Iran Police Clearance for Canada Immigration: Mikhak Portal, NAJA, and the No-Embassy Problem

Every Express Entry applicant who has lived in Iran for six months or more after age 18 must provide an Iranian police certificate. The issuing body is the Iranian Police Force (NAJA). The document is formally called the "Gahi-Nameh-ye Adamat" or "Su-ye Pishineh" — the record of criminal history (or absence thereof).

Getting this certificate is straightforward if you are inside Iran. It becomes significantly more complicated if you are outside Iran, and it becomes genuinely difficult if you are already living in Canada. Here is how to navigate each situation.

If You Are Inside Iran

The standard process for applicants inside Iran:

1. Visit your local NAJA station (police station) with your Shenasnameh and national card
2. Provide fingerprints
3. The police certificate is issued locally, typically within 1–2 weeks
4. Have the document translated by a sworn translator (Dar-al-Tarjomeh Rasmi)

The translated version goes directly to WES (for ECA purposes) or is submitted with your e-APR for IRCC. Iran is not a signatory to the Hague Apostille Convention, so there is no apostille stamp — you will need the standard translation and Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation chain for IRCC submission.

Validity: IRCC generally requires a police certificate issued within the past 3–6 months at the time of application. If you are in a long processing queue (likely, given Iranian security screening timelines), you may need to obtain a fresh certificate.

If You Are Outside Iran: The Mikhak System

For Iranians living abroad, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs manages police certificates through the Mikhak portal (mikhak.mfa.ir). The process:

1. Register on the Mikhak portal using your Iranian national ID and mobile number
2. Upload scanned copies of your Shenasnameh and national card
3. Select the nearest Iranian consulate or embassy where you are located
4. Visit the selected consulate in person for digital fingerprinting
5. The fingerprints are transmitted to Iran's Interpol office, and the certificate is typically emailed to you as a PDF within 2–4 weeks
6. Cost: approximately 25 Euros, paid at the consulate

This process works well for Iranians in Turkey (Istanbul consulate), UAE (Dubai consulate), Armenia (Yerevan consulate), Germany (Berlin or Frankfurt), and most European countries.

The Canada Problem: No Iranian Embassy in Ottawa

The single most frustrating scenario is faced by Iranian applicants who are already living in Canada on a work or study permit. Canada closed the Iranian embassy in Ottawa in 2012 and expelled Iranian diplomats. There is no Iranian consulate in Toronto, Vancouver, or anywhere else in Canada.

This means Iranians in Canada cannot use the standard Mikhak-consular path. You have two options:

Option 1: Washington D.C. Interests Section

Iran maintains an "Interests Section" at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington D.C. that provides limited consular services to Iranians in North America. You can apply through Mikhak, selecting Washington D.C. as your location, and then travel to D.C. for fingerprinting.

This works but involves a cross-border trip (Iranians in Canada need a US visa or ESTA for this). If you do not already have US entry authorization, the visa application for a single consular appointment is its own bureaucratic undertaking.

Option 2: Power of Attorney (Vekalatnameh) to a Relative in Iran

This is the more common solution. You grant power of attorney to a trusted relative inside Iran through the Mikhak portal. The relative then physically visits the NAJA station and the MFA in Tehran to process the police certificate on your behalf.

The process:

1. Register on Mikhak and initiate the request
2. Upload your documents and designate a relative as your proxy agent
3. The relative receives instructions through the system
4. They visit NAJA for fingerprinting on your behalf and then follow up with MFA for attestation
5. The relative mails the sealed, stamped certificate to you in Canada
6. Cost: approximately 25 Euros plus courier/postage fees

This method typically takes 1–2 months. It depends on having a reliable, willing relative in Iran and requires that your power of attorney be correctly formatted — the Mikhak system specifies the required format.

What If the Standard Process Fails?

IRCC is aware that Iranian applicants face genuine obstacles to obtaining police certificates. If you have taken every reasonable step documented by evidence — Mikhak registration records, consulate appointment attempts, power of attorney documentation — and still cannot obtain the certificate, IRCC may accept a detailed Letter of Explanation (LOE) accompanied by your evidence of attempts.

This is a last resort. IRCC scrutinizes LOE-based submissions heavily for potential misrepresentation. The standard approach is to exhaust the Mikhak system and the proxy-agent option before falling back to an LOE.

Translation and Attestation Requirements

The police certificate will be issued in Farsi. For IRCC submission, you need:

1. A certified English translation by a sworn translator authorized by the Iranian Judiciary
2. Attestation by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA)

Some applicants ask whether the MFA attestation step can be skipped. It cannot, for the purposes of IRCC submission — unlike WES, which sometimes accepts documents without the full legalization chain for educational credentials, IRCC requires the complete chain for police certificates.

Budget 2–4 weeks for the translation and attestation process, plus courier time if you are receiving documents from Iran while abroad.

Document Validity During Long Security Reviews

Given that Iranian Express Entry applicants typically wait 18–24 months in security screening after submitting their e-APR, many applicants find their police certificate expires before a final decision is made. IRCC may request a new, updated certificate before finalizing your application.

Plan for this possibility. Keep the Mikhak system access and your proxy-agent arrangement active so that a second certificate can be obtained without starting from scratch.

The Iran → Canada Express Entry Guide covers the complete police certificate process, the Mikhak system logistics, and every other document challenge specific to Iranian applicants — from the Sajjad portal for WES verification to SEMA regulations for moving funds. Full details at immigrationstartguide.com/from-iran/ca-express-entry/.

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