Police Clearance, Americans
Hi Everyone,
I am trying to get the police clearance done for my work visa. I am having a letter issued from my home town police department. That was no big deal. The problem is the authentication process. According to the Qatari Embassy website http://www.qatarembassy.net/legal.asp they want this thing authenticated at the local, state, and national level. Each step in that process would take weeks, and to make it even harder I don't live in the USA and haven't for years.
Have any Americans on this forum recently gone through the work visa process? Is all of this really necessary? My future boss said something about them relaxing the rules so that the police clearance only needs to be provided within a year of issuing the work visa.
I would appreciate any input. My start date is closing in and this is my only real snag in the process.
Thanks in advance,
Poly-K
Guys I just got my college degree authenticated. Visit expressauthentication.com ... All you have to do is send them a scanned copy of whatever you want to get authenticated and they will do the rest for you. It costed me around 255 bucks. And if i recall correctly it took about 2 weeks and they will get it authenticated on a local, state and federal level and then get also authenticated by the Qatari embassy in DC.
polymerchemist,
My Wife needed to do this for her job here in Qatar. She had the report notarized by the police dept in the states, gave it to her company and they had it "authenticated" by the US State dept. Once the whole batch of them for the entire project staff arrived here in Qatar, it was pointed out that they needed to be "authenticated" by the Qatari Embassy in Washington D.C.. SO, off went the lot of them back to the States for this. Don't take any chances that what you bring or have sent is not enough. Do everything possible to have the proper seals and signatures before you arrive. This will limit the amount of "red tape" you encounter.
Another bit of advice I will give is to get your international driving license from AAA. It is "good" for six months upon your arrival and will enable you to rent a car immediately. Otherwise, you must wait for the entire visa process to reach completion before you are able to get a driving license. Take oit from someone who came to Doha without his "ducks in a row". I am still waiting on my residency visa and have been here in Qatar since the 1st of July. I do not wish to see/hear of anyone having to go through what I am enduring.
-Steve-O
It's a pain in the ass, I know. I have to do the same thing.
I'm assuming the procedure is the same thing as notarizing your college degrees. If it is, what I did was get my original degree sent to me. I went to the US embassy and had it confirmed. Then I went to the Qatari Foreign Ministry and got the confirmation confirmed. I didn't have to take it to the Qatari Embassy in America. I hope it's the same thing when I get ahold of my criminal record (or lack thereof).
Hi 80 Days
Hmmmm, I would love it if it was as simple as all that. However, my company HR wants "police clearance certificate issued in your MOTHER country and legalised u/i Qatar embassy in your mother country". To get that, I have to do all the stuff it says here: http://www.qatarembassy.net/legal.asp
It is a moot point really. I have sent everything off and now it is just a matter of it grinding it's way through different offices. I just have self addressed envelopes inside self addressed envelopes and contact info everywhere.
I am sure that Qatari immigration doesn't follow the letter of these rules. However, my company is ENORMOUS and will follow the letter just because of its bureaucracy. If I were in a smaller company, I would blow all of this off and do it your way.
Poly-K
You do not need to go to the embassy, just ask your police dept to notarize your paper .
Ask your boss, what do they want? call the department of state, I'm a yank that has lived aboard and I'm moving to Doha as well. I don't really have a hometown in the states anymore, man I did not think of that.
I just had this done last week. So you'll get a police clearance letter from your home city in the US... Mine cost $10. It said something like this:
Mr._____________ of 123 Main St. Sacramento, CA, Passport#xxxxxxxxx has no record of arrests or convictions.
That's about it. There were no fingerprints, FBI/DOJ clearances etc. Easy. It might be more difficult if you're out of the country... I did have to show my ID to the cops to get the letter.
When I got to Qatar, I went to the US embassy. (Be sure to look up their hours and give yourself a lot of time to get through securty.) Take the letter and your passport and $30. You'll have to write on a blank paper something like, "I swear the attached letter is true." They they'll ask you if you're the person in the letter. Say yes. Then they'll ask if you swear what you just wrote is true. Say yes. They stamp the letter and charge you the $30. Take the letter to your HR dept. and you're done.
I maybe able to help you out, if you need any help in assisting you from Qatar feel free to ask. Should no take long to verify your request .
Hang tough dude, it will take as long as it takes... patience is a virtue (especially in the mid-east), you can't make these folks work any faster than they do. I am a vet of 11 Years service oil-gas in the mid-east and I am trying to get back myself. It is worth the wait, if you want a secure financial future.
RANDR