerprints. An original set taken by a recognised police authority, with the officer's name clearly legible. Applications from abroad have been asked to have the prints notarised.
• Photographs. Recent passport-size photographs, typically three, without glasses.
• Address history. Foreign nationals list their address in Grenada and the dates they lived there; everyone should list previous names, including maiden names.
• Payment made out to the Commissioner of Police, by the method the receiving office specifies.

Applying in Grenada

If you are on island, applying in person is usually quickest, because fingerprints can be taken on the spot and any questions are answered across the counter. Go early in the day, bring originals and photocopies of every document, and carry cash as well as a card in case one payment method is unavailable.

1. Collect the form from police headquarters in St George's or the office handling criminal records, and ask for current fees and processing options.
2. Have your fingerprints taken by the police; this is normally done as part of the application.
3. Hand in the form, identification, photographs and fee, and keep the receipt with its reference.
4. Note the collection date. Express and urgent services cost more but shorten the wait.
5. Collect the certificate in person with identification, or authorise someone in writing to collect it for you.
6. Check that your name, date of birth and passport number are correct before you leave the counter.

Applying from overseas

Go through a mission or post directly. Grenadian embassies and high commissions accept applications and forward them, or you can send the complete package to the Commissioner of Police. Someone in Grenada can also apply on your behalf with your documents and written authority.

Fingerprints abroad. Have them taken at a local police station or an accredited fingerprinting service on a standard card. Make sure the officer prints and signs their name legibly; unreadable details are a frequent reason for return.

Fees by speed. Recent embassy guidance listed regular, express and urgent services at roughly US$22, US$41 and US$60 respectively, about EC$60, EC$110 and EC$162 at the fixed rate. Fees are reviewed, so confirm before paying.

Delivery. Pay for tracked courier delivery both ways where you can. Ordinary post from Grenada to North America or Europe can be slow and hard to trace.

Why applications get delayed or returned

The single most common problem is poor fingerprints. Smudged prints, prints taken on plain paper rather than a fingerprint card, and cards without a legible officer's name all cause delays. If you are unsure, have two sets taken and send the better one.

Name mismatches come next. If you used a different surname while in Grenada, such as a maiden name, or your passport has changed, list every name you have used. The search is run against names and dates of birth, and a missing alias can mean an incomplete check.

Incomplete payment or the wrong payee also sends applications back. Make payment to the Commissioner of Police exactly as instructed. Finally, applicants sometimes forget to state the purpose, which matters because some uses require particular wording on the certificate.

Timing it with a visa or job offer

The certificate is often the last document to arrive in an immigration file, so build it into your plan rather than leaving it until an embassy asks. If an authority accepts certificates up to six months old, apply roughly when you are ready to submit the rest of your file; too early and it expires before a decision, too late and the whole application waits for it.

Some immigration systems, Canada's among them, let applicants submit proof that a certificate has been requested if it has not yet arrived. Keep your receipt, courier tracking numbers and copies of everything you sent so you can show the request was made.

Overseas employers recruiting Grenadian nurses and teachers sometimes need the certificate within a few weeks. In that case the express or urgent service is usually worth the extra cost. Ask the recruiter whether they want the original posted to them, a certified copy, or a scan, and whether a translation or apostille is needed for the destination country.

What the certificate shows

The certificate states whether the police hold any record of convictions under your name and identifying details. It is a statement of convictions, not a character reference, and it does not cover other countries. Where there is a conviction, the certificate will normally record it, and the requesting authority decides what weight to give it.

Spent or very old convictions are handled under Grenadian law, and the rules on what must be disclosed can differ from those in the country asking. If you have a record, get advice from a Grenadian attorney before an immigration interview, and answer immigration questions honestly; a mismatch between your answers and the certificate causes more trouble than the conviction itself.

Keep the original safe and order a fresh certificate for each major application rather than reusing an old one. Many authorities reject anything older than their limit, and a certificate cannot be revalidated.

Frequently asked questions