Singapore Police Clearance

Another one of the requirements from Canada, we have to submit Police Clearance from all the countries that we have stayed in for more than a year (or was it six months?).

We're quite lucky with our timing because Singapore police recently announced that they'd no longer provide police clearance to non-citizens/residents after October 18. We got our letter on Oct 6 and quickly went to the police headquarters to apply for the clearance. We got our clearance on Oct 28, and guess what, we were not convicted of any crimes! yehey!!!! hehehe.

The process was quite simple. You go to the headquarters at Cantonment road, go to the CNCC section (2nd floor), fill up and submit the form along with 2 passport photos, your passport, your IC, and proof that you need this document (ie, letter from Canada requesting for it, see my note below). Then they'll ask you for the specific dates of your stay in Singapore (for EP holders, those the days your EP is active, not exactly the date you entered and left Singapore). After paying the $45/person fee, you're lead to a fingerprinting room where you leave on marks using a kiosk manned by a not-so-welcoming person. once done, you're asked to return in 14 days for the results.

I'm not sure what the process will be though for non-residents, now that they're no longer providing these.

Now about the documentary proof, the singapore police website clearly states that they require "documentary proof from the immigration authority requiring the certificate" followed by "(A print out of the application requirements is not acceptable.)"  So to comply to this, I emailed the Canadian Visa Office in Singapore to ask for a letter. Their reply was "The request letter will only be provided upon receiving the complete application."  Odd, I thought, because in the Visa Office Instructions on Canada Immigration website, it states:

Note: For applications submitted at the Centralized Intake Office (CIO) prior to June 26, 2010, you must submit police certificates with your complete application and supporting documents to the visa office within the 120 day deadline set out by the CIO.

So, pressed with time (Singapore Police stops providing clearance on Oct 18), I went ahead carrying the AOR letter as my only proof. The nice lady on the counter was reluctant at first, but finally did allow us to apply with only the letter as proof.