At a glance
- Local name
- Good Conduct Certificate (Shahadat Husn Sira)
- Country
- Saudi Arabia
- Process steps
- 9
- Fee items
- 7
- Online portals
- 4
- FAQs
- 8
- Pitfalls covered
- 8
- Last verified
- 2026-06
What is Good Conduct Certificate (Shahadat Husn Sira) in KSA?
A Saudi Good Conduct Certificate (Shahadat Husn Sira), also called a police clearance certificate (PCC), is the document showing that a person has no criminal record on file with Saudi authorities during their stay in the Kingdom. It is the standard requirement when someone applies for a long-term visa, a work permit, citizenship, or permanent residency in another country after living in Saudi Arabia. Common use cases include: Canadian Express Entry; UK Skilled Worker visa; Australian permanent residency; UAE Golden Visa; US green card; and Schengen long-stay visas.
The certificate is issued by the General Department of Investigation (Mabahith / Public Security) and requested through Absher Individuals at SAR 100. Since 2023 the certificate is issued digitally with a QR-code-verifiable signature, which most foreign receiving counters now accept directly without further stamping - but some still ask for the Saudi MOFA stamp on top, and a few still require the full embassy chain (Saudi MOFA + Saudi embassy in the receiving country + receiving country's foreign ministry). Plan the legalisation chain based on where you are using the certificate.
Freshness is the biggest gotcha. Receiving counters worldwide treat a Saudi police clearance as valid for only 3-6 months from issuance. Canada IRCC, UK Home Office, and Australia DHA all use the 6-month window; some Schengen consulates use 3 months. If you got the certificate six months before submitting your visa application, the receiving counter will reject it and you have to request a fresh one. The implication is that the certificate should be one of the last documents you gather before submitting the foreign visa, not the first.
The processing time on Absher is genuinely fast: most requests return the digital certificate within 24-72 hours, sometimes within a few hours for clean records. The Absher screen runs the underlying check against Public Security records and Najiz court files in real time. Records with any open or historical investigation (even closed cases without conviction) sometimes take 1-2 weeks because a human reviewer has to clear them; if there is a conviction on record, the certificate may be issued with the conviction noted, or refused entirely, depending on the nature of the offence.
For use abroad the MOFA stamp adds SAR 30-60 per document and takes 1-3 working days through the Enjaz MOFA portal. Saudi joined the Hague Apostille Convention in December 2022, which means receiving countries that are also Hague members can accept a single apostille stamp instead of the legacy chain. The Saudi MOFA-stamped certificate is then either apostilled (for Hague-member receiving countries) or further legalised at the receiving country's embassy in Riyadh (for non-Hague countries). Certified Arabic-to-English translation is usually required at SAR 100-200 per document from a MOJ-approved translator.
One operational nuance worth knowing: the Saudi Good Conduct Certificate only covers the period the person was resident in Saudi Arabia. Most foreign visa applications also require police clearances from every country the applicant lived in for 6+ months in the past 5-10 years. So a Saudi-based Pakistani applying for Canadian Express Entry needs both a Saudi Good Conduct Certificate AND a Pakistani Character Certificate - and both have to be inside their respective freshness windows when the application is submitted.
What documents do I need for Good Conduct Certificate (Shahadat Husn Sira)?
Bring originals AND coloured photocopies of every item. Files are rejected at counter for a single missing page or unattested certificate.
Documents required
- ✓Valid Iqama (or recently expired Iqama if the person has just departed Saudi Arabia)
- ✓Valid passport with the entry stamp and the residence-visa page
- ✓Absher Individuals account in good standing with the Iqama linked
- ✓Saudi mobile number registered in the applicant's name (for Absher OTP)
- ✓SADAD payment capability through a Saudi bank app
- ✓Purpose-of-use declaration on the Absher request screen (work, immigration, marriage, court, study, etc.)
- ✓If using abroad: name of the receiving country and the receiving organisation/embassy for the legalisation chain
Eligibility
- →You are or have been a Saudi resident with a valid Iqama
- →You have no active investigation that prevents issuance (clean and historical-closed records issue normally; open investigations may delay or refuse)
- →You have cleared any open court actions on Najiz (open cases can block issuance)
- →For applicants who have already departed Saudi Arabia: Absher account remains active and the Iqama record is still queryable
How much does Good Conduct Certificate (Shahadat Husn Sira) cost in KSA in 2026?
Government fees current to 2026-06. All payments via the relevant portal wallet or SADAD-equivalent rail; service-centre cash counters typically charge a small extra typing fee.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Good Conduct Certificate (Absher request) | 100 SAR | Standard fee through Absher Individuals; paid through SADAD. |
| Absher processing service fee | Variable SAR | The new Absher per-transaction fees apply selectively; confirm at submission. Often the SAR 100 already includes processing for this service. |
| MOFA attestation in-Kingdom | 30-60 SAR | Per document through Enjaz MOFA portal; required for most international uses on top of the Absher digital signature. |
| Certified Arabic-to-English translation | 100-200 SAR | Per document by a Saudi Ministry of Justice-approved translator; usually mandatory for international use. |
| Apostille at Saudi MOFA (for Hague receiving countries) | Varies SAR | Saudi joined the Hague Apostille Convention in December 2022; the apostille stamp can replace the receiving-embassy chain for Hague-member receiving countries. |
| Receiving country's embassy legalisation (for non-Hague receivers) | Varies USD | Charged by the receiving country's embassy in Riyadh; typically USD 30-150 per document. |
| Express / expedited issuance (when available) | Premium SAR | Not always offered for this service - standard turnaround is 24-72 hours, often fast enough that no express tier is needed. |
Rather not do this yourself?
Skip the Absher queue. The KSA desk files this end-to-end for a fixed fee, with email updates the whole way.
Fixed desk fee · Email updates · No surprise add-ons.
How do I apply for Good Conduct Certificate (Shahadat Husn Sira) step by step?
The end-to-end flow for Good Conduct Certificate (Shahadat Husn Sira) in KSA. Total wall-clock time: Absher digital issuance: 24-72 hours typical for clean records; up to 10 working days when a closed historical case needs human review. MOFA stamp: 1-3 working days. Apostille or embassy legalisation: another 1-2 weeks. End-to-end for international use: typically 2-4 weeks; for direct domestic use the digital PDF is sufficient within 24-72 hours..
- 1
Confirm Iqama and Absher access
Open Absher Individuals on the web or mobile app and confirm the Iqama is active and your Saudi mobile is reachable for OTP. The Iqama validity is read at the request stage - an expired Iqama can still be queried in some cases but it makes the issuance pathway more complex. If the Iqama has expired, the request can sometimes still be filed but may need a counter visit.
⏱ Same day📍 online - 2
Open the Good Conduct Certificate request on Absher
Inside Absher Individuals, go to Services > Public Services (or General Services) > Good Conduct Certificate / Police Clearance. The exact menu path has shifted across Absher updates - search for 'Husn Sira' or 'Good Conduct' if the menu does not show it directly. Fill in: purpose of use (work, immigration, marriage, study, court, etc.); the receiving country if applicable; and the receiving organisation or embassy.
⏱ 15 minutes📍 online - 3
Pay through SADAD
Pay the SAR 100 fee through your bank's SADAD payments option using the bill code displayed on Absher. Payment posts within minutes. The request enters the General Department of Investigation queue for verification.
⏱ 5 minutes📍 online - 4
Wait for the verification and digital issuance
Clean records: certificate is issued within 24-72 hours, often within a few hours. Records with closed historical cases: 3-10 working days for a human reviewer. Records with an open investigation or open court case on Najiz: blocked until cleared. The status is visible inside the Absher request screen. The digital certificate is delivered as a PDF with a QR-code-verifiable signature.
⏱ 24-72 hours typical📍 online - 5
Download the digital certificate and verify the QR code
Download the PDF from the Absher request screen. Test the QR code by scanning it - it should resolve to a verification page on the General Department of Investigation portal showing the certificate is genuine. Many international receiving counters now accept the QR-verified digital PDF directly without further stamping.
⏱ 5 minutes📍 online - 6
Get the certified Arabic-to-English translation
If the receiving country requires English (most do), take the Arabic certificate to a Ministry of Justice-approved translator for a certified English translation. Cost SAR 100-200 per document, 1-2 working days. The translator's MOJ-approval number should appear on the seal. Some Saudi government counters accept translations only from MOJ-approved translators - same constraint applies internationally where the document is being legalised.
⏱ 1-2 working days📍 center - 7
Apply for MOFA attestation through Enjaz
Open mofa.gov.sa > Document Authentication, register an account with your Iqama, upload the scanned certificate and the certified translation, pay SAR 30-60 per stamp via SADAD, and drop off the original at a MOFA office or a delegated typing centre. Turnaround is 1-3 working days. The MOFA stamp is the layer most international receiving counters look for on top of the digital signature.
⏱ 1-3 working days📍 either - 8
Final legalisation: apostille or embassy chain
For Hague-member receiving countries (UK, Canada, US, India, Philippines, most of the EU, Australia, etc.), the Saudi MOFA stamp can be apostilled at MOFA for direct acceptance abroad. For non-Hague receiving countries (Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc.), the next step is legalisation at the receiving country's embassy in Riyadh (USD 30-150 per document). The final step in the receiving country is sometimes another stamp at the receiving country's foreign-ministry equivalent.
⏱ 1-2 weeks for the full chain📍 either - 9
Submit to the receiving organisation inside the 3-6 month freshness window
Most international receiving counters treat Saudi police clearances as valid for 3-6 months from issuance. Canada IRCC, UK Home Office, and Australia DHA use the 6-month window; some Schengen consulates use 3 months. Plan the certificate as one of the last documents you gather before submitting the foreign visa application, not the first. If the application is delayed past the freshness window, you have to request a fresh certificate at SAR 100 again.
⏱ Same day at receiving counter📍 either
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Which portal do I use for Good Conduct Certificate (Shahadat Husn Sira) in KSA?
These official portals handle Good Conduct Certificate (Shahadat Husn Sira) for KSA. Each page on Wathim has the login flow, common errors and sibling fallback when one is down.
Request and download the Good Conduct Certificate; pay through SADAD; track status.
Portal guide →Source of court-case records that the certificate verifier reads; used if a court action is open and needs to be cleared before issuance.
Portal guide →Used to confirm the applicant's Iqama validity at the request stage.
Portal guide →SSO needed to submit and track the Absher good-conduct-certificate request.
Portal guide →💡 Typing centres are useful for the legalisation chain that runs after Absher: MOFA stamp drop-off and pickup; certified Arabic-to-English translation through MOJ-approved translators; and chasing the receiving country's embassy legalisation in Riyadh when the applicant is busy or based abroad. They are NOT useful for the Absher request itself - that is a 15-minute online task that cannot be outsourced. Expect SAR 100-300 in typing-centre service fees on top of the SAR 30-60 MOFA stamp and SAR 100-200 translation.
How do I renew Good Conduct Certificate (Shahadat Husn Sira) and what are the penalties?
Police clearances do not 'renew' in the renewal sense - each request produces a fresh certificate covering the period up to the request date. The receiving counter's freshness window (3-6 months from issuance) is what creates the implicit renewal requirement. If a foreign visa application drags past the freshness window, the applicant requests a fresh Good Conduct Certificate at SAR 100 plus the MOFA stamp at SAR 30-60 plus the translation at SAR 100-200, and re-submits.
Fines & penalties
- ⚠Submitting a forged Good Conduct Certificate abroad: criminal offence in both Saudi Arabia and the receiving country; can lead to visa refusal, deportation, and prosecution
- ⚠Misrepresenting historical convictions or omitting prior cases on the Absher purpose-of-use declaration: can trigger a separate offence; the underlying Public Security record cannot be hidden
- ⚠Stale certificate at the receiving counter (older than 3-6 months): refusal and the applicant must request a fresh certificate at SAR 100 plus all the downstream stamps
- ⚠Using a translation from a non-MOJ-approved translator: receiving counters can reject the certificate even if the underlying issue is genuine
- ⚠Open court cases on Najiz blocking issuance: the certificate will not be issued until the open case is closed
- ⚠Departing Saudi Arabia with an active investigation and trying to request the certificate from abroad: usually blocked; the case has to be cleared first through Saudi channels
What goes wrong with Good Conduct Certificate (Shahadat Husn Sira) applications?
These failures repeat across every Good Conduct Certificate (Shahadat Husn Sira) case Wathim sees in KSA. Catch them before submitting to save a counter rejection.
- !Requesting the certificate at the start of a multi-month foreign visa application - by submission time the 3-6 month freshness window has lapsed and the certificate is rejected
- !Confusing the receiving country's freshness window - Canada IRCC and UK Home Office use 6 months; Schengen consulates often use 3 months; check the specific authority's rules before requesting
- !Forgetting the MOFA stamp because the Absher digital signature looked sufficient - some receiving counters still ask for the MOFA stamp on top of the QR-verified PDF
- !Using a non-MOJ-approved translator and saving SAR 50 only to have the certificate rejected by the receiving counter abroad
- !Departing Saudi Arabia before requesting the certificate when there is an open court case on Najiz - the case blocks issuance and is harder to resolve from outside the Kingdom
- !Assuming the Saudi Good Conduct Certificate covers your time in other GCC countries - it only covers Saudi Arabia; you need separate clearances from every country lived in for 6+ months in the past 5-10 years
- !Believing the Hague apostille covers every receiving country - Pakistan, Bangladesh, and a handful of others still need the full embassy chain even after the Saudi MOFA stamp
- !Submitting the certificate without the certified translation when the receiving country requires English - the certificate is in Arabic and most international counters will not accept it untranslated
Frequently asked questions about Good Conduct Certificate (Shahadat Husn Sira) in KSA
Clean records: 24-72 hours, often within a few hours of the SAR 100 SADAD payment posting. Records with closed historical cases (settled traffic disputes, dismissed labour cases, etc.): 3-10 working days because a human reviewer at the General Department of Investigation has to clear them. Records with an open investigation or an open Najiz court case: blocked until cleared. The status is visible inside the Absher request screen and you can track progress without contacting anyone.
Sometimes yes, often no. Since 2023 the digital certificate carries a QR-code-verifiable signature that many international receiving counters now accept directly. But many still ask for the Saudi MOFA stamp on top (SAR 30-60), and a few - especially non-Hague receiving countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh - require the full legacy chain (Saudi MOFA + Saudi embassy in the receiving country + receiving country's foreign ministry). Saudi Arabia's December 2022 accession to the Hague Apostille Convention means receiving countries that are also Hague members can usually accept a single apostille stamp instead of the chain. Plan based on where you are submitting.
Most international receiving counters treat Saudi police clearances as valid for 3-6 months from issuance. The 6-month standard is used by Canada IRCC (Express Entry), UK Home Office (Skilled Worker), Australia DHA (permanent residency), and US USCIS. The 3-month standard is used by some Schengen consulates and a handful of Middle Eastern visa authorities. The freshness window starts on the Absher issuance date, not on the MOFA-stamp date. Plan the certificate as one of the last documents you gather before submitting the foreign visa application; if the application drags past the window, request a fresh certificate at SAR 100 plus the downstream stamps.
Usually yes, as long as your Absher account is still active and your Iqama record is still queryable. The certificate covers the period you were resident in Saudi Arabia and can be requested for years after departure for use in future foreign visa applications. The constraint is Absher access from abroad: you need your Saudi SIM (still active for OTP) or you need to re-route OTP delivery before departing. If you have lost Absher access, requesting from abroad becomes much harder and may need a Saudi embassy intermediary or a power-of-attorney to a Saudi-resident representative.
Yes, usually. Most foreign visa applications require police clearances from every country you have lived in for 6+ months in the past 5-10 years (the exact threshold varies by receiving authority). A Saudi-based Pakistani applying for Canadian Express Entry needs both a Saudi Good Conduct Certificate AND a Pakistani Character Certificate. Each clearance must be inside its own freshness window when the application is submitted, which is logistically the hardest part of the application stack. Plan to start the foreign clearances 8-12 weeks before submission and the Saudi clearance 2-4 weeks before submission to align freshness windows.
Government fees only: SAR 100 for the Absher request, SAR 30-60 for the MOFA stamp, SAR 100-200 for the certified Arabic-to-English translation, plus USD 30-150 for the receiving country's embassy legalisation (if non-Hague receiving country). All-in is roughly SAR 500-1,500 in 2026 depending on the receiving-country chain. Hague-member receiving countries are at the low end of the range (apostille route); non-Hague countries are at the high end. Add SAR 100-300 in typing-centre fees if you use one to chase the MOFA stamp and translation on your behalf.
The Absher request will be blocked or returned with a status indicating an open case must be cleared. Open the case on Najiz to see its status: pending hearing, awaiting decision, awaiting enforcement, etc. The case has to be closed through Najiz before the certificate will issue. For minor traffic-related civil matters this can be a SADAD payment away; for labour or commercial disputes it can be months of court process. If the case is genuinely closed but Najiz still shows it open, file a status-correction request on Najiz with supporting evidence (the court order, the settlement agreement, etc.) and wait for the update to reflect.
The certificate is issued in Arabic on Absher in 2026. An English version is achieved through a certified Arabic-to-English translation by a Saudi Ministry of Justice-approved translator (SAR 100-200 per document), bound to the Arabic original. The MOFA stamp is then applied to both. International receiving counters expect the Arabic original + the certified English translation as a single bundle. Translations from non-MOJ-approved translators are sometimes rejected by receiving counters - confirm the translator's MOJ-approval number appears on the seal before paying.
