Answer
The validity period of a police clearance certificate and the apostille requirements depend on the chosen procedure and the country of issue. Calculate the validity period from the document’s issue date, and check the current requirements on the DNM procedure page before ordering it.
You should not order the certificate first when you do not yet have a realistic filing timeline. International requests, apostilles, delivery, and translation may take longer, but obtaining it too early risks the document being too old by the time of the appointment.
If your appointment is rescheduled, do not automatically obtain a new certificate without checking the requirements for your case. Check the issue date, apostille, translation of every page, and that the name matches the passport. For a family application, assess the validity period separately for each adult applicant.