6 February 2026

ACRO Certificate services: what you need to know

If you are planning on moving abroad, it is likely you will need an ACRO. Woodcock Notary Public is often asked to notarise ACRO documents and have them legalised. In this blog post, we explain how the process works.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

What is an ACRO?

The UK Criminal Records Office, or ACRO, is a national police unit tasked with checking up on the police records of people who want to leave the UK. They exchange conviction information with foreign countries and governments to safeguard communities across the globe. They also issue ACRO Certificates detailing different things, such as whether someone has a criminal record.

People who wish to emigrate from the UK to a different country are often asked to prove they are of good character before they enter their desired country. ACRO offers a range of services to do this, and works with both governments and individuals overseas to conduct the necessary checks.

The services offered by ACRO include:

Police Certificates
International Child Protection Certificates (ICPCs)
Subject Access
Requests for deletion

Notarising an ACRO Certificate

If your ACRO Certificate has been signed by an official, an apostille can be affixed to the document by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) directly. In this case, there is no requirement for getting it notarised. Some countries may also have no notarisation requirement for ACRO Certificates.

If you require your ACRO Certificate to be legalised with an apostille, but it does not contain a signature from an official, it will need to be certified by a notary. Similarly, apostilles are only considered sufficient in countries that are party to the Hague Convention. If you need to use your ACRO in a non-Hague Convention country, you will need additional consular services.

We can handle the notarising of your ACRO Certificate if it is required. We can also facilitate any legalisation your ACRO Certificate might need and give you free advice on what is the best way to be able to use your certificate.

ACRO Police Certificate

ACRO Police Certificates are the most common form of ACRO document, as several countries require them as a way to check your criminal history. You will need an ACRO Police Certificate if you are moving to another country, particularly if you want to work there.

The certificate details whether you, as the applicant, have a criminal record in the UK. Impending prosecutions and offences currently under investigation also appear on the Police Certificate. Furthermore, if you have a criminal conviction in a foreign country that has been previously disclosed in the UK, this will be on your certificate.

When you apply for an ACRO Police Certificate, you will receive a hard copy in the post. This is the only copy that will be provided to you. If you have anything you wish to discuss with ACRO, they cannot talk to you until you have received your certificate.

Most foreign embassies will require a Police Certificate dated within the last six months when you apply for your work visa. As a result, it is important to apply for your certificate at the right time.

You can apply for your Police Certificate here.

International Child Protection Certificate (ICPC)

The International Child Protection Certificate was introduced to protect children from people who are from different countries that intend to cause them harm, be it through paid work or other.

The ICPC confirms whether you, as someone who wants to work with children abroad, have a criminal conviction. It details, if applicable, the nature of the conviction as well any non-conviction data.

If you are planning on working with children abroad, then you will likely be requested to provide an ICPC to prove you are of good character. Though it is likely you will need one, we do recommend that you check with your employer overseas before applying.

The certificate comes in two parts. The first part details any convictions, cautions, warnings or impending convictions you have against your name. The second part details any information that is deemed relevant in the interests of child protection. As with the ACRO Police Certificate, the ICPC may also detail any convictions you have in other countries.

If you apply for one, the ICPC will be provided directly to you alone. ACRO will not disclose the contents of it to any third party organisation.

Please note that the ICPC will be supplied directly to you and not disclosed by us to the school or organisation offering employment or voluntary placements.

Click here to apply for an ICPC.

Subject access and requests for deletion

Subject access and requests for deletion are similar services in that they concern the data on the national police databases. They may be relevant to you if you plan on leaving the UK. This is because they show what an ACRO background check would disclose.

The subject access service allows anyone to see what information the national police database has on them. It is your right to know what information the database has about you. It may be worth using if you are concerned about such information impacting your ability to move abroad.

The requests for deletion service allows individuals to request information on them to be deleted from the national police database. This option is not available for all individuals, as it relies on there being legitimate grounds for the request.

You can request subject access and request subject deletion from the ACRO website.

Our ACRO services

As a registered Notary Public with years of experience, we can notarise your ACRO if it is required, as well as notarise any other documents for use abroad.

Once your ACRO Certificate and other documents have been notarised, we can then assist you with getting an apostille, or with the embassy legalisation process.

Please note that some countries will require ACRO Certificates to be notarised and legalised, whilst some, such as Spain, will just need them legalised.

For apostilles, we closely work with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to get your documents an apostille. Visit our apostille packages webpage if you would like to learn more about what we offer.

Meanwhile, for embassy legalisation, we offer bespoke services depending on the country you are going to. This is because the process for this type of legalisation varies by country.

Contact us

At our firm, we are home to two notaries. Nathan Woodcock is our founder and a Notary Public of England and Wales. Meanwhile, Notary Public of England and Wales, Papia Kabir, is our London notary who operates from Canary Wharf. They have both helped thousands of clients with their notarial needs, and they can help you too.

You can arrange a notary appointment to take place at one of our offices in London, Manchester or Sheffield. Alternatively, you can book your appointment to be at a reasonable time and place of your choosing by using our mobile notary service.

Once your ACRO has been notarised, it can be given an apostille by the FCDO. We can also manage this process for you.

If you need any more information, or want to use our services, get in touch with us today.