A criminal record certificate is an official document from the police or another authority in a country, showing whether a person has a criminal record there. Some Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker applicants outside the UK must provide one for each country where they were present for 12 months or more in the last 10 years.
Key points
- It is required for entry clearance applications in listed health, education and social care jobs on the Skilled Worker route, and for most Health and Care Worker jobs.
- The certificate must come from each country where the applicant was present for 12 months or more, in total or continuously, in the 10 years before applying, while aged 18 or over.
- An adult dependent partner applying for entry clearance as the partner of a Skilled Worker in a listed job must provide one too.
- The requirement does not apply if the applicant gives a satisfactory explanation of why it is not reasonably practicable to get a certificate.
- GOV.UK says the requirement applies to people applying from outside the UK, so it is a document for an entry clearance application.
How a criminal record certificate works
A criminal record certificate shows whether a person has a criminal record in a particular country. Some visa applicants must hand one over with their application. The rule sits in the Skilled Worker part of the Immigration Rules.[1]Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker
If the applicant is applying for entry clearance and is sponsored for a job in one of the listed occupation codes, they must provide a certificate from the relevant authority in any country where they have been present for 12 months or more, in total or continuously, in the 10 years before the date of application, and while aged 18 or over.[1]Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker
GOV.UK describes it for the person applying: you need one if you are applying from outside the UK and work in education, healthcare, therapy or social services.[2]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Documents you must provide The sponsor tells the applicant whether they will need one when it issues the certificate of sponsorship.[4]Home Office, Guidance on the application process for criminal records checks overseas
Which jobs and which people
The Skilled Worker rule lists occupation codes. The table groups the main areas.[1]Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker
| Area | Examples from the list |
|---|---|
| Health | Medical practitioners, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, dental practitioners, paramedics, therapists, health service managers, dental nurses |
| Education and childcare | Teachers at nursery, primary, secondary and further education level, head teachers, teaching assistants, childminders, playworkers |
| Social care and welfare | Social workers, probation officers, youth work professionals, care workers and senior care workers, residential and day care managers |
| Other listed codes | Fitness and wellbeing instructors, human resources and industrial relations officers, housing officers, counsellors |
A dependent partner is covered too. Where the Skilled Worker is sponsored in a listed code, a partner applying for entry clearance as their partner must provide a certificate on the same terms.[1]Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker The Home Office guidance describes this as applying to adult partners, whether they apply with the Skilled Worker or separately.[4]Home Office, Guidance on the application process for criminal records checks overseas
The Health and Care Worker visa has a similar rule. GOV.UK says a certificate is needed for applicants from outside the UK unless the job is in one of four occupation codes: 2113, 2114, 3111 or 6132.[3]Home Office, Health and Care Worker visa: Documents you must provide
Which countries
The rule looks at where the person was present. The Home Office guidance describes the requirement as a certificate for any country other than the UK where the person lived for 12 months or more in the 10 years before applying, while aged 18 or over.[4]Home Office, Guidance on the application process for criminal records checks overseas
GOV.UK gives two shorthand versions on its application pages. If you are under 28, you need a certificate from any country where you have stayed for a total of 12 months or more since you turned 18. If you are 28 or over, you need one from any country where you have stayed in the last 10 years. Each page adds that you might need a certificate from each country you have lived in.[2]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Documents you must provide[3]Home Office, Health and Care Worker visa: Documents you must provide
If you cannot get one
The requirement does not apply if the applicant gives a satisfactory explanation of why it is not reasonably practicable to get a certificate from any or all of the relevant authorities.[1]Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker The Home Office guidance notes that some countries have no working criminal record system or give certificates only to their own citizens. In that case the applicant must give an explanation with the visa application, setting out the attempts to get a certificate and why it was not possible. UK Visas and Immigration then decides whether to waive the requirement.[4]Home Office, Guidance on the application process for criminal records checks overseas
Example
Nadia has a job offer as a primary school teacher. That is a listed occupation code, and she is applying from outside the UK. Over the last 10 years, since turning 18, she lived in one country for 8 years and in another for 2 years. She was present in each for 12 months or more, so she needs a certificate from the authorities in both. Her husband is applying for entry clearance as her partner. The same rule applies to him, based on the countries where he was present for 12 months or more in the same 10 years, while aged 18 or over.[1]Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker
What people get wrong
The rule does not cover every Skilled Worker visa. It covers listed occupation codes and entry clearance applications. The Home Office guidance, last updated in January 2025, says people already in the UK who seek to extend their stay in those categories are not presently included.
The point about extensions comes from the Home Office overseas criminal records guidance.[4]Home Office, Guidance on the application process for criminal records checks overseas
A second mistake is to treat a failed attempt as an answer. The guidance says that if UK Visas and Immigration decides it is possible to obtain a certificate and the applicant has failed to do so, the application is likely to be refused. The applicant must therefore document the attempts made.[4]Home Office, Guidance on the application process for criminal records checks overseas
The bottom line
A criminal record certificate is a document an entry clearance applicant in a listed health, education or social care job may have to provide for each country where they spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years. A partner applying with them has the same duty. The rule is in Appendix Skilled Worker, and the practical steps are on the Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker document pages on GOV.UK.
Common questions
Skilled Worker applicants applying for entry clearance in listed occupation codes in health, education, social care and related jobs, and most Health and Care Worker applicants applying from outside the UK. Adult partners applying as dependants of a listed Skilled Worker must provide one too.
Every country where you were present for 12 months or more, continuously or in total, in the 10 years before your application, while you were aged 18 or over. You may need one from each country.
You can give a satisfactory explanation of why it is not reasonably practicable to get one from any or all of the relevant authorities. The Home Office guidance says it will consider the explanation against the situation in that country.
The Skilled Worker rule applies to applications for entry clearance, and GOV.UK says to provide one if you apply from outside the UK. The Home Office guidance, last updated in January 2025, says people already in the UK seeking to extend are not presently included.
Sources
We cite the Immigration Rules, legislation and GOV.UK guidance directly. Rules change, so each source shows the date we last checked it.
- Home Office. Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- Home Office. Skilled Worker visa: Documents you must provide. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- Home Office. Health and Care Worker visa: Documents you must provide. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- Home Office. Guidance on the application process for criminal records checks overseas. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩