Khartoum Police Clearance Certificate (Feesh) for Overseas Use

If you need a Khartoum police clearance certificate for a visa, job, study, residence, or professional licensing application abroad, first confirm that the requested record is Sudan’s civilian Certificate of Good Conduct. It is commonly called Feesh (الفيش); the formal Arabic name is شهادة حسن سير وسلوك. Official references list a Ministry of Interior fingerprint office on Nile Street, but that listing does not confirm that the office is open or issuing certificates today. Verify the route before travelling, then check the destination authority’s translation and authentication requirements.

Key takeaways

• The U.S. Department of State identifies the issuing unit as the Fingerprint Directorate of the Ministry of Interior’s General Administration of Forensic Evidence. Canada’s guide lists Nile Street, Khartoum, and +249 18 377 5300; treat these as published directory details to verify, not live service confirmation.
• The U.S. reciprocity schedule says applicants must be physically present in Sudan, show a national ID, and state why they need the certificate. The precise current Khartoum checklist should be confirmed with the issuing office.
• Current local office hours, appointment or walk-in arrangements, fees, and processing times could not be confirmed from the official instructions cited here. Do not substitute an overseas embassy’s charge or turnaround for a Khartoum estimate.
• The civilian Feesh does not cover periods of service in Sudan’s armed forces. If the recipient asks for military service records, confirm that separate requirement.

Already have your Feesh? Once you know the receiving institution’s language and format requirements, you can submit the certificate for a translation quote. CertOf handles translation and document preparation, not police-record applications or fingerprinting.

Who this guide is for

This guide is for Sudanese citizens and foreign nationals who live in Khartoum, or previously lived in Sudan, and need a civilian Sudanese Certificate of Good Conduct for an overseas application. That may be a visa or residence case, an overseas job, study, or professional licensing. The likely language pair for an Arabic-language certificate submitted to an English-speaking institution is Arabic to English, but the receiving authority determines the accepted language; there is no reliable local data here measuring translation demand by language.

A preparation folder may include a national ID or passport, a passport-size photograph, the recipient’s instructions, and the reason for requesting the certificate. If you are a foreign national or a former resident, keep prior passports, Sudanese residence records, and entry or exit details available if they help explain your identity or period of residence. Published embassy checklists can differ from the local checklist, so do not assume that an overseas mission’s requirements apply at the Khartoum office.

This guide covers the civilian Feesh and preparation for overseas use. It does not explain employer screening, court or prison record searches, or military service records. Those may be separate documents. Requirements vary by recipient, so confirm the exact record and format before applying.

What the Khartoum Feesh covers

The U.S. Department of State’s Sudan reciprocity schedule lists the Certificate of Good Conduct under the Ministry of Interior’s General Administration of Forensic Evidence, Fingerprint Directorate. It says applicants apply directly to the office, must be physically present in Sudan, show a national ID, and explain the reason for the request.

The same schedule distinguishes the civilian certificate from military service records and lists police, court, and prison records separately. A Feesh should not be treated as a complete report of every record held by every authority. Ask the organization requesting your documents whether it wants the civilian certificate, military records, a court or prison record, or more than one item.

How to apply for a Khartoum police clearance certificate

1. Get the destination’s document instructions. Ask which country’s certificate is required, what residence period it must cover, whether an original is needed, and which languages are accepted. If the request simply says “police clearance,” ask whether the Sudanese Certificate of Good Conduct is the correct record.
2. Verify the issuing office before making the trip. The Canada IRCC guide for Sudan police certificates directs people living in Sudan to apply in person at the Ministry of Interior’s General Administration of Forensic Evidence, Fingerprint Directorate. It lists Nile Street, Khartoum, and +249 18 377 5300. The guide is dated July 23, 2024; use it as a published reference, not proof of current opening, access, or service availability. If you cannot confirm the details, do not rely on an old listing alone to plan a journey.
3. Confirm which identity documents apply to you. The U.S. schedule names a national ID and the reason for the request. Canada’s guide lists personal identification or a passport and a passport-size photograph. Since the published instructions do not give an identical checklist, ask the office what it currently accepts, especially if you are a foreign national or do not have a Sudanese national ID. Bring the recipient’s request if it explains the purpose of the application.
4. Ask about fingerprints and attendance. The published domestic path is in person, and the office name indicates a fingerprint function. Confirm whether you need a particular fingerprint form or collection method, and whether you must attend at a specific time. The cited directory pages do not confirm current appointment availability or walk-in arrangements.
5. Ask about payment, collection, and timing before you go. The U.S. schedule says fees apply but does not publish a current Khartoum amount. The official sources cited here do not establish current local office hours, a fee in Sudanese pounds, a processing time, a queue estimate, or a collection method. Ask the office directly if you can reach it through a verified channel.
6. Check every side of the certificate when it is issued. Canada’s guide says fingerprints appear on the front and results on the back. Compare your name and other identity details with the ID used for the application. Check for the complete text, seals, signature, certificate number, and handwritten notes. If there is an error, ask the issuing office how to request a correction and keep your application details and copies.

Keep a clear copy of every side for your records. Submit an original or copy only as the receiving authority instructs. If you are not sure whether a scan is acceptable, ask before sending the original overseas.

Khartoum’s operating reality: a listed office is not a live status notice

The certificate is governed through a central Ministry of Interior process. The official references reviewed do not establish a separate Khartoum city rule for the Feesh. The local question is whether the listed fingerprint office is currently accessible and processing this specific service.

The U.S. Department of State’s Sudan travel advisory warns of a volatile and unpredictable security situation, including in the capital region, and notes that communications and essential services can be disrupted. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office also publishes Sudan travel advice. These are travel advisories, not notices from the Fingerprint Directorate about whether the Feesh counter is open. They matter because they can affect whether you can safely reach an office or confirm a response. Check current local conditions and your own government’s travel advice before making plans; do not travel into a dangerous situation just to obtain a document.

A counterintuitive but important point: news that a police station or another public service has reopened does not confirm that the specialist Fingerprint Directorate is processing Feesh applications. General government recovery and this specific service are separate questions. The official directory details are a starting point for verification, not a guarantee of a successful visit.

Local fees, wait times, appointments, and mailing

Cost and processing time: the U.S. reciprocity schedule says a fee applies but does not state the current local amount. The official guidance cited here gives no reliable current Khartoum processing-time or queue estimate. Old blog figures, fees charged by a foreign embassy, and general public-service transaction totals do not establish the current cost or wait for a Feesh in Khartoum.

Appointments and walk-ins: the published domestic process is in person, but the cited instructions do not confirm whether the Khartoum office currently accepts walk-ins or requires an appointment. Verify before planning around a particular day or time.

Mailing: the documented domestic route is an in-person application. The sources cited here do not establish a local mail-in application or courier collection option. Do not assume either is available. The separate fingerprint-forwarding route for people outside Sudan is an overseas consular process, not evidence of a Khartoum mail-in service.

If you are outside Sudan, check the embassy route for your location

For applicants abroad, published guidance describes different routes. Canada says a person living outside Sudan can have a complete set of fingerprints taken by local police, signed and stamped, and take them to the nearest Sudanese embassy for forwarding to the Fingerprint Directorate. The U.S. Department of State schedule says the certificate is issued only to people physically present in Sudan. These instructions address different destination-country contexts and do not provide one universal answer for every former resident. Ask the Sudanese mission responsible for your location whether it handles applications for your circumstances, and confirm that the resulting record will meet the requesting authority’s requirement.

Do not assume a digital service announcement applies to your location or eligibility unless the responsible Sudanese embassy or ministry provides current instructions for your case. A consular route may involve an appointment, fingerprints, fees, or document forwarding; verify each step and the expected timeline with that mission. Do not treat a stated embassy handoff time as the final certificate issuance time.

When does certified translation matter?

The Sudanese office issues the record; the organization receiving it decides the language and translation format. For Canadian immigration, IRCC says a police certificate in a language other than English or French must be accompanied by a certified-translator translation. For U.S. submissions, 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) requires a full English translation and a translator’s certification that the translation is complete and accurate and that the translator is competent to translate. These are destination-specific examples, not a universal rule for every employer, school, or licensing body.

The cited Khartoum instructions do not confirm that the local office issues an English version. If you receive an Arabic certificate, ask the recipient whether it requires a certified translation and whether it separately requires notarization or government authentication. Translation certification, notarization, and document authentication are different steps; see the concise police clearance translation, notarization, and apostille guide.

For an Arabic-to-English translation, provide a legible image of the entire certificate, front and back. The translation should account for printed fields, seals, stamps, handwritten additions, and results. A fingerprint impression is not text, but a printed label or note beside it should not be silently omitted. Keep the source name spelling visible and use the spelling required by the recipient’s identity records; flag transliteration differences instead of silently changing the document.

Self-translation and machine translation rules depend on the receiving authority. A notarized self-translation does not automatically meet a recipient’s translator requirements. See our focused police clearance self-translation and Google Translate guide. For a general example of the translator’s declaration and police-certificate format, see certified translation of a police clearance certificate. The difference between scanned submissions and paper originals is covered in our guide to electronic and paper police-certificate submissions.

Official and consular resources

Resource	Useful for	Important limit
Canada IRCC Sudan police-certificate guide	Published office details, basic application information, and the described route for applicants living outside Sudan.	It is Canadian immigration guidance, dated July 2024, and does not confirm present-day Khartoum operations or the requirements of another destination.
U.S. Department of State Sudan reciprocity schedule	Record name and scope, listed issuing unit, physical-presence language, and distinction from military records.	It is a U.S. visa reference, not a live service-status feed or a fee schedule for Khartoum.
Sudanese embassy responsible for your country of residence	Whether it handles fingerprint collection or forwarding for applicants abroad and what its current checklist requires.	Procedures and charges may vary by mission. Confirm directly with the mission serving your location.

Commercial translation options

No current Khartoum-based commercial certified-translation provider with independently verifiable contact details and documented Feesh experience is identified in the sources used for this guide. That is not proof that no local provider exists; it is a reason to avoid an unsupported local ranking. Compare any service by checking its language coverage, whether it translates the full document including stamps and notes, the translator’s certification statement, revision process, delivery format, and whether it can meet the destination’s stated requirements.

Option	Verifiable scope	Boundary to keep in mind
CertOf online translation service	Online document submission and quote; the site also explains how to upload and order a certified translation.	Translation and document preparation after you have the official certificate; not a Khartoum office, police-record agent, fingerprint service, or government partner.
Khartoum storefront translation providers	No provider with a sufficiently verifiable Feesh-specific service record is listed here.	Check credentials, a real contact channel, document scope, and written delivery terms yourself; do not infer government authorization from a business name or an intermediary’s claim.

For translation timing, use the service’s current order information rather than a police-office estimate; CertOf provides general translation turnaround benchmarks and information about revisions and its guarantee terms. These describe translation services, not the time to obtain a Sudanese certificate or international courier availability to Khartoum.

Local evidence, applicant experience, and practical limits

The official instructions establish useful parts of the process—such as the listed office, in-person application language, and the record’s military-service limitation—but they do not tell applicants what today’s queue looks like. No reliable current Khartoum dataset for Feesh issuance volume, local fees, wait times, or recent applicant experiences is available in the cited sources. For that reason, this guide does not turn old forum discussions or social posts into current service estimates. Ask the office about the specific detail you need and confirm it close to your planned visit.

The local data that does affect planning is the official travel guidance: U.S. and UK government advisories describe significant security and travel constraints. These advisories matter because movement and communication disruptions can make an office check or planned visit less predictable; they do not measure certificate processing capacity. No verified Khartoum figures for Arabic-to-English translation demand are cited here.

Fraud checks, corrections, and common failure points

The official instructions cited here do not identify a dedicated public Feesh complaint portal or a published correction procedure. If a name, date, or other detail is wrong, ask the issuing office how to request a correction; keep the receipt, application details, and copies of the documents you presented. Do not assume that a translation service or an unrelated civil registry office can correct a police record.

Be cautious of anyone claiming they can bypass identity checks or required fingerprints, guarantee a certificate without your participation, or sell an official record through an unverified channel. The sources cited here do not establish a Feesh-specific scam rate; the practical safeguard is to verify the office or consular route directly and avoid paying an intermediary on the strength of an unsupported promise.

• Do not confuse reopening news with service confirmation. A general public office reopening does not establish that the specialist fingerprint service is working.
• Do not assume a local fee or processing time. The cited sources do not publish current Khartoum figures.
• Do not treat the civilian Feesh as military clearance. The destination may ask for a separate record.
• Do not order extra authentication automatically. Ask the receiving institution whether it needs notarization or legalization as well as translation.
• Do not overlook the reverse side or identity spelling. Incomplete scans and inconsistent transliteration can create avoidable questions.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Sudan police clearance certificate called in Khartoum?

It is listed in English as the Certificate of Good Conduct, formally called شهادة حسن سير وسلوك and commonly called Feesh (الفيش). Confirm that the requesting organization wants this civilian record rather than a court, prison, military, or employer record.

Which office is listed as issuing the Khartoum Feesh?

The U.S. Department of State lists the Ministry of Interior’s General Administration of Forensic Evidence, Fingerprint Directorate. Canada’s guide lists Nile Street, Khartoum, and +249 18 377 5300. These published details should be verified before travel because they do not confirm current daily operations.

Is the Fingerprint Directorate currently open for Feesh applications?

The cited official directory information does not confirm current opening hours or service status. Verify before travelling. General reports of public-service reopening do not prove that this specific unit is processing certificates.

What documents should I prepare?

Published guidance mentions identification or a passport, a passport-size photograph, and—in the U.S. schedule—a national ID and the reason for the request. Confirm the current local checklist, particularly if you are a foreign national. Keep prior passports, name-change records, and residence documents available if they help connect identity details.

How much does a Khartoum Feesh cost, and how long does it take?

The current local fee and processing time could not be confirmed from the cited official instructions. The U.S. schedule notes that fees apply but gives no Khartoum amount. Embassy charges abroad and their file-transfer times do not establish Khartoum prices or turnaround.

Can a former Sudan resident apply from abroad?

Canada describes a route involving fingerprints taken by local police, signed and stamped, then submitted to a Sudanese embassy for forwarding. The U.S. schedule says the certificate is issued only to people physically present in Sudan. Ask the Sudanese mission serving your location and the destination authority which route applies to your case.

Can the Khartoum office issue the certificate in English?

The cited Khartoum instructions do not confirm an English-language option. Ask the issuing office what it can provide. If you receive an Arabic record, ask the recipient whether it requires a certified translation and which language it accepts.

Does the civilian Feesh cover military service?

No. The U.S. Department of State schedule says the civilian Certificate of Good Conduct does not cover periods spent in armed-forces service. Ask the requesting organization whether separate service or discharge records are required.

Does the certificate need notarization or an apostille?

That depends on the recipient and the document-authentication route it requires. A certified translation is not the same as notarization or government authentication. Confirm the required steps before paying for them; the police clearance document-preparation guide explains the distinction.

Prepare the translation after you receive the certificate

CertOf can help with translation and document preparation after you obtain the official Feesh. It does not issue police certificates, collect fingerprints, book a Khartoum appointment, arrange a government process, or provide local legal representation. Upload a clear scan of every side, identify the receiving country and institution, and confirm any special format or paper-copy requirement before ordering. Submit your Sudanese certificate for a translation quote once you know what the recipient requires.

Disclaimer: Office listings and security conditions can change. Verify current requirements with the issuing authority, the Sudanese embassy responsible for your location, and the organization receiving your document before acting. This guide is practical information, not legal or immigration advice.