Criminal records clearance (police clearance) certificates can only be obtained from the Procuraduría General de la República (PGR) in Mexico. Overseas, obtaining the Mexican Police Clearance consists of a two-stage procedure; the Embassy is involved only in the first stage of the process, by preparing a letter to request the certificate.

First stage

  • Request in person the letter at the Consular Section of the Embassy of Mexico in South Africa.
  • Fill in the request form, indicating your last address in Mexico.
  • Present your original passport.

The Embassy will then prepare a letter assisting in the request for the police clearance in Mexico. 

Second stage

The letter prepared by the Embassy and the documents below must be presented at the corresponding office of the PGR*:

  • The letter prepared by the Embassy
  • A copy of the applicant’s passport (the first page, with personal details and the last page, with the bar code)
  • Two sets of original fingerprints. The fingerprints can be taken at the Embassy or at the nearest police station. The fingerprints forms can be obtained from the Embassy.
  • Proof of residence not older than two months, translated to Spanish, if applicable.
  • 4 color photographs (2 front and 2 right profile), unedited, passport size, white background, no eyeglasses, no make-up, no head-dress, not older than 30 days.
  • Should the applicant be unable to submit the application in person, then he/she can issue an affidavit in Spanish authorizing a third person to do so on his/her behalf (affidavit sample here). The affidavit must be accompanied by photocopies of the identifications of the grantor, acceptor and two witnesses.

The documents must be presented to the PGR in Mexico City within 30 days of the letter being issued by the Embassy.

Please note the following:

  • A fee will have to be paid to the designated bank/s for the issuance of the Certificate in Mexico.
  • The applicant must be 18 years old or older.
  • The certificate is valid for 30 calendar days from date of issuance

* In Mexico City, applicants can request the letter at the Dirección General de Control de Procesos Penales Federales (by appointment, telephone number: +52 55 5346 0000, ext. 8428, 8430 and 8427, or via email: Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo.), located in Av. Insurgentes Sur No. 235, 4º piso, Colonia Roma Norte, Delegación Cuauhtémoc, C.P. 06700, México City.

Applicants in any other State of Mexico must apply at their nearest PGR State Delegations Office.

For further information on this procedure, please check the following link (in Spanish): http://www.pgr.gob.mx/Servicios/Constancia/antecedentes%20registrales.asp