Police clearance - inaccessible country

[SteveRD 0]

Hi everyone, I hope I am posting in the correct place.

I am starting the CR1 application process, and understand that I need a police certificate for each country I have lived in.

I recently spent two years volunteering in Sierra Leone. Unfortunately it will be virtually impossible to get a police certificate from this country, without physically returning in person (the government bureaucracy is very dysfunctional). Obviously I would like to avoid this, given the difficulty of travel associated with Ebola.

My questions is: are there ever exceptions to the police certificate requirements?

Grateful if anyone can point me in the direction of any relevant information. I will also enquire with the embassy here, but the responses can be quite slow.

Many thanks,

Steve

Edited September 5, 2015 by SteveRD

[canadian_wife 1,829]

Typically no for obvious reasons. While contacting consulates, try contacting the S.L consulate as well as the US one

good luck

[Boiler 46,242]

Some countries do have a waiver, Mexico comes to mind, no idea about SL, inconvenience would not be an excuse.

[SteveRD 0]

Some countries do have a waiver, Mexico comes to mind, no idea about SL, inconvenience would not be an excuse.

Thanks yes, I understand there is a waiver for some countries where a police clearance is regarded as "unobtainable". Still trying to find the list.

I understand that "inconvenience" would not be an excuse, but presumably official travel restrictions could place it on the waiver list. Will keep looking.

[Ryan H 3,834]

There is no such thing as a waiver list. Records are either "available" or "not available" and if they are not available, the reasons why are stated. Official travel restrictions will not be a reason as to why a document will be unavailable.

Police records are available from Sierra Leone.

http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/fees/reciprocity-by-country/SL.html

[Cathi 5,795]

You can have someone you know livng there obtain one for you. My husband needed one from Oman and was unable to travel there himself so his sister did it for him. They needed a copy of his passport, fingerprints he had taken at the police station in Jordan(where he was living) and 2 passport pictures. Just because you cannot travel there does not mean it is unobtainable

[AB loves AG 54]

I may have missed it, but you are the beneficiary right?

[SteveRD 0]

I may have missed it, but you are the beneficiary right?

Hi, yes I am

[Ryan H 3,834]

**Four posts that were a side discussion and detracted from the OP's question have been removed. When posting in this thread, you need to directly address the OP.**