If you have a criminal record for minor offenses such as shoplifting or petty theft for instance, and you have the opportunity to travel overseas but still have the record hanging over your head years later, you may be asking the question; can you leave South Africa with a criminal record?
This is one of the challenges faced by those who have criminal records, along with applying for a job these days, when most employers require a police clearance certificate to accompany your application.
It’s even more difficult if you’ve been convicted for minor offenses and you feel you’ve paid your dues; you are still left with a criminal record, whether or not you had to serve time in prison.
Can you leave South Africa with a criminal record?
Because you were convicted by a South African court, you won’t be able to travel overseas or leave South Africa with a criminal record. Any time you require a visa to travel, it will be refused on the grounds that you have a criminal record.
This is just part of the price anyone has to pay once they’ve been convicted of a crime that has earned them a criminal record.
Can you clear your criminal record?
The good news? Yes, you can clear your criminal record! The provisions being that 10 years have passed since the conviction, and that you haven’t been convicted of another criminal offense or sentenced to time in prison, without the option of a fine, during those ten years.
In order to clear your criminal record, you’ll first have to apply for a police clearance certificate with a criminal record from SAPS Criminal Record Centre (CRC).
Once it is confirmed that you meet the conditions set out above during the 10-year period, you’ll be directed to apply for expungement of your criminal record at the Department of Justice.
Getting a Police Clearance Certificate with a criminal record through Doc Assist
If you’d rather apply for your Police Clearance Certificate with a criminal record through document procurement specialists like the team at Doc Assist on your side, any frustration you may face in going it alone is completely lifted off your shoulders.
This team handles applications for PCC’s on a daily basis via SAPS on behalf of their clients, cutting through red tape with the single-minded purpose of delivering service excellence, offered with all their document procurement services.
How long does it take to clear your criminal record?
Because of major backlogs being experienced by the CRC due to an increase in applications for police clearance certificates, you could be looking at waiting from 5 to 6 months until you finally receive your new PCC without the criminal record.
Doc Assist works consistently to cut down on this time, however, getting a criminal record cleared is an even lengthier process when you try to tackle it on your own.
Contact Doc Assist for a quote to clear your criminal record
If you’d like professional help with clearing your criminal record, contact Doc Assist today for a quotation, trusting that this team will do all they can to handle to entire process on your behalf without wasting your time or money!