Papers from your own country: police certificate and dual nationality

Police clearance certificate — Police Character Certificate / Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)

In Pakistan the certificate is normally issued through the local police and the DPO's office; if you are already abroad, the Pakistani embassy or consulate is the route.

An application normally needs your identity card (CNIC or NICOP), a copy of your passport, photographs and proof of address. The exact list differs by city and by consulate; get the list from your own consulate before you apply.

Getting it accepted in Europe

Before it is accepted in Europe the certificate has to be authenticated. Pakistan has joined the Hague Apostille Convention, but whether your document travels on an apostille or still needs the older Ministry of Foreign Affairs and embassy legalisation should be confirmed with the MoFA and with the embassy of the country you will file it in. We are not printing a flat answer because we could not confirm one on an official page.

Two nationalities — Only with countries on a list

Pakistan allows dual nationality only with countries it has an arrangement with, and there is an official list. Whether Spain, Italy or Portugal are on that list is something we could not confirm, so we do not state it here. This is the question people are caught by years later, so ask your consulate in writing before applying for another citizenship.

Police clearance certificate — Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)

In India the PCC is issued through the Passport Seva system — apply online, then attend a Passport Seva Kendra or a Post Office Passport Seva Kendra. If you are already abroad, the Indian embassy or consulate is the route.

You normally need your passport, proof of address and the online application, and police verification may be involved. Documents and procedure differ by state and by consulate; get the list before you apply.

Getting it accepted in Europe

For use in Europe the document needs an apostille. India is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention and the Ministry of External Affairs issues them. Check the current process and the list of authorised centres on the ministry's own pages; we print no fee and no timescale.

Two nationalities — Not permitted — but OCI exists

India does not allow dual citizenship. Taking another country's citizenship ends your Indian citizenship and the Indian passport must be surrendered. In its place there is Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) registration, which is not citizenship but a long-term status. Check the conditions, the fees, and exactly what OCI does and does not give you on the official OCI portal and with the Ministry of Home Affairs; we do not set out the detail here.

Police clearance certificate — Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)

In Bangladesh the PCC is issued by the police, with an online application system; if you are already abroad, the Bangladeshi embassy or consulate is the route.

We could not open any official page from our server to confirm the document list or the procedure, so we do not print one. Ask your consulate for the list in writing.

Getting it accepted in Europe

Authentication is needed before it is accepted in Europe, normally through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the relevant embassy. Whether Bangladesh is inside the Apostille Convention, and which route applies to your document, is something we could not confirm. Ask the embassy of the country where you will file it.

Two nationalities — Could not be confirmed

we could not confirm Bangladesh’s current dual nationality position, so we state nothing here. The blank is deliberate: a wrong answer to this question can cost someone their citizenship. The authoritative source for you is the Bangladesh embassy in the country you live in — Madrid for Spain, Rome for Italy, Lisbon for Portugal. Ask them in writing before you apply for another nationality.

Police clearance certificate — NBI Clearance

In the Philippines the police clearance certificate is called the NBI Clearance and it is issued by the National Bureau of Investigation. The application is made online, with one visit to an NBI office for biometrics.

Create an account on the official page, enter your details, pay the fee and book an appointment. The same site has an online verification for checking that an issued clearance is genuine — worth using if an agent hands you a ready-made one.

Getting it accepted in Europe

Before it is accepted in Europe the document has to carry an Apostille. The Philippines is party to the Apostille Convention, and this is done by the Department of Foreign Affairs through its Office of Consular Affairs (its apostille service is at apostille.gov.ph, and there is a separate e-registry for verifying an issued apostille). Ask the European office first whether a translation is also required.

Two nationalities — Possible by statute (R.A. 9225)

The Philippines has a statute, Republic Act 9225, under which natural-born Filipinos who have since taken another citizenship can retain or re-acquire their Philippine citizenship. The Bureau of Immigration runs the service under that name, and there is a separate route under the same law for including dependent children. What this means in practice is that taking Spanish or German citizenship is not necessarily the permanent end of your Philippine citizenship. We print no documents, fee or procedure here because we could not read that detail from the official page; if you are already in Europe, ask your nearest Philippine Embassy or Consulate whether the application can be made there.

We cover Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and the Philippines so far, because those are the readers we have. The two questions are the same wherever you are from: start the police certificate before anything else, and ask your own consulate — in writing — whether you may hold two nationalities before you apply for a second one.