← All posts

Bangladesh PCC from abroad: why Saudi, Dubai and Malaysia workers start at their embassy

Tips · 2026-10-15 · 10 min read

You can apply for a Bangladesh PCC from abroad. If you work in Saudi Arabia, the UAE or Malaysia, Bangladesh Police takes the application online, the passport pages you upload are attested by the Bangladesh embassy or high commission where you live, and someone you name in an authorisation letter collects the certificate in Bangladesh. The fee is 1,500 taka. The order matters, and the embassy step comes first.

Who can apply from outside Bangladesh

Bangladesh Police issues Police Clearance Certificates through its online PCC system to two groups only: Bangladeshi nationals going or living abroad, and foreign nationals who stayed in Bangladesh and have since left. A probashi on a building site in Riyadh, in a hotel kitchen in Dubai or on a factory line near Kuala Lumpur belongs to the first group.

Two conditions trip people up. Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months. And your present address must be in the same Metropolitan or District police area as the permanent or emergency contact address printed in your passport.

This bites when the passport shows the family home in one district and your people now live in another. If the details do not line up, ask the PCC helpdesk how to fill in the form instead of guessing.

Why years in the Gulf or Malaysia can mean a second certificate

A Bangladesh PCC covers Bangladesh only. Your visa file may need more. Home Affairs, which decides Australian visas, may ask for a police certificate from every country you have lived in, usually if you are over 17 and stayed there for at least 12 months in the past 10 years. The rules are on its character requirements page.

Picture a cook who spent four years in Jeddah and now has an offer from an Australian restaurant. He could be asked for a Bangladesh certificate and a Saudi one. A home care worker who has spent two years in Kuala Lumpur could be asked for a Malaysian certificate too. Each country runs its own process, and the Home Affairs Services outside Australia page has a country list explaining how to get a police certificate for each one.

Validity shapes your timing. Police certificates for Australian visas are valid for 12 months from the issue date, and each one must cover the time from age 16 up to its issue date, or your whole stay in that country. Order one too early and it can lapse while your file is still open.

One exception is worth asking about. If your Skills in Demand (subclass 482) employer is an accredited sponsor and you attach the sponsor's reference confirming good character and no criminal convictions, you do not need police certificates from countries other than Australia. Our Skills in Demand (482) visa guide for Bangladeshi workers covers the rest of that visa. Ask your employer whether the exception fits your case before paying for any certificate.

New Zealand works differently. AEWV applicants must be of good character, Immigration New Zealand may refuse a visa to someone with a criminal conviction, and INZ asks applicants to check whether police certificates are needed. Check the AEWV page on the Immigration New Zealand website and read our AEWV guide for Bangladeshi workers before ordering anything for a New Zealand job.

Documents to have ready

How to apply for a Bangladesh PCC from abroad, in order

1. Check your passport: at least 3 months of validity left, and the permanent and emergency contact addresses as printed.
2. Choose who will collect the certificate in Bangladesh, such as a parent, brother or spouse, and get their full name and National ID number.
3. Write the authorisation letter naming that person with their NID number.
4. Take copies of your passport's bio and address pages to the Bangladesh embassy or high commission in Saudi Arabia, the UAE or Malaysia and have them attested.
5. Scan the attested pages and the letter clearly, so every stamp and signature can be read.
6. Fill in the online application on the Bangladesh Police PCC site and upload the scans.
7. Pay the 1,500 taka fee by card online or by Treasury Challan, and keep the receipt.
8. Note the application reference number, share it with your collector and track the status by SMS.

Paying the 1,500 taka fee

The fee is 1,500 taka. You can pay it by Treasury Challan to code 1-7301-0001-2681 at any branch of Sonali Bank or Bangladesh Bank, or online by credit or debit card, with service charges added on top.

No one needs to be paid extra to "push" a PCC. BMET warns workers never to rely on a dalal or middleman, because it can lead to losing money and to human trafficking. If someone has already taken money from you for a job or papers, read how to complain to BMET about a recruiting agency or dalal.

Getting your passport pages attested at the mission

This step is for applicants abroad only. Before you go, ask your mission what it charges for attesting passport copies, whether it needs an appointment, whether it accepts requests by post and how long it takes. This guide gives no figure for the missions in Saudi Arabia, the UAE or Malaysia: get the answer from the mission's own phone line or website, not from someone waiting outside the gate.

As a point of comparison only, the Bangladesh High Commission in Canberra, which does not issue PCCs itself, attests the documents Bangladeshis need for one for A$ 35.00 per copy (Regular service, 3 working days) or A$ 50.00 (Express Service, same day), by mail or in person but not by email. That helps if you are already in Australia; other missions set their own terms.

The authorisation letter and your collector

Because you are abroad, a person in Bangladesh collects the certificate for you. The system asks you to upload an Authorization Letter with that person's name and National ID number.

Choose someone you trust with official papers, and copy their name and NID number from the card itself, not from memory.

Tracking your application and getting help

To check the status, send an SMS reading PCC S followed by your application reference number to 26969. Give the same reference to your collector so they can send the message from Bangladesh too.

The PCC helpdesk at Police Headquarters, Dhaka answers on 01320001824 or at help.pcc@police.gov.bd, Sunday to Thursday, 9am to 4pm, except government holidays. Allow for the time difference from where you work.

For trouble with your job or employer while you are abroad, BMET tells workers to contact the Bangladesh embassy in that country, the Ministry or BMET, or to file an online complaint. The Probashbandhu call centre for migrant workers and families is open 24/7 on +88 09610 102 030 from abroad and 16135 toll-free inside Bangladesh.

Fitting the PCC into your visa timeline

Two clocks run against each other: the 12-month validity and the time your visa takes. Ask the helpdesk what to expect before you promise an employer a date, and apply once you have an offer and are gathering visa documents, so the certificate is fresh when you lodge.

Budget for it as well. Home Affairs lists police certificates among the costs besides the visa charge, next to English tests, health checks and biometrics. If any certificate is not in English, Home Affairs needs the original plus an English translation; translators outside Australia do not need accreditation but must give their full name, address, phone number and language qualifications and experience.

For a cook with Gulf kitchen years, roles like this tandoori and curry chef job in Sydney show what employers list. Once a visa is granted, BMET emigration clearance is the next hurdle: our BMET smart card checklist walks through it.

Common mistakes when applying from the Gulf or Malaysia

• Using the home-country attestation route. A relative gets your passport copies signed by a gazetted officer in Bangladesh, but applicants living abroad need attestation by the Bangladesh mission in their country of residence.
• A passport close to expiry. Under 3 months of validity and you cannot apply. Labourers renewing at a Bangladesh mission pay USD 30 (Regular) or USD 45 (Express) for a 48-page, 5-year e-Passport, so renew first.
• A wrong NID number in the letter. One wrong digit and your collector may not match the letter.
• Forgetting the second certificate. Twelve months or more in Saudi Arabia, the UAE or Malaysia in the last 10 years can mean Home Affairs asks for that country's certificate too.
• Paying a dalal to "fast-track" it. The official fee is 1,500 taka, paid by challan or card.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply for a Bangladesh PCC while I am still working in Saudi Arabia?

Yes. Bangladesh Police issues the certificate through its online system to Bangladeshi nationals going or living abroad. You upload passport pages attested by the Bangladesh mission in Saudi Arabia plus an authorisation letter, and the person named in that letter collects the certificate in Bangladesh.

Who attests my passport pages if I live in Malaysia or the UAE?

The Bangladesh High Commission or embassy in your country of residence. The attestation by a class one gazetted officer is the route for applicants inside Bangladesh, not for those living abroad. Ask your mission directly about its fee and how it takes requests.

What goes in the authorisation letter for a PCC?

The name and National ID number of the person who will collect the certificate for you in Bangladesh. Check the NID number digit by digit against their card before you upload the letter, because the collector has to match it.

How long is a police certificate valid for an Australian visa?

Home Affairs treats police certificates as valid for 12 months from the issue date. Each one must cover the time from age 16 up to the issue date, or your whole time in that country, so apply close to when you will lodge.

Do I also need a police certificate from the country where I work now?

Possibly. Home Affairs may ask for one from every country you lived in, usually if you are over 17 and stayed at least 12 months in the past 10 years. New Zealand asks AEWV applicants to check whether police certificates are needed, so read the official page for your visa.

Key takeaways

• Bangladeshis living abroad apply for the PCC online with Bangladesh Police.
• Your passport's bio and address pages must be attested by the Bangladesh mission where you live; ask it for the fee.
• An authorisation letter names the person in Bangladesh who collects the certificate, with their NID number.
• The fee is 1,500 taka by Treasury Challan or card; track it with PCC S and your reference to 26969.
• Australia may also want a Saudi, UAE or Malaysian certificate, and each is valid for 12 months.

#bangladesh pcc from abroad #police clearance certificate #pcc from saudi arabia bangladesh #police clearance from malaysia #authorization letter pcc #gulf return