Last updated on July 16th, 2020
I was not asked to provide PCC while filing my citizenship application. However, my wife was asked to provide one. So here is her account of how she got the Indian PCC for Australian citizenship application.
Once I prepared Australian citizenship application, I was asked to provide a list of supporting documents. Police Clearance Certificate a.k.a. PCC was one of them. If you were out of Australia for 12 months or more and if you stayed in any country for 90 days or more, you need to provide PCC for each such country.
Please note that this has nothing to do with whether you are the primary or secondary applicant. Since I was in India for more than 6 months after I got my visa and stayed in India for 6 more months after my validation trip, I had to provide PCC.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to manually calculate PCC eligibility. Once you file your citizenship application, the system will tell you whether you need to provide one.
PCC Online Application
One important thing to know before applying for PCC is that your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the date of the PCC application.
Indian PCC can only be applied through VFS Global in Australia. Getting Indian PCC is a two-step process. First, you need to complete an online application form on the Indian embassy site – https://embassy.passportindia.gov.in/. You need to register on the site first before you can fill the application form.
The online application is divided into 7 sections:
1. Passport details. One tricky detail here is File number. Don’t worry, you will find it on the last page of your passport, below the address and starts with PN.
2. Applicant details
3. Family details such as the name of your parents and/or spouse
4. Your permanent address in India and current residential address in Australia with contact details. If you don’t have Indian phone number active, provide a number of your parents or sibling. You also need to select relevant police station for your address in India.
5. A simple yes/no about your criminal background
6. A Review of Details which will be printed on your PCC letter
7. Review of the entire application form
Use the address mentioned on your Indian Passport as the permanent address in the application unless it is changed. This will avoid any unnecessary queries and delays in processing your PCC.
At any point during application, you can save the application and resume later. Once you submit the application, you need to download the form, print and sign it. Along with the application, you need to manually fill and sign below 2 documents:
1. PCC Checklist – This is simply a checklist of documents that you need to submit along with the PCC application. Just tick the ones which are relevant to you and sign at the end.
2. Personal Particulars form – You need to provide your name, address, permanent India address and current Australian address. You also need to provide the name of the police station near your permanent address in India. This is same as what you chose in the online application form.
You also need to give name, address and contact details of two references who can vouch for your addresses. I provided one reference for each address – one for Indian address and one for Australian address. It’s a good idea to let both references know that you provided their contact details in the PCC form, though usually they won’t be contacted.
Apart from the documents, you need to provide two passport size photographs. You can try to take photos as per VFS guidelines but I prefer Australia post. It costs a little but I prefer the peace of mind over money.
How To Submit Documents
Once I had these two documents ready along with the application form, I had two options:
1) send them via Australia Post or courier or,
2) submit them in person
Though VFS recommends sending them via express post or courier, I didn’t do so for two reasons:
1) It adds an unnecessary delay in the process and,
2) If there is any query about any of the document, there might be a delay in going back and forth with VFS. In the worst-case scenario, your application might be rejected altogether.
Maybe I am paranoid, but I like to play safe. So I chose to visit the VFS office in person.
Visiting VFS Facility
To visit the VFS office, you need to book an appointment. So once I had everything ready, I went to VFS Online Booking system to book an appointment.
Booking an appointment is simple. All you need is a passport number and your contact details. Once the booking is confirmed, I downloaded and printed the appointment letter.
I carried below documents for my appointment to the VFS Melbourne centre:
1. Latest Indian passport
2. Signed application form
3. Signed PCC checklist
4. Personal particulars form
5. Two photographs (I carried the photographs separately without pasting them on the form)
6. Appointment letter
Depending on your VFS centre, you might be asked to submit the passport. So keep in mind that if you have a citizenship interview scheduled, you might not have a passport for the interview. In such a case, it is better to reschedule the interview. Since you must carry all the documents in original and passport is one of the important documents, you will be asked to reschedule your interview if you don’t have the passport with you. In my case, I had just submitted the citizenship application so I had plenty of time to submit PCC.
If you submitted the passport for PCC and have citizenship interview scheduled in the near future, either reschedule the interview or call DIBP explaining your circumstances. This will help you avoid problems during the citizenship interview.
Cost of Indian PCC
Indian PCC cost varies slightly depending on many factors:
1) How are you going to submit an application – in person or by courier?
2) How are you going to collect documents – in person or by courier?
3) How do you pay – cash, credit card, debit card or postal order?
4) Do you need SMS notification?
5) Which state do you live in?
In my case, I opted to submit in person and collect by courier. Also, I opted for SMS notifications. Since I paid with a debit card, it cost me approximately 67$ AUD (66.82 AUD to be exact). You can find out how much it will cost using the online calculator.
Indian PCC Processing Time
You may receive PCC within 5 – 45 working days according to VFS website. One of my friend’s wife got her PCC in just 2 days as her Indian passport was renewed from Australia. In my case, it took a little more than a month to get my PCC.
To conclude, PCC is a time-consuming process. But the good thing is that you don’t need PCC before submitting citizenship application. That way you can save time and have PCC ready by the time case officer asks for it.
Freqently Asked Questions
Since I received so many questions on this article, I could see that a lot of people are not clear about certain aspects of this process. Hence I decided to get in touch with various VFS offices to clarify some of these questions. Below are some of the answers I received from them.
Q1. In Personal Particulars form, what should be the Permanent address in question 8(a) and what should be the Residential address in question 8(b)?
Answer: The permanent address should be your Indian address and the residential address should be your current Australian address.
Q2. What needs to be filled for Question 9 if I haven’t lived at the current residential address for one year?
Answer: There seem to be different interpretations by different VFS offices. So I will mention their responses as is.
Adelaide VFS: If you have not lived at the current address in Australia for more than a year, please fill your previous address in 9A (you will need 3 photos and two personal particulars form).
If in the 9A address you have not lived for more than a year, please fill the previous address in 9B (you will need 4 photos and 3 personal particulars form). (This is by far the most logical answer!)
Melbourne VFS: Form says you need to fill the additional form but a single form would suffice. Please do not fill additional forms. (My most favourite answer – no fuss!)
Sydney VFS: Keep Q9 blank. (WTF! Didn’t expect this. I guess they don’t want any hassle)
Q3. In Personal Particulars form, if I lived on the address given in question 9(a) for more than a year, do I still need to provide another address in question 9(b)?
Answer: No
Q4. Should I paste the photos on the form or should I send them with the application?
Melbourne VFS: No need to paste the photos. We will paste it for you.
Sydney VFS: You can either paste the photos or send them with the application. Either way is fine.
Q5. Do I need to send original passport along with the application or I can send a photocopy? I am not comfortable sending original passport via post.
Answer: You must send the original passport. Photocopy or prints are not acceptable, even if they are attested by the notary. On the other hand, all the centres except VFS Melbourne are accepting in-person applications at the moment. So if you are not comfortable sending via post, book an appointment and visit in person.
Q6. In Personal Particulars form, should the references in question 10 be from India or Australia?
Answer: You need to provide two references from India who are not your parents or siblings. References can be your uncle/aunt, neighbours or friends.
So that was my experience of getting Indian PCC and it was relatively smooth compared to the other stories I heard. What was your experience? Did you face any delays or multiple round-trips for PCC? Let me know in the comments below.
Hi Harsh, Thanks for detailing the process. Really helpful.
I have a query – My current Indian address is different than what is on the passport. The problem is my family doesn’t stay at that address anymore.
Do you know if it is still ok if I give that as my permanent address?
Points to note:
1. My Aadaar card has my current address on it. Will they use this for verification?
2. I was issued a PCC in 2017 for my permanent address
Appreciate if you can throw some light on this.
Thanks!
Hi Rahul,
There are two approaches to your problem. I am assuming that the permanent address you mentioned in the passport is no longer valid.
1. You can still use the permanent address to get PCC. As you were already issued PCC for that address, I believe the Police won’t personally visit the address but it depends on the police. It’s quick but illegal way as you are getting PCC using wrong address.
2. You can use your current address to get PCC. In this case, the Police may visit your residence and PCC might take slightly longer.
This is all based on my assumption that you left your permanent address. But if your permanent address is still valid and just that nobody lives there, you can still use it to get the PCC. Aadhar card doesn’t play any role to get PCC by the way.
Hi,
You have said that the address on the passport is adequate for permanent address purposes…but, my passport was renewed in Australia and so has my Australian address on it.
If I write that address as my permanent address how will the Indian authorities verify?
Thanks for your reply
Hi Terence,
That’s a unique situation.
I guess your best bet is to call VFS, explain your situation and follow their advice.
Hi,
I wanted to know if international police check done through Australia Post is valid for citizenship application?
Thanks
Hi Praveen,
I am not sure about it. It’s best to put this question to Australia post or the department of Immigration and Citizenship.
I am sorry I couldn’t help you much in this regard.
Good luck!
Hi Harsh,
I have in the similar situation as yours. I applied for my citizenship and for my wife. but since my wife had made her entry and had gone back to India and arrived only after nearly a year(the total days counts to 366 ) they are asking for PCC. I have applied for the PCC and in the personal particulars form as you mentioned i put my Indian address as Permanent and Australian address and current. I also put two reference 1 each for both address. For my Indian address is it okay to put my Dads address as personal reference?
Another thing to ask you is that can i lodge my a wife’s application before getting the PCC as i have already applied or should i wait for the PCC to arrive for lodgement? What was the timeline when the case worker asked you about the PCC?
Hi Sreejith,
You can use your dad’s address for reference. I remember my wife did the same for her PCC.
Secondly, you can lodge the application without waiting for PCC. We waited for PCC to be ready before lodging my wife’s application but that’s unnecessary. Usually, PCC takes a month or so. So you should get plenty of time before the case officer asks for it. In the worst scenario, if it not available by then, you can simply tell him/her that you have applied for it and can provide PCC application receipt as proof. They will simply delay the decision on your application until the document is submitted.
Good luck!
Hi,
Currently VFS global offices are closed and I need india PCC from within Australia. But it seems they are accepting applications via post. Do I need to send original passport via post? Also using post payment is only via credit card but I don’t have one. How can I pay via debit card.
Appreciate your response on this.
Thanks.
Hi Rohan,
Yes, I believe you need to send original Indian passport for PCC. Also, I found that the term Credit Card in Australia is loosely used to refer both Debit and Credit card. So you should be able to use Debit card even though it says credit card.
Good luck!
Thanks Harsh. Also I noticed VFS site mentioned they need unmounted photos. So do I need to paste photos on application forms or not. Or will they paste photos themself.
Hi Rohan,
My wife didn’t paste photos. She carried them along with her to the VFS office.
However, the unmounted photo doesn’t mean unpasted photo. The unmounted photo simply means raw photo without any decorative border, hanging material or frame.
Hi Rohan,
I just wanted to know if you actually ended up sending your passport via post? I find this very risky as I am still a student and that is my only source of identification. I cannot afford to lose it.
What do you think about this, Harsh?
Thanks a lot.
Hi Sony,
I wholeheartedly appreciate your concern and agree with you that I would not be comfortable to send the passport via post.
But at the moment due to Covid-19 situation, you don’t really have an option but to send it via post.
If you are not okay with it, then it’s probably best to delay the application until the VFS offices open.
Hi Harsh,
Your post is very useful. My husband is applying for UK Tier 2 Visa from Australia. He is asked to provide PCC from India. We moved to Australia 3 months ago. For our Australian Visa we got PCC from India in Dec 2019. We lived in Chennai before coming here. We were renting the house. So its not our permanent address. So how to proceed for PCC now with my situation. Thank you
Usha
Hi Usha,
Thanks for the comment.
Is your old PCC (the PCC you got for the Australian visa) less than a year old? If yes, then you can use the same PCC for UK visa. If not, you can apply for the fresh PCC through VFS Global with the same address as on your Indian passport.
All the best!
Hi yes its just 5 months since we got the PCC. But the problem is in The PCC it is Mentioned that that PCC is only for Australian Immigration purpose and for nothing else. So probably we have to apply new one. Thanks anyway for your help.
Regards,
Usha
Hi Harsh,
Thank you for the PCC guidance. We have submitted the PCC with VFS by post. Now to track our application status should we go to VFS and use the reference number in the PCC application . Thank you
Regards,
Usha
Hi Usha,
You can use VFS’s online tracking facility to check the status of your application: https://www.vfsglobal.com/india/australia/passport_service/track_application.html
Cheers!
Hi
Do we paste our picture 2”x2” on the personal particular forms and sign it? Also I was in india for 4 months last year so should I fill in the indian address in one separate pp form as my residential address with the time period?
Hi Bhavna,
Yes, you need to paste your picture on the personal particulars form and sign it.
With your second query, I believe you are asking about question #9 of the form where it asks other addresses if you haven’t stayed at residential address given in 8b for last one year. I interpret it as if you were staying at a different Indian address than the one mentioned in 8b, then you need to give details of it. If you were staying at the address given in 8b you don’t need to fill anything for question #9.
Let me know if you have different interpretation.
Good luck!
Hi harsh
I have sent my Application through aus post but i have not got any confirmation from vfs That ur application has been received .
Its been 2 days already
Auspost app showing its been delivered.
Hi Manpreet,
Did you check the status on VFS global site: https://www.vfsglobal.com/india/australia/passport_service/track_application.html? If not, maybe try doing that. If that’s not successful, I guess you can call them to check the status.
Could you please let us know, how long did you take to get the PCC.
I am applying now and bit nervous about the time of getting it .
thanks
Hi Manpreet,
It took me 1 month and a week to get the PCC however it varies on a case-by-case basis. My friend got it in just 2 days.
Plus, given the current COVID-19 situation, you should definitely be prepared to experience some delay.
All the best!
Hey Harsh,
This post was really helpful. I’ve been in Melbourne now for 1.5 years & I’m applying for a second work visa, so will need a PCC. I’m a bit paranoid about the post as well but due to COVID, that’s my only option now.
I have a different address on my Passport than my “Permanent Address” on my PCC application. This was the same case 1.5 years back when I applied for the same in India. No Policeverification was done & I got it on the same day. (I did take my IT return as proof of address) However, while applying from OZ, they have not asked for any address proof, does this mean it most likely will need police verification ?
Also (last one! sorry), Can I give my Cousin’s contact details for Aus Present address? She stays 30 minutes away, I’d rather give her contact details than my roommate who is from another country.
Thanks in advance!
Stefan
Hi Stefan,
Thanks for your comment.
I can’t tell whether there will be police verification or not but usually, if the address on the passport is the same as the address on PCC, I believe police verification doesn’t happen. This is just from personal experience but it may vary from case to case. So, I can’t tell you for sure.
Secondly, whichever address you want to give as your residential address is up to you. As you don’t have to provide proof, it’s up to you. But please note that this is the address where your passport will be returned. So if that’s okay with you, then yes, you can give your cousin’s address.
Good luck!
Hi,
Thank you for posting such valuable information, I have a question about the address on the passport though. I live in Australia and the address is my permanent address but I have rented it out . Is it still ok to mention it for the PCC
Thank you
Regards
Hi Neerja,
Thanks for your comment.
I believe you can use it provided if there is an in-person police verification, you will be present at the given address.
Cheers!
Thank you for speedy response. I’m applying for pcc from Australia , so I’m not in India. Also I applied for my new passport in 2018 from India , so the verification is recent .
Hi Neerja,
According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, when PCC application is submitted to the consulate, they forward it to relevant Passport Issuing Authority in India(PIA). Based on PIA’s status, consulate issues PCC. Hopefully, you should get your PCC without any hassles if you submit all the relevant documents along with the application.
All the best!
Thank you that answers my question🙂
Hi Harsh! Hope you are doing good!
I have been trying to get hold of the PCC application form from VFS Global Website. But it keeps showing ERROR 404 – PAGE NOT FOUND. You can check it yourself. I am pasting the link here – https://www.vfsglobal.com/india/australia/visa_services/consular_miscellaneous_services.html
They are still accepting applications by post but all I need is the Application form and the Personal Particulars Form. Would you happen to have these blank forms anywhere on your computer? It would be of great help!
Thanks in advance.
Hi Shraddha,
Please check your email.
I sent you the requested details.
Cheers!
Hi
Do we need to submit our original passport, if we send application by post or a JP certified copy is fine. Please advise. Thanks
Hi Silak,
Yes, you do need to send original passport by post. A certified copy is not valid.
Hey Harsh,
Great post on this topic. I want to know what should I put in “Present address in country of domicile” in the PCC Application Form. Right now I am living in Australia, so should I put my Australian address here?
Thanks
Hi Aman,
Yes, you need to put your Australian address there.
Thanks.
Thanks Harsh. Really appreciate you taking time to reply
Hi
I have applied for PCC early this month, they have accepted my application and sent a police verification to my local police station in my home town. I contacted the local police station they said they have received the verification but its the first time they received this kind verification from embassy. So they don’t know what to do or how to process this type of verification. What do I do now? Should I call vfs now. But the helplines are closed too..
Hi Raveena,
It’s really surprising that they sent your application to the local police station in India. If the helpline are down, maybe you can try contacting them over email: passportinfo.inau@vfshelpline.com. I think they will be the best contact to let you know what to do.
All the best!
Hi Harsh,
At first, thank you so much for making steps clear and easy to apply for PCC. I have a question on Personal Particular form, question # 8 and 9. For question 8 (a) we have mentioned Indian address and for question 8 (b) we have given australia address as we are staying here from Dec 7th 2019. Please advice what to be filled in question 9 ? Thanks in advance for your suggestion
Hi Abhijith,
Thanks for your kind words.
For question 9, you need to provide the previous two addresses as mentioned in the question if you haven’t lived in your present address for one year. You will also need to provide separate personal particular form – one for each of the address.
Thanks Harsh, we have lived in India permanent address for more than 5 years and in Australia from 7 months. So what would I update in question 9 in this case. You mean to say I would update Indian address in one form and Australia address in other form. Thanks
Hello Harsh,
Please help me with below query as im still bit confused on 8 and 9 question.
8(a) Permanent Address & Tel. No.along with Police Station
I will mention Indian address correct ?? Please suggest
8(b) Present Residential Address & Tel. No, along with Police Station and residing since
Here, I’m confused whether to give Indian address or Australia address. Please suggest as we’re staying here from Dec’2019
9 If you have not been resident at the address given at COLUMN 8(b) continuously for the last one year, please furnish other address(es) with duration(s) resided (Please furnish an additional set of P P Forms for each address with Police station.
Based on 8(b) which address I should give here. Please clarify
Thanks again for your time and assistance
Hi Abhijith,
I can’t tell you what you should fill but in my wife’s case, she put Indian address for 8(a) and Australian address for 8(b) along with local police station name.
Since we were staying on the same address as in 8(b) for more than a year, she didn’t fill anything for question 9.
But in your case, since you haven’t stayed on the same address for more than a year, you need to give one or more previous addresses with their duration in question 9.
It is not mentioned in the question 9 but I assume that if you stayed for a year or more on the previous address, you don’t need to provide second address. If not, you do.
Also, you will need to fill two separate PP forms for these addresses as per their guidelines.
Hope it is clear now.
HI Harsh, Thanks for providing such an in-depth run down of the process.
I intend to apply for the PCC soon. I am just unsure about the following:
a) My permanent address in India is in Patna but due to COVID-19, my parents have decided to relocate to the south as we are originally from there. In this case should i provide the Patna address or Kerala one? My family including myself have only lived in Kerala during holidays but have sufficient residential proof as in ownership of the house for years. And my parents have recently acquired ration cards with this address.
b) Additionally, i just have a tad bit more faith in the Kerala police to get things rolling compared to the Patna police.
Kindly suggest what you think would be the best option. I tried ringing up VFS but to no avail. Are they available via email maybe?
Thanks
Hi Priya,
Thanks for the comment.
In my opinion, it is best to provide the address on the passport as your permanent address, even though you are not temporarily living there. It might reduce the chance of having physical police verification at your place as it was already verified when the passport was issued. As you might know, if they don’t do physical police verification, the whole process is a lot quicker.
Then again, if you want to talk to VFS, it’s better to email them on passportinfo.inau@vfshelpline.com as the helpline is no longer open.
All the best!
Hey Harsh!
Thanks for the reply! That definitely helped. Just another question, are you required to paste the photos in the personal particular form and application form? Do you need to sign the photo in the particulars form ( I vaguely recall reading a comment suggesting that) and does that mean in total I need to get 4 photos, two pasted and two to send along with the apppication?
Just a quick query. Once you submitted the request for PCC, did a police personnel visit your address in India/your relatives to verify the details of your application?
Hi Aditya,
No. In my wife’s case, there was no physical police verification. However, it is up to the Passport office to decide whether to ask for physical police verification or not. So your case might be different than mine.
Hello Harsh,
I have a couple of questions and need your suggestion. The PCC form asks about employment, I have mentioned unemployed, because I am not employed in india.
Second query is that personal particular form asks for references, do I need to give references of Australia or India ?
Hi Joy,
By employment, it asks for your current employment status, not the Indian one.
Secondly, for references, I chose to give one Indian and one Australian reference – one for each address. However, other people have provided just Indian references and that worked fine too. So it’s really your choice.
Hi
Thank you for your responses. Sorry I’m still very confused are we suppose to give address tel. No. And police station?? All in the 4 lines given below 8a and 8b?
Also if a new set of pp is required for each address what to fill in the 9 in the first form? As I have 5 addresses in 10 years.
And when we give additional forms does the answer for 8a and 8b remain the same ? And do the new addresses go in 9 (1) and (2) in all the forms.
Hi Bhavna,
Welcome to the Great Indian Comedy Show. 😀 I know it’s frustrating to not have clear instructions. Here is what we did.
We filled Indian address on our passport as a permanent address in 8(a) and our current residential Australian address in 8(b). Since we lived in the residential address for more than a year, we didn’t fill anything for question 9.
However, if you haven’t, you will have to give at least two addresses with police station names where you lived in the past along with the duration. Also, you need to fill two PP forms – one for each address. In the second PP form, if you haven’t lived on that address for more than a year, same story continues again. For that PP form, answer to 8(a) i.e. permanent address will remain the same but 8(b) should list the address which you mentioned in 9(a) from the first form. Same goes for the next PP form.
It’s kind of like past address history where you need to supply additional forms if you haven’t lived on any address in question 8(b) for more than a year.
Hope I haven’t confused you more. 🙂
Oh thank you so much , got it . This time you made it very clear thank u so much. So, the references will only be for the indian addresses and will remain the same on all forms? Since the check will be done in india ??😐 Or do i have to provide references for Australian addresses aswell? Thanks in advance.
Hi Bhavna,
Please check the Frequently Asked Questions section I added to the post. I hope it will answer all your questions.
Cheers!
Hi
Due to the Covid 19, are we only allowed to send the documents and application for PCC via post?
Do we need to submit the original passport when sending via post for pcc.
When booking an appointment online cannot select date and time for appointment.
Hope you can help.
Thanks
Sanu Shaji
Hi Sanu,
I don’t know your location so I can’t really answer that question. Some of the centres are open and accepting in-person applications. Please check this link: https://www.vfsglobal.com/india/australia/visa_services/index.html
You need to submit original passport either in person or via post. If you are sending the application by post, you don’t need to book an appointment as mentioned by VFS.
Hi,
I have applied for pcc via vfs global. They said that it is with indian sydney consulate. When i contacted them they said it is with rpo bangalore from where my passport was issued as there was no police verification on the passport. Since I had renewed my passport in bangalore, the rpo bangalore dis not issued any policr verification. Now the consulate is saying my application is waiting for clearance from rpo bangalore..so will they do a police verification and that now i am in sydney how will police the police verification happen if any or what is the process in passport where no police verification was issued…?nn
Hi Joan,
I am pretty sure in the current COVID-19 scenario, there won’t be any physical police verification. However, it’s better to get in touch with the Bangalore police station closest to your address and check if they have received any such request from Passport office. If they do, you can explain your situation and they should be able to sort it out. If they didn’t receive any request, you can check with Bangalore Passport office with respect to the status of your application.
Hope that helps.
Good luck!
Hey Harsh,
The information that you have provided was quite useful.
I got a question regarding Personal Particular Form.
1) My permanent address where I used to live before coming to Australia has been demolished one year ago. Right now It’s an empty land. My dad is living near by apartment but still on my passport, Aadhaar, Pan, Voter ID my previous address is there. In PPF 9(a) I need to provide permanent address. what should I provide?
2) Right now I’m living in Melbourne where VFS office is closed due to Covid. Where should I get 2*2 inch photograph ?
Could you please help me out? Thanks in advance.
Hi Rohith,
1) In my opinion, it’s best to give an address where your dad is currently living so that if the police verification happens, there won’t be any issues.
2) I believe you should be able to get the photos from AusPost if you provide the specifications.
Hi, harsh my question is regarding pcc
I have submitted my pcc application on 17th of july and I received a msg from vfs that your application is received and under assessment on 24th of July, but whenever I’m trying to track the progress it shows no results found. What does it means?
And my current Indian passport was issued here in Melbourne in 2018 and I never visited back to India until now. So how long it will take to get my results?
Best regards.
Hi Manmohan,
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to answer your queries. I can’t really tell how much time VFS will take to process your application. It’s better to contact them directly and wait for the outcome.
Good luck!
I am living in Wagga Wagga NSW. I want to apply the Indian PCC for my further visa process.
Could I plan to go to VFS canberra office with an appointment or do I need to go to VFS Sydney office? Because I have a doubt that VFS offices accept the appointment on basis of current living location/state.
Pls guide me.
Hi Gurvinder,
This is the question which can be best answered by VFS people only. I suggest you give them a call or email them about your situation. Hopefully, you will be able to submit your application at the Canberra office.
Good luck, mate!
Hi,
I have send my documents for PCC for India from Australia through Post as due to Covid 19 they are not giving any appointments along with Postal money order.
Paid the fee for SMS as well. Posted on 30th July now its 3rd August still haven’t received any response.
Did the tracking and VFS has received the package on 31st July.
How much time it takes VFS to reply that they have received it and there are no issues in proceeding with file.
Look forward for your response.
Thanks
Puneet
Hi Puneet,
I can understand your frustration however VFS is very vague and unclear about their processing times especially during COVID pandemic. Usual processing time is 4 to 6 weeks and that proved true in my case. So the usual rule of thumb is that if you don’t hear back anything within a week or so, you can assume that it is sent to India for further processing and can take more than a month.
It’s best to just email them asking about the status of your application (though I won’t guarantee that you will get a reply 😀 )
A very useful information. Appreciate your efforts in mentioning it point by point.
Thanks Anand. Appreciate your kind words!
Hi Harsh. My citizenship is application is ready and I have attached all the documents – expect Indian PCC. I have not submitted my application yet, because I get this pop-up message saying
“Not all required evidence has been provided. The department strongly recommends that all required evidence be provided before submitting to assist in processing the application.
Explain why evidence cannot be provided at this time”.
Also, in the below pdf, it says “Ensure all documents with a Progress status of Required are attached to the application before continuing to pay and submit the online application.” And the ‘Attaching documents to a submitted application’ section in this pdf mentions that only jpeg type attachments will be allowed (which is a bit odd, I think).
https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-text/online-account/Documents/attach_documents_citizenship.pdf
I did see in this post that you have mentioned that PCC is not needed before submitting citizenship application. But I just want to double-check with you if you think its okay to submit it without the PCC? Thank you in advance for your help.
Hi Darpan,
Only the required documents need to be attached before submitting the application. So you can safely attach the PCC document later when you have it.
I agree that it’s odd that they mentioned that they accept jpg format of the file only after application submission because clearly they accept PDF files when attaching documents before submission.
Unfortunately, I don’t know why that is the case as I didn’t submit any document after submitting the application.
Hi Harsh,
Firstly, wow! what a detailed description.
I appreciate your time and efforts into this.
I have all documents ready to be couriered at AUS Post.
I have a query on where to do the payment? or how?
Thanks
Deepansh
Hi Deepansh,
Thanks for your appreciation!
With postal submission, I believe you can either pay via postal order/demand draft or you can fill in the debit/credit card authorization form given at the end of the PCC checklist.
Hi Harsh,
Thanks for all the detailed explanation. Just a quick question, because of covid i had to extend my parents visa and now I am asked to submit PCC from India. I wanted face to face submission but i am getting nearest available appointment date on 31st august. Do you think by post will be quicker in this situation? As i have been given 28 days for the submission of pcc by aus govt.
Thanks.
Hi Mumtaz,
I can understand your situation. What you can do is send the application by post and show that as proof that you have initiated PCC process to the Australian government in case they ask for it. That way you will be safe even if there is a delay in PCC processing by VFS.